Exact Antifreeze Brand

[Hammer]

OK everyone, I am getting ready to flush my cooling system, install new radiator, Samco hoses and thermostat. I will flush the system with distilled water and add green antifreeze and water wetter.

Now

With all the posts on antifreeze, green, silicated, and so on, what I would like to know is what BRAND, color bottle and so on have you used successfully to avoid the head gasket failures.

Thanks

[Peaven]

Originally Posted by Hammer

OK everyone, I am getting ready to flush my cooling system, install new radiator, Samco hoses and thermostat. I will flush the system with distilled water and add green antifreeze and water wetter.

Now

With all the posts on antifreeze, green, silicated, and so on, what I would like to know is what BRAND, color bottle and so on have you used successfully to avoid the head gasket failures.

Thanks

John, I use Texaco Anitfreeze Coolant...ingredients are as follows: Ethylene Glycol, cps#222353. It's a plain black gallon bottle.

That's it...pure old school green stuff. Picked it up at Autozone. So far so good for me, I'm getting ready to do a flush and reload of mine this week. Don't forget to add a bottle of water wetter!

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by Peaven

John, I use Texaco Anitfreeze Coolant...ingredients are as follows: Ethylene Glycol, cps#222353. It's a plain black gallon bottle.

That's it...pure old school green stuff. Picked it up at Autozone. So far so good for me, I'm getting ready to do a flush and reload of mine this week. Don't forget to add a bottle of water wetter!

Got a bottle sitting on the shelf ready to go.
Thanks

[jonszr1]

what chemical is the bad one that causes all the problems. i hear they are combining stuff . amodified verson of that evil orange . anyone know about this.?

[GOLDCYLON]

Originally Posted by jonszr1

what chemical is the bad one that causes all the problems. i hear they are combining stuff . amodified verson of that evil orange . anyone know about this.?

Dexicool

[tomtom72]

Originally Posted by jonszr1

what chemical is the bad one that causes all the problems. i hear they are combining stuff . amodified verson of that evil orange . anyone know about this.?

Jon, I don't know all the tech stuff but this is what I know for sure.....I think!

Silicated coolant (ethlyene Glycol based coolant), other wise called green stuff, is the old fashioned toxic stuff. The color don't mean much except that most brands that use silicates as the primary corrosion inhibitor are green in color and are ethylene glycol based. Remember the color is not a fail safe test of the active chemical used. Ya gotta read the label completely as sometimes it's not listed in ingrediants but under medical remedies on the label, aka the Material saftey data listing sheet.

GM 1825-M is an ethylene glycol based coolant, and is listed in the 90's owner's manual as the correct coolant to be used. Sorry I only own one Z so that's all the info I got on what the owner's manual says about coolant. That coolant is green but it's active corosion inhibitor is a silicate & it's a glycol based coolant...that's the important part. GM still sells the stuff I get mine from P & G chevy because the local don't carry it & laughs at me alot!

The newer coolants are mostly an organic acid based coolant. They work differently than the silicated glycol based stuff. You can't mix the two as the reaction produced by mixing the two is a "jell". N/G big time! I believe the inhibitors and the coolants bear the words "organic acid based" or POA, or OAT....they stand for something but I don't know what...but I know it ain't glycol based silicated coolant!

JMHO on all this chem engineer speak....color don't mean anything. We need a glycol based silicated coolant. Acid bassed coolant ( non-silicated & non-glycol based coolants ) will cause head gasket failure in our LT5's...that bites where I come from! If I read a label and don't see the word silicates or siliacated salts and glycol based, I don't buy the stuff. I buy mine from the mentioned dealer on line. I know it's a drag but at least I know for sure I got the right item because the label says "1825-M" glycol based silicated coolant & Mr Goodwrench is smilin' back at me!
Oh by the way, Toyota still uses glycol based silicated coolant!

Tom

[Hammer]

Well everything is now done. Went pretty good and I ended up spending some time cleaning afterwards. The engine bay (underneath) was filthy from 16 years of driving and not taking care of the car.

I ended up using antifreeze from NAPA, it has the silicates (says it on the bottle) and meets the 1825-M spec. The hoses, radiator and thermostat went on without a hitch and the car runs much cooler now.

A word on the thermostat, I used a NAPA #124, it is a reboxed 180d STANT and the gasket is on it. When you go to install it, use a putty knife on one side and the bracket that attaches it to the frame on the other, to hold it in while you screw the t-stat housing down, pull them out and your done (after tightening the housing of course). Works great.

[tomtom72]

Hammer that's a cool idea on the T-stst install!

Oh also I have another source for a T-stat if anyone is interested. Go to the autozone site and they have one that "fails open" if it has an issue. I tried it last yr when i did my cooling system clean up and so far it works real well.

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by tomtom72

Silicated coolant (ethlyene Glycol based coolant)

Hey Tom, just to be clear, Dex-Cool, G-05, etc, are all ethylene glycol based and all quite toxic. Generally the only stuff that isn't is the low-tox products like Prestone's low-tox coolant, and the Sierra brand. They are propolyne glycol which is much less toxic. They generally are a silicated coolant too, but if you spill some it probably won't kill anything.

In a car that doesn't really need max cooling, that stuff is pretty decent. I used it in an older car that sat out because if it ever spilled anything and killed some dog or cat or something I would have felt pretty bad.

I got my t-stat from ACDelco, it was only like $6. Is this NLA now too?

[jonszr1]

thanx for the info on the silicates. i also heard that distilled water is not cool either that its more corosive than soft water which is what they say should be added. I reaDIT IN ONE OF THE CAR MAGS ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS