Change your coolant!!! Yes change it!

[SHOZ]

Peak antifreeze has a good rebate right now! $7 a gal back. Just bought two jugs of 100%.

Old World Industries Rebates

www.oldworldrebates.com

 

[MSCH]

Meh. Most top shelf mass produced oils are good for 10k+ (per said oil manufacturers and IOLM's), but somewhere around 94.24% of this forum says to never take them to 10k.

My owners manual says change coolant at 100k (miles) then every 50k. I wouldn't run blinker fluid for 15 years, let alone coolant.

shoot, I have been changing my oil every 10 k for more than 20 years using store label synthetics. So much for top shelf.
most of the guys on this forum are compulsive oil changers so it is best to ignore their maintenance advice..

 

[VTECOverRated]

I have never changed my coolant, and have never had it changed, or topped up unless I was changing the thermostat or radiator.
And that is for the last 20 years. Never had an issue. Only time I have changed the waterpump is timing belt services. Never leaked.
Same with brake fluid, which according to my shop comes back at sub 1% moisture (aka 0 on the reader because it can't read lower) and perfect health.

Unless you are on the track, towing, beating on your jeep, or what ever, highway driving is not gonna wear things out as quickly as the "recommended" from shady mechanics who will gladly change everything on your car ever month.

Or maybe its because I only buy Honda/Toyota.

 

[bullwinkle]

My dodge has heavy rust on the coolant passages looking at it from the thermostat housing. Not sure if that's from not changing the coolant or a large quantity of water being used compared to coolant

A nice citric acid flush should clean that right up! Of course, all my Dodge/Ram trucks rusted onto the OUTSIDE too, so at least the engine would match...

 

[bullwinkle]

I have never changed my coolant, and have never had it changed, or topped up unless I was changing the thermostat or radiator.
And that is for the last 20 years. Never had an issue. Only time I have changed the waterpump is timing belt services. Never leaked.
Same with brake fluid, which according to my shop comes back at sub 1% moisture (aka 0 on the reader because it can't read lower) and perfect health.

Unless you are on the track, towing, beating on your jeep, or what ever, highway driving is not gonna wear things out as quickly as the "recommended" from shady mechanics who will gladly change everything on your car ever month.

Or maybe its because I only buy Honda/Toyota.

New coolant, especially the Asian phosphate OAT coolants, just don't seem to go bad. I've done partial changes on the Toyota SLLC pink using cars in my sig, but even after 17-18 years, they still look like new inside.

 

[The motor guy]

A nice citric acid flush should clean that right up! Of course, all my Dodge/Ram trucks rusted onto the OUTSIDE too, so at least the engine would match...

Won't fix the pitting, will probably cause the heater core to start leaking too

 

[fantastic]

This is even better advice for a new to you vehicle with unknown history or do some just gamble that it's the proper coolant?

 

[BISCUT]

Yeah the thing is a coolant change won't keep the seal on the waterpump from hardening and leaking. That's what happened on my other dodge diesel that has a maintained cooling system. Basically a flat gasket like on an oil filter that turns hard as a rock. The bearing was still fine. I assume every pump has a different sealing setup, because I don't see how not changing the coolant would cause wear to the seal on that concentric brand water pump.

You are 100% correct. Solid maintenance program does not guarantee results...but I do think it increases the probability of let's say fewer issues long-term. Fair enough?

 

[eljefino]

People hear that water transfers heat better than antifreeze, so will do it on a marginal system "because hotrod". Then whatever was causing the initial problem festers and grows much worse.

 

[mr_boring]

Like what?

Preventing oxidation/corrosion and freezing, off the top of my head. Otherwise, straight water would do. I'm assuming the post you referred to was talking about coolant (the mix of chemicals known collectively as antifreeze) though he might have just meant "coolant - any liquid you can run in a cooling system"

That work? Can I has internet point, professor?

 

[walterjay]

I check my coolants with test strips. When they indicate a need, I drop out and re-plenish the coolant. Last year had to do my 06 F-150 and this year my John Deere garden tractor.

 

[medunko]

I’m sceptical not to change coolant. Check the manual , if the car is 10 years and 100 k max probably is time too flush with ionised water several times and than pour the right coolant for you car.
I did that with my Toyota’s and the difference is huge - you receive immediately warm or cold air.
I was sceptical too not to change the old school mechanics told me I never change coolant of my cars but I love reading manuals and that was written the time to change coolant. My 2 c

 

[FordFETruck]

I've bought a couple vehicles over the years that wound up just having horrific cooling systems. One of the vehicles, my truck I had to pull the engine out of to change the core plugs several years back because they rotted out. Right after I bought it in 2012, I did some stuff to it, including putting a new water pump on it. I took the cover off the old one, thing was a huge ball of rust and I'm surprised any water flowed through it at all. Pretty sure they ran river water in that thing although it had green coolant when I bought it. Changing the coolant a couple times per decade would've prevented just about all of that. My 99 grand marquis, while the crankcase is spotless like brand new, I swear someone A, never changed the coolant, B, put some sort of stop leak in it, and C, pretty sure someone topped it off with dexool because man, that was a mess to get cleaned out. I've never seen the inside of coolant hoses be lined like a clogged artery and I'm glad the old green IAT coolants went the way of the dinosaur.

 

[Urshurak776]

New coolant, especially the Asian phosphate OAT coolants, just don't seem to go bad. I've done partial changes on the Toyota SLLC pink using cars in my sig, but even after 17-18 years, they still look like new inside.

Agree. My son's KIA Rio in signature got a drain and fill at around 120K. I'll do another drain/fill next oil change. We live in the Carolinas, so not exactly freezing here. Coolant still tested to below zero, but I did the drain/fill anyway. Coolant came out looking very clean.

 

[02zx9r rev2]

I did a drain and fill in my 2017 Accord I bought used in 2019 with Honda 50/50 in October of 2020 car only had a little over 43K miles on it. Probably should have waited a few more years but I figure fresh fluid, fresh additives.

Did her 2015 Altima in 2019 with Nissan 50/50. Figured again fresh fluid/additives. Both of these I definitely should have waited a while longer

As others have said, buying a used car and not knowing history of it, I would do a drain and fill. Did it on her daughter’s 2008 Camry Hybrid she bought used with 252K miles on it. Drain/fill radiator and inverter. Both looked as pink as the new Toyota 50/50 but…..