It's been awhile since I have posted here. A lot has changed in coolants since then. What follows is MY OPINION on these matters and is subject to change BUT I believe I am right on the mark with what follows.
So I have been digging around on the current coolants again. I had been using John Deere Cool-Gard in most of the cars and trucks I work on, but [censored] it is getting expensive. It now sells for $25/jug concentrated. John Deere now has a propylene glycol coolant called Cool-Gard II PG. I don't know what the price is for it.
Ethylene Glycol is better at moving heat than Propylene Glycol. The marketing hype that Propylene Glycol is safer for animals and dumb kids that might drink it is [censored]. It will kill if consumed.
Anyway, I have been watching coolant topics here on and off. I have seen some posts that seem to indicate that there cannot be a universal coolant. That is both true and false.
It is true in that there are applications automotive coolant should not be used in such as heavy duty diesel. Yet even diesel manufacturers are coming to their senses and going to OAT coolants that no longer require SCA. Caterpillar EC-1 appears to be an excellent diesel OAT coolant. It lasts 600K miles and only requires an extender at 300K miles.
It is false in that there use to be a universal automotive coolant that all cars used; the old green [censored]. It is nice to see a move back to a universal coolant which is better than the old green syrup.
Never convert a newer cooling system to the old green stuff. It is an old technology that is being abandoned. In fact, the only old green coolant I have seen for sale was at a Farm & Home Supply store. The coolant is called Durex. All the bottles I saw were dusty and are probably way past their shelf life. I think the green stuff only has a shelf life of 2 years. Also, silicates and phosphates are harsh to newer cooling systems. Newer meaning autos made since the introduction of Dex-Cool back in the mid 1990s. It is just a bad idea to switch from the newer organic coolants to that [censored] so just don't do it.
So why use coolants such as G-05, Ford Premium Gold, Dodge Red, Asian P-OAT, etc. in cars and light trucks when there are universal coolants available AS LONG AS they are compatible with gaskets and seals?
Ford is now going to Dex-Cool (their version but the exact same thing and color). Ford calls it Motorcraft® Specialty Orange Engine Coolant. They even used it in the past on certain vehicles. Who would have thought that would happen? It actually makes sense for Ford and other manufacturers to do this. It really is silly to have different coolants for the same automotive class.
ANY type of automotive coolant should be easy to find and be affordable. If you are in an emergency, you should be able to go to a store or gas station or truck stop and get coolant.
Here's a recent experiment I did. I decided to go driving around my part of Illinois looking for coolants other than Prestone AMAM and Super Tech. I went to Autozone, O'Reilly's, Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, farm supply stores, gas stations, and a couple of truck stops. What an experience and disappointment.
First off, people who work a parts places like Autozone and O'Reilly's don't know everything. I would say they are librarians who know how to look things up, but that would be an insult to librarians. What's Ford Premium Gold? What's ELC? Why not put the old green stuff in it? Morons!
I did find one coolant at a small farm supply store called Polar Longlife Antifreeze+Coolant. It's in a gray bottle, is priced at $9/jug, and says on the front it mixes with Dex-Cool, Ford, and Dodge coolants. Yet the ingredients read exactly like those of Peak Long Life...
"INGREDIENTS: Ethylene Glycol (107-21-1), Water (7732-18-5), Proprietary Ingredients (NJTSRN QT-1)"
It is made by Warren Performance Products. I sent them an e-mail inquiring what's in it especially if it has 2-EHA or not. I have only received generic answers not pertaining directly to my questions so I will probably not use this coolant.
I only saw this coolant at ONE store so why use it? Once again, coolant should be super easy to find.
THE #1 COOLANT that is easy to find? Prestone All Makes All Models (AMAM) followed by Super Tech which is available at all Wal-Mart stores. Super Tech is the same stuff as Prestone AMAM, costs less, and you can add Prestone AMAM to it if needed.
I am planning on using Super Tech in all of the vehicles I work on. So far, it has worked fine in the GMs as they came with Dex-Cool. I have used it in a couple of Dodge vehicles and my Honda Shadow Spirit VT750DC motorcycle without any ill effects.
I am going to do a flush of the John Deere Cool-Gard II coolant in my 2001 Mustang GT and replace it with Super Tech using this procedure...
1) Remove lower radiator hose from the radiator, drain, and reattach hose.
2) Install Prestone Flush 'N Fill Kit.
3) Remove radiator cap and back flush cooling system with the engine running and the heater on HIGH and HOT until clean city water runs out. I might remove the thermostat while back flushing.
