AutoZone Conventional Green coolant

[SZR48207]

It is time for my yearly coolant change and I stopped into AZ to look for some Zerex G05. Of course, they had none, but they did have for 8.99 a bottle of AZ branded conventional green. I checked the specs. and it is ethylene glycol, with silicates.

My '02 Ford came from the factory with green coolant, which at the time, I think was their standard stuff. At the time, yellow coolant I think was Motorcraft premium coolant used in some vehicles with tow packages, etc..

I have changed out my coolant twice already. The first time was with Zerex G05, and the second time with PEAK (I forget which one).

I know these universal coolants that you see everywhere are probably compatible with anything, but most don't contain silicates. And from my understanding, one reason to get G05 is for its silicate contents for vehicles that need such to keep the cooling system free of buildup.

What say ye, BITOG? Should I drain out the yellow and put in the green? What are the chances that this AZ Green coolant is more/less the same stuff the truck had from the factory?

 

[gonzo]

I'd use the AZ product.I used PEAK ALL MAKE AND COLOR in my GM car.The original was red,I hope I didn't screw anything up.

 

[Ken2]

Is there any difference in any brand of conventional green antifreeze?

You need to decide what to run in your Ford. I'd use the green if you want to change the coolant every two years, or G-05, either from a Zerex retailer or from a Ford dealership, if you want to go about five years.

Do you have a digital voltmeter? Put one probe into the radiator neck in the cool coolant (not touching any metal). Put the other probe on the battery negative post. If you read 0.1 to 0.3 volts DC, the corrosion inhibitors in the antifreeze are still good. If you get 0.5 volts or more, they're gone and you need to flush and refill.

 

[gonzo]

Where did you learn that?I have never heard of that before

 

[SZR48207]

Originally Posted By: Ken2
Is there any difference in any brand of conventional green antifreeze?


That's part of what I'm wondering. I was not aware that you could actually buy regular, conventional green antifreeze anymore!

It seems like for the past few years, one big point of confusion for people has been "my original antifreeze is green, why can I only find it in yellow/orange/etc?".

I have no problem doing yearly drain/fills since it leaves me with more confidence than some 5 year/150k mile formula.

 

[tomcat27]

there's plenty of green out there... any many people replace their dexcool with green in an attempt to avoid losing their intake manifold gasket

 

[SZR48207]

I returned the green stuff and found that Atwoods sells Zerex G05 50/50 for $8.99/gal...

A bit expensive considering half of it is just water, but I guess this time I'm just going to drain the radiator, put in some fresh stuff, and then wait a few months before I do the same thing again.

I wish it was simpler to flush out the entire system.

 

[ZGRider]

Originally Posted By: Reddy45

I have no problem doing yearly drain/fills since it leaves me with more confidence than some 5 year/150k mile formula.



Just like you would waste good oil changing it every 2,000 miles, changing coolant every year is just as wasteful. Even conventional green antifreeze should last 2 or more yrs. Besides, how are you disposing of it? Hopefully not down the sewer and into the water supply. They make it "long-life" to reduce the amount of antifreeze that gets into the environment.

I say that and I'm not even a tree-hugger !!

 

[SZR48207]

Originally Posted By: ZGRider
Originally Posted By: Reddy45

I have no problem doing yearly drain/fills since it leaves me with more confidence than some 5 year/150k mile formula.



Just like you would waste good oil changing it every 2,000 miles, changing coolant every year is just as wasteful. Even conventional green antifreeze should last 2 or more yrs. Besides, how are you disposing of it? Hopefully not down the sewer and into the water supply. They make it "long-life" to reduce the amount of antifreeze that gets into the environment.

I say that and I'm not even a tree-hugger !!


What I meant was that, instead of flushing the entire system, you drain the radiator, fill with fresh.

Theoretically, if you start doing this when the car is new, you will replace 1/3 to 1/2 of the fluid with each drain. This will keep a fresh supply of coolant in the system so you never have to resort to the confusion of draining the entire system.