- Joined
- Jun 21, 2023
- Messages
- 2
Hello, new member here, you guys come highly recommended. I apologize in advance for the long story.
TL;DR: How long does it take for coolants that can't be mixed to start turning into gel?
Full story: I had a friend of mine (who has worked on cars as a hobbyist since he and I were kids) change the thermostat on my mom's 2017 Jeep Wrangler around 7 months ago.
Well, I discovered today that he may have possibly used the 5 year yellow coolant from Valvoline (Zerex 05 something) instead of the Mopar 10 year pink/red coolant you're supposed to use.
The engine has not (yet) shown *any* signs of issues but she noticed her radiator fan working harder the past week or so and I found her reservoir was low. It's also super hot right now in SE Texas, so I wanted to find out what gives. I did my research and read about the danger of mixing coolants, so I called my "friend", and asked if he was aware of the mixing causing problems... Now I'm mortified to find out he possibly did this without doing his research...
So, I know we need to go get a coolant flush to be on the safe side; that's scheduled for tomorrow and there won't be any driving it until that's done. But I'm actually a bit surprised she hasn't had any overheating yet, so I thought I would come here to ask... How long does it take for gelling to happen? Even an anecdotal answer would be helpful at this point.
Also, can the engine be saved by just simply doing a professional flush? She's supposed to go to Pep Boys to get it done (they're the only shop that isn't far away, or else we would go to the dealer for this... And yes, lesson learned)
I used to be able to work on cars but it's been 20 years now since I did anything more than change the oil and these newer vehicles have some differences which is why I tend to leave it to people who do it every day...
Anyway, thanks in advance for your wisdom.
TL;DR: How long does it take for coolants that can't be mixed to start turning into gel?
Full story: I had a friend of mine (who has worked on cars as a hobbyist since he and I were kids) change the thermostat on my mom's 2017 Jeep Wrangler around 7 months ago.
Well, I discovered today that he may have possibly used the 5 year yellow coolant from Valvoline (Zerex 05 something) instead of the Mopar 10 year pink/red coolant you're supposed to use.
The engine has not (yet) shown *any* signs of issues but she noticed her radiator fan working harder the past week or so and I found her reservoir was low. It's also super hot right now in SE Texas, so I wanted to find out what gives. I did my research and read about the danger of mixing coolants, so I called my "friend", and asked if he was aware of the mixing causing problems... Now I'm mortified to find out he possibly did this without doing his research...
So, I know we need to go get a coolant flush to be on the safe side; that's scheduled for tomorrow and there won't be any driving it until that's done. But I'm actually a bit surprised she hasn't had any overheating yet, so I thought I would come here to ask... How long does it take for gelling to happen? Even an anecdotal answer would be helpful at this point.
Also, can the engine be saved by just simply doing a professional flush? She's supposed to go to Pep Boys to get it done (they're the only shop that isn't far away, or else we would go to the dealer for this... And yes, lesson learned)
I used to be able to work on cars but it's been 20 years now since I did anything more than change the oil and these newer vehicles have some differences which is why I tend to leave it to people who do it every day...
Anyway, thanks in advance for your wisdom.