5 year old Chrysler OAT coolant didn’t look great

[KrisZ]

Call me old fashioned, but I’m not comfortable keeping coolants for 10 years in operation, especially since it’s an easy DIY project and very inexpensive in the grand scheme of things.

What came out didn’t impress me considering it is supposed to be a 10 year / 150k mile coolant and it’s been in operation for only 5 years and 50k miles.

Incidentally, there is a thread of a 2007 Honda Accord with around 100k miles and that coolant looked pristine.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

What does brand new Mopar coolant look like?

 

[KrisZ]

The 50/50 mopar coolant I bought several years ago for topping off looked like this

 

[JHZR2]

I don’t see what the issue is...?

Did it darken? You show a lighter pink fluid further down.

Is there chunks or rust in it?

What is the concern?

 

[dishdude]

Send it in for a lab analysis.

 

[KrisZ]

I don’t see what the issue is...?

Did it darken? You show a lighter pink fluid further down.

Is there chunks or rust in it?

What is the concern?

It may not be an issue, but the coolant looks opaque and it has lost its transparency. It was not dirty or contaminated by oil, just lost its clear look and that was something I never saw in a coolant before in a healthy engine and cooling system.
The second pic is not mine, I just wanted to show that brand new, this coolant is nice and transparent.
This may all be normal with this coolant, but since it is quite new, I think it’s good too share how it ages when compared to other coolants.

 

[daves87rs]

Strange looking....

 

[sloinker]

The color range for both the 100k and 150k is all over the map. So much so that you need to rely on the jug identification to make sure you don't mix the two. I'm of the belief that all coolant becomes somewhat opaque with use. Maybe I have a false belief?

 

[Sayjac]

Just looking at what's in the bottle, doesn't 'appear' too bad to me. And 'correct me if I'm wrong', isn't the factory Mopar OAT tint different than the off dealer shelf replacement(service part)? Iirc, the factory OAT tint is more a reddish vs purple for the service part. Linked is the wrangler forum that first showed the comparison. If so that could account for the tint difference old vs new. Scroll to UselessPickles post. https://www.wranglerforum.com/threads/is-this-hoat-or-oat.1050513/

As an aside, I'm poster of the Accord 100k P(H)oat AF.

 

[JHZR2]

It may not be an issue, but the coolant looks opaque and it has lost its transparency. It was not dirty or contaminated by oil, just lost its clear look and that was something I never saw in a coolant before in a healthy engine and cooling system.
The second pic is not mine, I just wanted to show that brand new, this coolant is nice and transparent.
This may all be normal with this coolant, but since it is quite new, I think it’s good too share how it ages when compared to other coolants.

That was hard for me to determine, as the bottle appeared translucent to begin with. If it truly is “opaque”, or even cloudy, in the radiator. That’s an issue.

Ive found that coolant in a transluscent overflow bottle can look different than in the radiator, shining a light down through.

Are you sure of the history of this since new, and that nobody had added a different product?

 

[KrisZ]

I only added Mopar 10year/150k mile purple coolant as a top off. Nobody else touched this vehicle as far as maintenance goes. I never took it to a dealer or a quick lube place for maintenance.

Now if factory fill and service coolant in the jug truly have different colors, that could be the cause of this. But I never paid attention to how the factory coolant looked before I topped it off.

Perhaps my title should be change to.

"5 year old Chrysler OAT coolant looks strange"​

We used to be able to change titles of our threads, how do we do it now?

 

[Greasymechtech]

Nothing wrong with a little maintenance

Too many wait for clogged heater cores, leaky radiators, leaky or noisy waterpumps, ... to do their 1st coolant service

From what I've seen and experienced, a little PM goes a long way in making the above parts last considerably longer.

IMO, no such thing as a 10 year coolant.

 

[JC1]

Kris did you do a drain and fill with fresh coolant only or did you flush it first with distilled water?

My Caravan is 6 years old this year, maybe change mine out next year.

 

[KrisZ]

I did a full flush with 9 gallons of distilled water, as I didn't go with Mopar coolant. I also removed the thermostat from the housing. It speeds up the process quite a bit as you don't have to wait for the thermostat to open.

 

[RamFan]

While I don’t think there’s an issue with your coolant from the picture, I’m certainly no expert in the matter to say so definitively.

However, FCA really screwed the pooch with their changes in coolant color for the same formulation. There have been three different colors you could’ve ended up with in this formula; orange, pink, or purple.

 

[Jake_J]

Call me a simpleton but I don't see how you can judge that used coolant in the water bottle just from looking at it. The color of modern coolants tells you literally nothing, and the fact that Chrysler coolants are know to change color over time when in use just reinforces that.

 

[KrisZ]

While I don’t think there’s an issue with your coolant from the picture, I’m certainly no expert in the matter to say so definitively.

However, FCA really screwed the pooch with their changes in coolant color for the same formulation. There have been three different colors you could’ve ended up with in this formula; orange, pink, or purple.

Not saying there is an issue, just the look of it doesn’t follow what I am used to.
Yes FCA did mess this one up to the point that even dealers have a hard time telling which formula to use. When I went to get some 50/50 for top off, initially they gave me the HOAT version. Had I not had the correct part number with me, it could have ended in a disaster.

 

[KrisZ]

Call me a simpleton but I don't see how you can judge that used coolant in the water bottle just from looking at it. The color of modern coolants tells you literally nothing, and the fact that Chrysler coolants are know to change color over time when in use just reinforces that.

I’m a simple person too and I’m quite careful with what I say or type. I’m simply reporting how it looks like, simple as that. I never alluded to any effects on its performane

You’re saying that FCA coolants are known to change colors, this is news to me. I never had a coolant that would do that unless mixed with another coolant or was contaminated.

 

[nthach]

My guess is that unless you test it for chemical properties and freeze point, the reason why it changed color was probably the flotsam from the manufacturing process. I doubt Mopar is flushing their assembled engines with deionized water before final assembly to clear the block from leftover casting sand. Iron starts to flash rust once exposed to oxygen.