propylene glycol or ethylene?

[112233]

my owners manual calls for ethylene base antifreeze that has GM specification 1825m. here where i live,local gas stations has blue and red,and also green propylene glycol. i think some places i have seen "peak global lifetime antifreeze and coolant" im not sure what color it is,yellow maybe. what of those should i use,?

 

[shrooms]

The one's that have ethylene. Read the contents.

 

[112233]

Originally Posted By: shrooms
The one's that have ethylene. Read the contents.


i think the red and blue are ethylene glycols,i can´t find one with green color,so far only green coolant i have seen is the propylene glycol.

 

[ahoier]

yea, don't base it on the color of the fluid. Don't know why anyways, I've never seen "clear" coolant jugs So you don't know the color until you break that seal.....

Don't sway from the requirements, they call for ethylene for a reason.

 

[112233]

Originally Posted By: ahoier
yea, don't base it on the color of the fluid. Don't know why anyways, I've never seen "clear" coolant jugs So you don't know the color until you break that seal.....

Don't sway from the requirements, they call for ethylene for a reason.


so propylene glycol is out of the question then? should i use red or blue coolant, since i can´t find ethylene glycol that has green color. i was looking coolants at shell gas station,the bottles has small area at the side that is clear,so i can see the color of the coolant. how about ac delco "dexcool"? i dont´ know if i should use the green "original" color coolant or just get the red or blue ethylene glycol.
my local mechanic once told me i should only use green coolant in my car,if i switch to different color,it can start to leak. i wonder if it´s really true?

 

[labman]

Originally Posted By: ahoier


Don't sway from the requirements, they call for ethylene for a reason.


Yes, because that is the way it has always been. While they can add embitterents to Ethylene glycol to prevent poisoning childrens and pets, it is only done in a few states that require it. Perhaps Sweeden is more careful than here.

Propylene glycol is also friendlier to bearings in case you have a coolent leak. I have been running PG in my truck for a long time and since I dumped the Dex Cool in my car 3 years ago. I see little reason to use the much more toxic EG. PG is slightly less efective. If your cliamate is very cold, you may need to use a little more.

 

[Vilan]

Propylene glycol should be fine to use if that's what you want. Most coolants use ethylene because it's cheaper, but propylene is less toxic. Both work fine at cooling your engine. It's the 1825M requirement that I would worry about, which I think is about aluminum compatibility.

 

[Wilhelm_D]

Originally Posted By: 112233
my owners manual calls for ethylene base antifreeze that has GM specification 1825m. here where i live,local gas stations has blue and red,and also green propylene glycol. i think some places i have seen "peak global lifetime antifreeze and coolant" im not sure what color it is,yellow maybe. what of those should i use,?


The heat transfer rates of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol differ, with the advantage to ethylene glycol.

If your goal is to cool your engine, or it is under warranty, use ethylene glycol.

 

[lewdwig]

Pure ethylene glycol is colorless, so they can dye it whatever they want. The green of days of old was either a manufacturing impurity or the "add pack". You have to read the jug to find the ingredients. I've been using propylene glycol in two of my vehicles for two years - no issues so far.

 

[mechanicx]

GM generally allows the use of propylene glycol based coolant if it meets the required additive spec, but ethylene is better, plus a lot of the propylene ones are OAT based. I think you would want to stick with Green ethylene type that is not OAT. Maybe you could use G-05 as a substitute. they should have that in your locale.

 

[112233]

Originally Posted By: Vilan
Propylene glycol should be fine to use if that's what you want. Most coolants use ethylene because it's cheaper, but propylene is less toxic. Both work fine at cooling your engine. It's the 1825M requirement that I would worry about, which I think is about aluminum compatibility.


the "peak global" lifetime antifreeze and coolant "all makes all models" it has the 1825m requirement. would that be better,comparing to propylene glycol? i checked the green propylene glycol bottle,it dosn´t have the 1825m requirement,also, it should be changed after two years.

 

[ac_tc]

Hej,vanlig glykol- ej "longlife"
Propylen är helt ok om du byter ut all kylar vätska mot propylen.
( fryspunkts kontrollen kommer inte att stämma om du blandar)
Vanlig grön är alltid ok om du byter ibland. Annars så är G-05 ett bra kort, finns hos din lokala mopar dealer.

Try to understand that fellows and you can realize why i sometimes have difficulties to understand you.

 

[Gary Allan]

I use PG coolants and will never have issues with them. Neither will you.

To suggest otherwise is to say that all the alloys in Sweden and most of the consumer market that you report are leading you to cooling system destruction.

Many things are different outside of North America. I'm sure that physics and chemistry aren't among them.

 

[112233]

so i should be fine using the green propylene coolant? i guess it would be either the green pg coolant,or peak "all makes all models" coolant that i will end up using,i think.

what about the "natural organic acid" that the peak "all makes all models" contains? can it damage seals over time? i read somewhere in the internet that it is not suitable for cummings diesel engines,it damages the the silicone gaskets that the cummings diesel engine has. what about my car then,would it damage my seals too?

 

[oilboy123]

I have used Sierra in the past and Amsoil propylene antifreeze for many years. I notice that the Heavy duty truck market seems to use a lot of the propylene glycol.

I have never had any problems. I do like the fact that if it leaks in your engine (bad head gasket) you will suffer less damage to the engine components. Less chance of animals getting sick is also something that is a plus.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: 112233
i read somewhere in the internet that it is not suitable for cummings diesel engines,it damages the the silicone gaskets that the cummings diesel engine has. what about my car then,would it damage my seals too?

Do cars in Sweden fill their shops with cars needing coolant seal replacements (I'm trying to think of some)? One would think so in a nation where you report that finding EG is difficult and PG is easy. They should be parked 3 deep in the parking lot if PG is used as much as it takes up real estate in availability.

 

[mechanicx]

It wasn't propylene glycol that was the problem it is OAT inhibitors, that can be in propylene or ethylene glycol either one, shortening the life of certain gasket materials that weren't resistant.

 

[Gary Allan]

I've bypassed most of this eternal topic on the (alleged) advanced coolants. I find them all oriented to OEM "first ownership". Moving everything to the 5 year mark. It's probably to have the owner face a pending $3000 5 year service versus trading in.

That all said, they appear to be more problematic in the face of "issues" than older or alternative coolants, like PG blends.

It's like the reduction in ZDDP to protect cats. Heater cores and rads survived just fine with silicates and whatnot. It was owner neglect that killed most cooling systems, not obscure chemical interaction ..which is exactly what the newer coolants brought into the picture in terms of degradation if exposed to air and/or whatnot.

They've solved nothing.

 

[112233]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Originally Posted By: 112233
i read somewhere in the internet that it is not suitable for cummings diesel engines,it damages the the silicone gaskets that the cummings diesel engine has. what about my car then,would it damage my seals too?

Do cars in Sweden fill their shops with cars needing coolant seal replacements (I'm trying to think of some)? One would think so in a nation where you report that finding EG is difficult and PG is easy. They should be parked 3 deep in the parking lot if PG is used as much as it takes up real estate in availability.



i think ethylene glycol is available as much as the propylene glycol,but so far i have found it in colors either blue or red,only glygol so far i have found in green color is the propylene coolant. allthough i have checked the small local gas stations so far. i think next time i go to the places that sells car parts and stuff,i think the selection is better there.

 

[Gary Allan]

Here PG has very limited distribution due to the evolution of longer service life EG coolants. OEM spec's (this is not to be confused with essential requirements) are the reason. No OEM's spec PG coolants. It can never be what the owner will seek out if they follow the OEM recommendation.