Coolant COLOR, 2021 edition. Is there still Green? Orange, Yellow ....

[JT20]

Okay! Wanted to get this question out before I forget. Where I work, I see this day in and day out... one of the things we make is coolant. We make other things, too, but I almost never see Green anymore ? Hence, the question.

What I DO see, almost day in and day out, are two other things:

1. Orange, "Extended Life" Coolant. Mostly the Concentrated, or MUST ADD WATER kind. (The labels no longer say this, have to really stare at them for like a minute to deduce it is not pre-diluted.)

2. Yellow. "Universal, Mixes with any car." Again, usually concentrated, and have to stare at the label and decipher it to determine it is a "Must Add Water." Doesn't exactly say that.

Haven't seen Green in awhile.

What REALLY confuses me is they ALL seem to contain the Ethylene Glycol as an ingredient..

So. Some questions:

1. Is Conventional Green Ethylene Glycol coolant "gone?"

2. Aside from brand-specific colors, like Toyota Red or other cars maybe use Blue.. What's the deal with the Universal?

3. Is Orange "Automatically" Dex-Cool or at best Dex-Clone and is it like the new Green?

Please help me understand. Thanks!

 

[JeffKeryk]

Good post. I really wanna know if there is a universal antifreeze.
Kinda like a universal blood donor?

 

[JT20]

Good post. I really wanna know if there is a universal antifreeze.
Kinda like a universal blood donor?

That's what i'm saying.. I don't quite get it.

I see product all day long, all day, every trip to, from somewhere it is to the left and right of me and like I said.. We make the stuff.

Is Green gone? Is the gallon or two I have the last Green antifreeze I will ever see?

Is the yellow the new green?

It's almost maddening.

 

[The Critic]

1) No. https://www.autozone.com/antifreeze...-green-antifreeze-and-coolant-1gal/540722_0_0

2) It is typically a Dex-clone type formulation, however, the newest Prestone Cor-guard product appears to contain phosphates.
3) No, because there are orange-colored HOAT coolants that use a very different chemistry than a Dex-Clone; the Mopar factory-fill orange comes to mind.

 

[JT20]

What's up with this one?

 

[The Critic]

View attachment 39451

What's up with this one?

??

It comes in an orange jug. The label says "universal" and yellow is in small print. Where is the confusion?

 

[JT20]

??

It comes in an orange jug. The label says "universal" and yellow is in small print. Where is the confusion?

1. If that can totally replace a green coolant.
2. If that can totally replace ANY coolant.
3. If adding it to "any coolant" can cause issues.

 

[The Critic]

1. If that can totally replace a green coolant.
2. If that can totally replace ANY coolant.
3. If adding it to "any coolant" can cause issues.

If you believe the vendor, the answers are yes, yes and no.

If you believe the OEM’s, the answer is no, no and yes.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Ethylene Glycol and less common Polyproline Glycol are the part that prevents freezing. The additives that prevent corrosion is the difference that color "might" indicate. Green used silicates. Others use a wide variety.

Rod

 

[Coolant Kid]

Would you be able to post some pics of the coolant at your work? I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I'd love to see what a coolant factory looks like.

 

[JT20]

Just got a gallon with some 2-EHA in it (says so.) its Green, and Extended Life.

Good or bad? (2EHA)

 

[Blinker]

My Hyundai owners manual says to use a coolant/antifreeze compatible with aluminum radiators. So it’s getting Prestone Cor-guard when the time comes.

 

[doublebase]

The problem is, it’s not the color but the technology. Green used to to be IAT (inorganic acid technology). It used silicates. Silicates isn’t used today because it’s abrasive (not sure if it can’t be used because of aluminum engines or what), but now they use organic technology (OAT). They also use hybrid organic acid technology (HOAT) and POAT (Phosphate organic acid technology). Color doesn’t really matter, it’s just a dye. All the newer coolants are “Extended Life” coolants, capable of 100,000 miles, whereas the old “green” IAT coolant was good for 30,000 miles or two years.

It’s all more confusing than it needs to be - and you can thank the manufacturers for that - different colors, different types...I can’t imagine it would be that hard to make one coolant that would fit all cars/engines, but that sure isn’t going to happen. Too much money to be made with all these coolants...gold coolant, yellow, pink, red, blue, orange, green, dark red, bright yellow...I can’t believe there isn’t a purple (Oh wait, I think Mercedes uses a purple now, good for them!). And once we understand it all, they’ll just add a new “technology” and color. Funny thing, water cools the best (if only it had freeze protection and rust inhibitors).

 

[AutoMechanic]

They still have dark green which is super expensive and my grandmas Kia takes it. The light greenish yellow color that all old vehicles take no they don’t use that anymore and haven’t for years but I still see it for sale everywhere that and universal is the only thing Walmart sells so I have to go to the parts store to get it for our Toyota’s and our 2008 Ford. I wish they would go back to using all one color. I don’t trust universal fluid at all so I won’t use that.

 

[Sayjac]

.....Color doesn’t really matter, it’s just a dye......

Bingo. These days color/tint very unreliable in determining the AF technology (IAT, OAT, P(H)OAT, HOAT...) inhibitors used and attributes of AFs. One great example is Chrysler/Jeep/Mopar G-O5, color a lot like GM Dexcool tint whereas Motorcraft, Zerex G-05 is a golden/yellow-ish tint.

If one wants to use something other than the OEM AF generally to save money, some research is required. A little searching this sub forum provides much of that information.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here is Prestone with Cor-Guard. Do you want to call this yellow or yellow green. This is a five year coolant. Prestone is phasing this out and now has a 10 year coolant ( also with Cor- Guard) I don’t have a color sample but attached is a picture of the jug. One thing for sure, the industry is moving to 10 year coolants. Colour means nothing and is just the dye marketers have suggested. The first photo is the new 10 year version ( in its pre-diluted format) . The second photo is the 5 year version, shown with a sample of the coolant and some mix water. ( Canadian market jugs shown).

 

[pbm]

I agree with 'doublebase' that it probably wouldn't be hard to make a coolant that would work in all engines but there's too much money to be made with the current confusion. PEAK has PGL and 10X which are reasonably priced 'universals' but they are now pushing their specialized 'OEM' coolants which are much pricier and 50/50....I'm sure their profit margin is much higher on them. PS: I'm wondering how PEAK is doing with their 2-EHA free 10X as Autozone has already put the concentrate on 'Clearance' and I recently saw the 50/50 at Rural King for $4.93 a gallon?

 

[Snagglefoot]

My Hyundai owners manual says to use a coolant/antifreeze compatible with aluminum radiators. So it’s getting Prestone Cor-guard when the time comes.

And here is the new updated version of Prestone with Cor-Guard. It’s now a 10 year coolant.

 

[pbm]

While I have no doubts that the new Prestone Corguard is very good...I'd use the PEAK 10X over it because of the 2-EHA used in the Prestone...I know that modern gaskets are impervious to 2-EHA but old prejudices remain.

 

[Sayjac]

...I'd use the PEAK 10X over it because of the 2-EHA used in the Prestone...

Same here. Though unlikely I'd go that interval, it's a 10 year/300k mi. rated AF. If I was to choose one AF for all my vehicles, it would be Peak 10x Full Strength.