Why not use prestone universal in everything?

[Scimmia]

Originally Posted By: Donald
The thing that is odd about the Zerex chart is that I would guess a 1995 Toyota had the old green stuff in it from the factory rather than G-05 yet the charts says to use G-05. I use the old green stuff in my 94 Camry as I believe that is what came in it from factory. The owners manual just says ethylene glycol antifreeze.

Does anyone know what year these new antifreezes came out and auto makes went away from the old green stuff? I certainly cannot remember.


GM went to Dex in 1996, not sure about the other manufacturers. Really, it's not that strange that the chart recommends G-05 for cars that came with conventional. Conventional comes with silicates, so the cooling system is obviously set up to handle them, so why not use G-05? After they switched, they were very adamant about using a coolant without silicates, and Dex-Cool fits that requirement.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: ryland


So do you guys think I should go back to using honda coolant then? Even though I've already had problems with it and no problems with prestone??


Whether you use Honda branded coolant or one that is just a compatible chemistry is up to you. I don't know precisely what chemistry Honda factory fill is, but I'm pretty positive that DexCool is not compatible with it and therefore neither is Prestone "All Models" with the same key plasticizing ingredient. There are OAT chemistry coolants out there that don't have 2EHA.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: ryland

So do you guys think I should go back to using honda coolant then? Even though I've already had problems with it and no problems with prestone??


If the Prestone works better for you and keeps your cooling system in good shape, keep using it. Clearly though, it isn't as universal as they claim. For many vehicles there are much better options that have proven to be reliable (namely, G-05).

 

[PeteTheFarmer]

Originally Posted By: ryland

Even though I've already had problems with it and no problems with prestone??


What problems did the Honda coolant give you? Hearing that makes me glad I went over to Peak Global in my Civic.

 

[ryland]

Originally Posted By: PeteTheFarmer
Originally Posted By: ryland

Even though I've already had problems with it and no problems with prestone??


What problems did the Honda coolant give you? Hearing that makes me glad I went over to Peak Global in my Civic.


I have an 05 element and its a known problem that the 05 elements and crv's have problems with their radiators plugging up with crusty junk from the fluid and forming air bubbles in the radiator and heater core, that make your car sound like a coffee percolator when you turn and accelerate. As soon as I changed to presotone all my problems went away. Also Hondas from 2003-2006 had problems with the dual pump fluid that is the diff fluid that runs the AWD. It would wear out and cause a grinding noise at about 25-30k. They made dual pump II to solve the problem. In my opinion hondas are great cars but the fluids are horrible! They've already struck out twice with the fluids in my car, so the only honda fluid I use is the dual pump fluid II because I'm forced to because no one makes a replacement.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: ryland
[
I have an 05 element and its a known problem that the 05 elements and crv's have problems with their radiators plugging up with crusty junk from the fluid


Sounds like maybe they DO use DexCool!

A little more tarnish on the myth of Japanese car superiority...

 

[Sayjac]

Don't know bout Honda being Dex, but I can tell you it went 120k in an 01 Civic with no issues. Radiator was clean and maintained level till time for timing belt and water pump change last summer.

Replaced with Honda coolant (looks purple-ish) by the tech that did the work, and I plan on running it till the manual calls for the next change, which I don't think is 120k, likely 60K.

Sorry you had a problem, but I've had zero issues with Honda coolant. Only thing I don't care for is it only comes in 50/50, but since the pump replacement got out most of old, and the tech did the work, I can live with that.

 

[GMGuy]

Quote:

Anyone know about this DOT "study"? If true, maybe cooling systems are more problematic than we think.


Probably a case of more neglected than we think. We (car folks), as this thread illustrates try to keep things working with the proper replacement fluids/parts. Our cooling system failures probably acount for a tiny fraction of this study, likely due to some freak occurance. Vs the neglected beater mobile that will be traded in next year that overheated on the highway because blissfully ignorant driver didn't bother to check the coolant level/service it with any regularity/ignored the weeping water pump.

Quote:
(Re: prestone all-makes)
I dont think that they would be able to say that for as many years as they have without someone calling them on it.


The problem as I see it, is it has not been that[/] many years. Only recently has old green disappeared from virtually every store shelf around here. The true test for me is how it treats a cooling system after 10+ years of using it. My daily driver is now 26 years old. My newest car is 20 years old. I don't want to guinea pig prestone and find out I've suddenly got a cascade of repairs due to some relationship with deathcool. =-)

G-05 (surprisingly, Zerex GO5 available at the local walmart for the same price old green used to be at) seems to be a safer choice for an old green system than prestone all-makes.

Alex.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
Quote:

Anyone know about this DOT "study"? If true, maybe cooling systems are more problematic than we think.

Probably a case of more neglected than we think. We (car folks), as this thread illustrates try to keep things working with the proper replacement fluids/parts. Our cooling system failures probably acount for a tiny fraction of this study, likely due to some freak occurance. Vs the neglected beater mobile that will be traded in next year that overheated on the highway because blissfully ignorant driver didn't bother to check the coolant level/service it with any regularity/ignored the weeping water pump.
IMO, that is an accurate assessment of what really happens with the greatest majority of cooling system failure. As you say, mostly not BITOG types.

The more I read on coolant here on BITOG, the issue seems less coolant type related, and more maintenance related.

And if the All makes EL or LL is sooo bad, the major parts retailers sure haven't gotten the message. It is by far, the predominant coolant now sold in the major parts stores and retailers.