4) Drain city water by removing lower radiator hose from the radiator then reattach it.
5) Fill with distilled water, run engine with heater on HIGH and HOT for 15-20 minutes, drain, and repeat a few times to get rid of the city water.
6) Add two bottles of Prestone Super Radiator Flush and run engine for 15-20 minutes with heater on HIGH and HOT.
7) Drain by removing lower radiator hose from the radiator then reattach it.
8) Back flush cooling system until clean city water runs out.
9) Drain.
10) Fill with distilled water, run engine with heater on HIGH for 15-20 minutes, drain, and repeat a few times to get rid of the city water.
11) Pour in enough coolant to achieve a 60/40 ratio of coolant to distilled water.
All of that should take about 3 hours or so to do. I use to not use a back flushing kit as I didn't want city water in my cooling system, but it is a pain in the [censored] to use only distilled water and adds hours to the procedure. Using the steps above will get rid of pretty much all the city water in the cooling system and it is not in the cooling system long enough to cause any damage.
After doing all of that, at least once every two years I plan on simply removing the lower radiator hose to let the radiator and engine drain, clean out the overflow tank if needed, reconnect the lower radiator hose, and refill with a 60/40 mix of Super Tech to distilled water. That should keep the system clean without doing a complete flush and fill and protect to -55°F to 270°F.
NEVER USE SPRING OR WELL WATER! Just because it tastes good to you doesn't mean it is great for your cooling system. Those tasty minerals and other stuff in them are bad for a cooling system even when back flushing. Use good quality city water to back flush and immediately use distilled water to get rid of the city water prior to adding coolant. Distilled water is the water your cooling system loves mixed with coolant.
So why do I want to use the same thing in all my vehicles? Because it is easier to stock ONE coolant and that ONE coolant is easy to get as there are Wal-Mart stores everywhere. I would probably use Prestone All Makes All Models (AMAM), but why when the Super Tech is the same stuff and costs less? Plus in an emergency, Prestone AMAM 50/50 can be used to top it off.
I think OATs such as Dex-Cool, Prestone AMAM, and Super Tech will protect all cooling system metals just fine. The only real concern is gaskets and seals. From experience, it seems to me if the cooling system used H-OAT or P-OAT, Prestone AMAM and Super Tech will work fine.
Some thoughts on Dex-Cool. I really don't believe it is bad at least not in its current formulation using sodium 2-EHA. It has been shown here numerous times that cooling systems using Dex-Cool THAT HAVE NOT been contaminated with different coolants and/or city/well/spring/drinking water and/or have no gasket or seal issues are some of the cleanest cooling systems you will ever see.
Maintenance is the key! Even though the service life may be 5 years or 150K miles, open the overflow and radiator caps ONCE or TWICE a month and make sure the coolant looks right and is at the correct levels.
I discovered something else in my research on 2-EHA and GM's Dex-Cool. When Dex-Cool first came out, it was made by Texaco and they used potassium 2-ethyl hexanoate instead of the current sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate.
I hate to use Wikipedia as a source, but this was also interesting...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium
"Potassium is an extremely active metal, which reacts violently with oxygen and water in air. With oxygen, it converts to potassium peroxide and with water potassium hydroxide. The reaction of potassium with water is dangerous because of its violent exothermic character and the production of hydrogen gas."
That sure does sound bad and would seem to make sense. A GM cooling system gets low on coolant from not checking it regularly to where the above chemical reaction happens. It is probably also why Dex-Cool and the universal OATs now use sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate. I have yet to see any documented evidence that coolants using sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate have caused any of the old mud, sludge, syrup, corrosion, gasket, seal, etc. issues seen in the past.
There is one other coolant out there I know of that doesn't use 2-EHA. That being Peak Global. My problem with it is that it is hard to find and it seems the only place that can get it is NAPA and they all seem to close at 5 PM or 6 PM. It is available at SOME Walgreen's but the only one I have seen is the 50/50 mixed version.
I want something that is EASY to get especially during an emergency.
Who the [censored] would be dumb enough to change out their coolant, convert to Peak Global, and leave it in there until the end of time without checking it regularly? That is an argument as to why the old Dex-Cool problems happened.
I believe most coolant issues can avoided by proper maintenance and using quality coolant such as Prestone AMAM and Super Tech along with distilled water.
I remember reading here a guy named RayH used Super Tech in a car for many years. I think it was a Sonota which probably had P-OAT in it. I seem to remember this guy had great results with Super Tech.
Anyway all of this have just been thoughts of mine over the last few years. I hope others might learn or comment on them. I might add more to this thread later.