New Car Cooling System Question!

[toocrazy2yoo]

2005 Accent GT. Green coolant. "Ethylene Glycol" coolant is specified in the owner's manual. I have no idea what the factory fill is but when I opened the radiator cap to have a peek when it was cold the first night I had it, this stuff is THICK. The cooling tubes are one little-pinky knuckle deep inside the filler neck, and you can't see the tubes through the coolant it's so thick. Also, before I got the car, someone in the past opened the radiator cap it while it was hot, and a few drops sprayed a little on the fan shroud. When it dried, it left a chaulky white deposit that was easily removed, but leaves me concerned.

Is this stuff too concentrated? The dealer-guy says no prob, but this stuff is REALLY thick. It's a 2005, built 4-2005, I took delivery day before yesterday, so it HAS been sitting around for 10 months. I don't wanna scale the cooling system the first year, or am I worrying over "nothing"?

Thanks!

 

[jmacmaster]

You mean its thick in consistency? The reason I ask is you say its so thick you couldn't see the tubes through the coolant. Thickness alone would not keep you from seeing the tubes. Darkness in coolant color would.

If it was real cold and the coolant was thick in consistency, perhaps you don't have enough antifreeze mixed with the water and the coolant was starting to freeze. See if the coolant's thick when the coolant's warm and also when the outside temp is warm, but the coolant is not warm. If the coolant is thick, in my opinion it shouldn't be. I've never seen thick coolant. Get one of those low cost testers that test how low a temp the coolant's good for. It has a bulb on top of a glass tube with a hole at the end of the tube and little plastic balls in the tube. You stick the tube in the top of the radiator, squeeze and unsqueeze the bulb to draw coolant into the tube and the number of balls coming to the top of the coolant in the tube tells you the temp the coolant's good for. They sell them cheap at auto parts stores and the motor vehicle section of big box stores.

If the coolant's thick I'd flush the engine block and radiator and replace it.

 

[Ray H]

'03 Sonata aluminum V6, here. All I can remember about the factory-fill coolant was that it was green. Exactly a year and a half ago minus 1 week I drained, multiple flushed with distilled water until the effluent ran water-white clear, and then refilled and adjusted to 50/50 dilution with SuperTech "All Makes" extended life antifreeze concentrate (an unlicensed dexcool clone made for WalMart by Prestone that sells for $6.88/gallon in my area). No problems, and the coolant mixture is still clear, blue-green and has yet to need any topping up. The original factory-fill coolant was visibly a little cloudy when I drained it. I wasn't impressed with that after a bit less than two years and only about 12,000 miles in service, though there were no overheating problems. Hyundai seems to install adequate radiators even for southwest summer heat.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Hi yall, thanks for the replies. I didn't mean thick in the consistency, I meant the color. Like the stuff is so richly green you can't see through it. It just didn't seem normal.

I asked the guy in the service department the other day, he showed me the stuff they use in the garage there, it's a "low silicate ethelene glycol".

Does that mean zerex GO5?

 

[Ray H]

Probably not. While Zerex G-05 has reduced silicate levels, it has OAT, too, in the form of sodium benzoate. There are still conventional antfreeze formulae that have cut the previous high levels of silicates, but contain no hydrated OAT salts for hybrid corrosion protection. Zerex G-05 uses a light amber marker dye. Once diluted down to 50% concentration, it's so nearly colorless that it's difficult to distinguish the fluid level in the translucent puke-bottle.

 

[Big Jim]

Color is determined by the dye chosen by the coolant maker or specified by the automaker. Other than that, it is meaningless.

It does sound like it may be something similar to G05, including the white residue that I have seen with both Ford and Chrysler products that use G05.

I doubt that there is anything wrong with the coolant it came with, but if in doubt, change it.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Thanks, Ray/Jim.

Jeez, I tell ya, the service advisor himself had no idea what's in the factory fill, only what they use to replace it with at the appropriate interval. I wish I'd paid attention to the brand, but it wasn't anything recognizable.

Why does the factory keep even their service peeps in the dark? The advisor even took me to one of his mechanics in the bay, and he had no idea what's in the factory fill, either.

Now all I need to do is find the Zerex GO5. Wally-World doesn't have it, Advanced, Auto Zone, no one seems to carry it in any concentration around here.

Thanks again, yall!

 

[kanling]

Pep boys, at least some, have it.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Thanks, K!

 

[boulderdentist]

I located it at a NAPA in Denver, though not on the shelf, had to ask and the counter person went behind and brought it out.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

Found it last week, dentist, already flushed with distilled and put it in.

Now to install a Tefba coolant filter.