I would like to see some (more than one) scientific studies that conclusively prove that 2EH is a (or the) significant cause of cooling system failure. Please do not point me to an article under Cool Profits Magazine, that to me is a sensationalized opinion piece.

That said, if I owned a Ford or Chrysler I would seek to find (not so easy) and use G-05 because that is what is called for specifically in those makes.

Lastly, I am not concerned about Prestone AM EL in my Nissan, especially with recommended drain/refill maintenance schedule of 2yrs/30K. But again, everyone should use what they are comfortable with.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Quote:
Quote:

Anyone know about this DOT "study"? If true, maybe cooling systems are more problematic than we think.

Probably a case of more neglected than we think. We (car folks), as this thread illustrates try to keep things working with the proper replacement fluids/parts. Our cooling system failures probably acount for a tiny fraction of this study, likely due to some freak occurance. Vs the neglected beater mobile that will be traded in next year that overheated on the highway because blissfully ignorant driver didn't bother to check the coolant level/service it with any regularity/ignored the weeping water pump.
IMO, that is an accurate assessment of what really happens with the greatest majority of cooling system failure. As you say, mostly not BITOG types.

The more I read on coolant here on BITOG, the issue seems less coolant type related, and more maintenance related.

And if the All makes EL or LL is sooo bad, the major parts retailers sure haven't gotten the message. It is by far, the predominant coolant now sold in the major parts stores and retailers.

I would like to see some (more than one) scientific studies that conclusively prove that 2EH is a (or the) significant cause of cooling system failure. Please do not point me to an article under Cool Profits Magazine, that to me is a sensationalized opinion piece.

That said, if I owned a Ford or Chrysler I would seek to find (not so easy) and use G-05 because that is what is called for specifically in those makes.

Lastly, I am not concerned about Prestone AM EL in my Nissan, especially with recommended drain/refill maintenance schedule of 2yrs/30K. But again, everyone should use what they are comfortable with.


So if someone said you can use Peak Global in your radiator with 0% chance of sludge/gasket problems or DexCool and have say a 2% chance of sludge/gasket problems. Both antifreezes cost the same and last the same length of time.

Which would you suggest?

 

[Paul56]

I purchased my 2001 Neon two years ago. (Couple of oil analysis reports in the other section)

At that time the coolant needed to be replaced in the worst way as the car had been neglected for about a year prior. Prestone all-makes was the fill.

Since that time over my 2 years of ownership the coolant has been changed for Prestone all-makes twice. Once for the timing belt job when the water pump was also replaced... and once just this past week when the rad, thermostat, thermostat housing, coolant pipes, heater hose, and transmission cooler lines were all replaced.

Not a long history that I know about, but... although the outside of the old rad looks a little worse for the wear the inside is clear. I did the mix for this last fill which is 60/40 Prestone all-makes and distilled water... I doubt distilled water was used for previous mixes.

I have no idea what the original coolant fill was for this vehicle; however, there have been no coolant related failures in this vehicle for the last 3 years.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

For the Neon? G-05. At least you can define what came from the factory. Those of us with the odd foreign cars like Hyundai have no idea what they put in it. I'll be switching to Prestone's Dexcool clone when the time comes, with a good flush of course.

 

[Sayjac]

Originally Posted By: toocrazy2yoo
For the Neon? G-05. At least you can define what came from the factory. Those of us with the odd foreign cars like Hyundai have no idea what they put in it. I'll be switching to Prestone's Dexcool clone when the time comes, with a good flush of course.
Same for Nissan, it says green coolant in the manual. What does that mean? IDK! So, I used the reasonably priced, easily available full strength Prestone EL AMM, after a full flush using some mild Prestone Super Flush. It's getting about time to do it again.

IMO, there is nothing wrong with your plan.

Funny thing is if you look at the Zerex Chart it calls for Dexcool for 96 and later, Asian models.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Originally Posted By: toocrazy2yoo
For the Neon? G-05. At least you can define what came from the factory. Those of us with the odd foreign cars like Hyundai have no idea what they put in it. I'll be switching to Prestone's Dexcool clone when the time comes, with a good flush of course.
Same for Nissan, it says green coolant in the manual. What does that mean? IDK! So, I used the reasonably priced, easily available full strength Prestone EL AMM, after a full flush using some mild Prestone Super Flush. It's getting about time to do it again.

IMO, there is nothing wrong with your plan.

Funny thing is if you look at the Zerex Chart it calls for Dexcool for 96 and later, Asian models.

There is a small risk in using any 2-EH antifreeze like Prestone All Makes/All Models. Why risk it when you can use Peak Global instead? True most people never have a problem with a DexCool or clone antifreeze. But if you do its an ugly problem.

 

[Paul56]

Hmm... interesting.

See, I read that Zerex chart differently. Take the Asian for example, for me it indicates anything 1997 and above since the color changes AFTER the 1996.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
See, I read that Zerex chart differently. Take the Asian for example, for me it indicates anything 1997 and above since the color changes AFTER the 1996.
You could be right, I was debating that myself before I posted, and was just going to say recent/newer models,

but I thought I'd try to be more specific. Since the space was filled between 96-97 was filled with Dex, I reasoned the way I did.

It could well be the way you say.

You say tomato and I say tomahto.

Important point though is that Dex is the recommended coolant.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted By: toocrazy2yoo
.... Those of us with the odd foreign cars like Hyundai have no idea what they put in it. I'll be switching to Prestone's Dexcool clone when the time comes, with a good flush of course.
I would skip the dexclone and use Peak Global...