This is seen by many as the best of both worlds, and Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes and BMW (among others) tend to agree. Thanks to its unique and patented formula, Prestone Coolant/Antifreeze remains the only coolant on the market that can be mixed with another product within the cooling system without causing damage. I have a shopvac I've fitted with a smaller tube and I'm wondering can I use that to suck the coolant out of the reservoir and add water to dilute the rest. So what my husband got was the Orielly's universal coolant This stuff which claims to be compatible with all other coolants- so that's not true? There is no difference in the purpose of either variant of engine coolant. Convenient & Cost-Effective This is one of those inquiries typically posed sometime later, and as a rule, the motor most likely has been damaged. Nonetheless, I've sucked out what I can from the reservoir, topping it off with distilled and taking it in monday to have the system flushed. >> replaced with 'Ford orange' coolant which has a life expectancy of around >> 10 years, on paying a visit to my local motor spares shop they sold me a >> litre bottle of 'CarPlan Premium Red Anti-Freeze', which they assured me >> was an equivalent ... for a refund on the basis that it was supplied to him as suitable to mix with the Ford coolant, which was incorrect. I now have to run that test in Europe. my brother mixed orange and green and his truck actually froze up this winter because of it. This is why the coolant needs to be replaced so often. Per saperne di più su come utilizziamo i tuoi dati, consulta la nostra Informativa sulla privacy e la nostra Informativa sui cookie. Can you mix the different types? So we noticed the coolant was low in the 2011 Equinox. At the point when combined, they structure a gel-like substance that stops the coolant stream, and thus, the motor overheats. Drain the cooling system, flush the whole thing out with clean water, fill it up with the correct amount of green coolant and water mixed in equal ratios. You should know that the term "orange coolant" has come to mean a DexCool-approved brand but that doesn't mean it's really true. HOAT is similar to OAT, except for that it also contains silicates. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Clicking this will make more experts see the question and we will remind you when it gets answered. Yes, it is not as harmful to produce explosion or hazard and all but it can damage several parts of the engine. Thank you- that was super informative. I work on testing radiators, we had a test lab ban a coolant after it kept eating seals and hoses on their equipment. Prestone has always used fluorescent yellow, Texaco and Shell have always used green. This type of coolant is most often used in "open" coolant systems that have non-pressurized overflows. It has a different chemical makeup than green, and they cannot be used interchangeably unless you have flushed your cooling system ahead of time. "Cars born with green coolant shouldn't be changed to orange," Turcotte advises. RAY: From an automotive point of view, however, it's a more complicated question. A friend of mine mixed dex cool with the coolant in their car because they had it laying around from another car. When mixed together they form a gel-like substance that stops coolant flow, and consequently, the engine overheats. Puoi modificare le tue preferenze in qualsiasi momento in Le tue impostazioni per la privacy. This video will show you. 10-26-2006, … It's important to clear up some myths and misconceptions about both. It also causes an increase in corrosion of your vehicle’s radiator. In your service history Antifreeze/Coolant - Now Conveniently PREDILUTED. There are no longer any vehicle MFGs that use this coolant in their vehicles. Thanks so much! And he said that under no circumstances should you ever mix pink and green. The car has only been moved from the street to the driveway since this occurred yesterday. Cookies help us deliver our Services. ... Engine coolant, also known as antifreeze, is mixed with water to keep the radiator from freezing in extreme cold and overheating in extreme heat. we found out you cannot mix dex cool with certain other types of antifreeze.Everything had to be taken apart and cleaned.real bad scene and very expensive ... Coolant RED vs. GREEN: CJ: Tech Help: 79: 05-23-2009 08:07 PM: MB says it's okay to use Prestone: … If this was done a while ago I would just take it and have the coolant changed sometime in the coming week or two, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the MechanicAdvice community, Press J to jump to the feed. Both serve toprotect the engine from freezing and overheating, depending on which part of the globe you live in. The green and orange coolants don’t blend. Many people have asked whether you can mix antifreeze colors, and many times they are told FALSE information. I have heard, however, that mixing the two can cause a gel to form inhibiting coolant flow which would be a very bad thing. Chris-- If in doubt flush and start with fresh coolant noting brand/type and date. Orange is the one you wanted to stay away from? If mixing occurs, drain engine cooling system and refill … That was an old type of antifreeze where the glycol lasts maybe three years max. So was the stuff we used actually ok in the system with the preexisting coolant? ... Their main concerns with phosphates are the potential for solids drop out when mixed … It gelled the whole system! Coolant in the summer time works as an anti-boil and protects the system components from corrosion, which is a big deal especially with aluminum components. one thing to remember, maybe you accidently mixed some orange coolant and green coolant? The modern coolant comes in various different colors and red happens to be one of them. It’s never a good idea to mix two different colors or types of antifreeze. My husband went and bought the classic green coolant but in looking into another issue with the car I discovered that mixing the orange that was already in the system and the green can create a gel that can damage the engine. There are many different types of coolant, so it’s important to know what variety is right for your car or truck. In conclusion, is there a "universal" coolant