I don't know if I like GO-5.

[Chris142]

I've been keeping an eye on my coolant in my 02' Jeep.

Now at 31K the coolant (factory fill GO-5) has turned rusty, has left rust colored "stuff" in my radiator and in the overflow bottle.

I drained the radiator and replaced the old stuff with new Go-5 and distilled water mixed 50/50.

According to the owners manual I don't need to change the coolant untill 5yrs/100K. Why did mine die so soon?

 

[Mickey_M]

quote:

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Originally posted by Chris142:
I've been keeping an eye on my coolant in my 02' Jeep.

Now at 31K the coolant (factory fill GO-5) has turned rusty, has left rust colored "stuff" in my radiator and in the overflow bottle.

I drained the radiator and replaced the old stuff with new Go-5 and distilled water mixed 50/50.

According to the owners manual I don't need to change the coolant untill 5yrs/100K. Why did mine die so soon?

---

It doesn't sound like a coolant failure.

You need to do more investigation - there may be a mechanical problem of which this is the symptom, or after a repair the coolant was grossly diluted.

I'd look for coolant leaks - do a pressure check to check cooling system integrity.

 

[Ray H]

Ironically one of the generally accepted advantages of G-05 is its rumored higher tolerance for air in the system. While G-05 may well be a superior technology, air in the system is never a friend to any antifreeze/coolant chemistry. I doubt, however, that American auto manufacturers go to the expense of anything better than filtered tap water as the dilutant for their factory fill coolant. Hopefully Chris has gotten out in front of the suspected contamination problem by using distilled water this time around. Continue keeping a close check. I suspect for most drivers, cooling systems get less routine attention than tire pressure does.

 

[Chris142]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ray H:
Hopefully Chris has gotten out in front of the suspected contamination problem by using distilled water this time around. Continue keeping a close check. I suspect for most drivers, cooling systems get less routine attention than tire pressure does.

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Oh I forgot to add that I work at a radiator shop

I bought the Jeep new and the only maintenance I've done to the cooling system was a new Stat at 24K due to the OEM one sticking open, I also installed a new radiator cap at 24K.

Today I took my old coolant to work to dispose of it. For fun I checked the concentration......It is more than 70% coolant. Our tester cant test past 70% so it might have been 100% antifreeze and no water added at the factory

I wonder how this would affect the Go-5's lifespan?

 

[Ryan00TJ]

I've been running 50% Distilled @ 50% G-05 in my 2.5L TJ for a couple months and 5-6K miles now and it is still the same goodlooking orange color. I'll keep you updated on the situation.

 

[CoolantChemist]

Rust coloration is not from the G-05 coolant.

 

[Mickey_M]

quote:

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Originally posted by Chris142:
Oh I forgot to add that I work at a radiator shop I bought the Jeep new and the only maintenance I've done to the cooling system was a new Stat at 24K due to the OEM one sticking open, I also installed a new radiator cap at 24K.

Today I took my old coolant to work to dispose of it. For fun I checked the concentration......It is more than 70% coolant. Our tester cant test past 70% so it might have been 100% antifreeze and no water added at the factory

I wonder how this would affect the Go-5's lifespan?

---

There are a limited number of things that could cause your coolant to fail as you describe it:

1. Bad coolant - something left out of or contaminating the factory coolant before you bought it

2. Mechanical problem - something in your vehicle causing the rust, which seems to indicate a depletion of the additives

The chemistry of G-05 is pretty straightforward, so if it was installed intact #2 is the answer.

 

[outrun]

31k and your blaming the coolant?

I like G-05 but I do not buy the extended claim mileages of that and dex-cool. 30-40 is more than time to change.

Tisk-Tisk

Coolants can loose additive/corrosion protection well before that.

Flush it and investigate the other causes as listed here.