that can be added to any group/type that is already in your system? There are three basic types of consumer engine coolant, and they all contain an ethylene or propylene glycol base, water, dye and an additive package. And some green coolants state compatibility with orange Descool. Here is where many of the arguments arise. Want Answer 0. Their rust inhibiting packages are too different, and in some cases can react to each other. View Entire Discussion (7 Comments) It gets its name from the inorganic rust inhibitor package it contains, and has a high silicate content. Adding OAT to an "open" HOAT system has been known to cause build-up issues in the radiator and passages of some vehicles, and is generally not recommended. I mix red to green coolant accidentally after i replace the radiator i did not drive the car yet just turn the egine and after 10 min it started the ovet heat so i add more Coolant and same thing over head it temperature is at 3/4 high i change the thermostat before and was good. HOAT can be added to either of the others with these caveats: Adding HOAT to IAT does not lengthen the service life of the IAT. If he just did it and you haven's started the car yet then just drain it and refill with the right stuff. Posted by texastrac_01 on Feb 10, 2011. What happens when you mix red and blue antifreeze in your car? This is quite a challenge because every company's anti-freezes have different combinations of additives and inhibitors. ... TOM: General Motors … Orange antifreeze is a long-life antifreeze. The problem with green and orange antifreeze is that they do not work together. Your best bet if you want to use a different type, is to completely flush the old type of coolant out before pouring the new in, as this rarely causes issues. So we noticed the coolant was low in the 2011 Equinox. An example cited by one coolant chemist: A somewhat diluted mix, perhaps 50% to 60% water, with the remainder (from top-ups) a 50-50 combination of an OAT and a conventional … Accidently mixed green coolant in to my pink coolant Ok, my car has pink coolant. It lowers the freeze point of the coolant to protect it from freezing, even in the worst winter conditions. OAT coolant is most widely used in the US by GM, and different formulations are used by many MFGs in Europe and Japan. The green/yellow color found in most antifreeze is due to the use of silicates, but new antifreeze variants made from organic acids give an orange or pink color. Question 1: Can I mix orange coolant and green coolants? ... We've covered a little bit about green antifreeze and orange antifreeze, but there is a veritable rainbow available. CAUTION: Do not mix Standard (green) Coolant with Extended Life Coolant (orange). The 50/50 mixture helps ensure vehicles get optimal corrosion, freeze and overheat protection and minimizes possible mix errors by technicians. In addition to protecting the engine against extremes of temperatures, en… Different Coolant Types. But I'm still curious. If mixed together, these two types of antifreeze form a cloudy substance and precipitation that can decrease the coolant's useful life properties. Question then, if you don't mind. You should still change it at the recommended IAT intervals. This is a TL;DR version: First and foremost, all coolant starts out clear, and there is no industry standard for adding color. If it's got orange coolant in it, then someone put the wrong kind of coolant in there. The"Coolant level low"popped up on the dash so I rushed to Halfords to obtain an orange OAT top up-The man told me he had Yellow or Pink but not Orange - I went of in a disgruntled manner to the local Jag main agent and demanded orange coolant (As stated in the manual and on the header tank)-They patiently explained to me that pink was the right one for cars with aluminium blocks and … Different … The Green (Ethelyne Glycol) Anti-Freeze coolant is not as popular as the Orange (Dex-Cool) Anti-Freeze, you should not mix them together to pour in your car the coolant reservoir, just use one kind only. No mechanic needed. So you’ve got to change the coolant maybe three years or every 15,000 miles. We need to make it about three miles to the mechanic, but I don't want to suck anything into the engine that might cause more damage. If you mix one of the two variants, you reduce the corrosive properties of the antifreeze. its important not to do this, as the orange and green coolants sometimes are not compatible, and actually seperate inside the system. Blue and green anti freeze both tend to be etherlean glycol. Antifreeze, also known as coolant, is a bright yellow or green liquid that mixes with the water in cars, trucks and other vehicles to keep the radiators from freezing or overheating. It's also a bad idea to mix the two, although the result doesn't immediately turn into witches' brew. This type of coolant is most often found in "closed" coolant systems where the entire system, including the overflow, is pressurized. This is the reason coolant is mixed with distilled water in a minimum 50/50 proportion. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. You cannot have a coolant that meets both the silicate specs of IAT and the non-silicate specs of OAT at the same time. Many times people end up mixing orange and green coolants without realizing the effect it can produce on the engine of their vehicle. It is up to the coolant MFG what color they want to use in any type of coolant, so do not go by color, only go by type. Yes you can flush the system the regular way or just leave the two coolants mixed together I don't like dexcool. I have accidently mixed green wth orange anitfreeze.... need to know how to drain the cooling system. Made from either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, antifreeze and coolant change the freezing and boiling points of water. Well, I usually buy the kind that says you can mix with any color coolant, but I was on my lunch and in a hurry today and bought just the green kind. Let's take a look at what can happen if you accidentally mix different coloured antifreezes in your engine, and what they even mean in the first place. OAT on the other hand, contains no silicates, and inhibits rust using a purely organic package. 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