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Newbie antifreeze/coolant question

107K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  d0ugmac1 
#1 ·
Hello, sorry for the newb question.

In my 2007 Altima manual, it says to use only genuine Nissan 50/50 antifreeze-coolant (green) or equivalent. I bought a bottle of Prestone 50/50, which is not green, but it says it's guaranteed to work for all types, and even lists a Nissan logo, amongst others. It's getting VERY cold where I live, and I want to make sure that this Prestone stuff is okay to use. And is 50/50 alright in very cold weather?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
#2 ·
I bet it's yellow and says Extended Life on it. Use the dealer fluids, they cost the same... Good lord Freeze went up tho huh? I sell windshield wash at my work for $2.19, and Freeze for $11.49... anything petroleum based is getting crazy expensive.
 
#3 ·
Use the nissan stuff. Or just use the regular green fluid. Just make sure you don't buy the orange stuff, or anything for Dexcool systems. They do not mix.
 
#7 ·
This is what leads people to bring their cars in for stupid stuff because they always want to mess around with stuff they have no idea how to use.

Yes, I know coolant is simple. I don't even understand why a coolant question would be asked in here. If you have low coolant, take it to the dealer. Don't add your own crap. The car should not require any extra coolant....EVER, unless you have a serious problem. One should not walk out into the garage and say, "Hmm, I'm a little low on coolant," and then walk away and not think about it again.

Actually, go ahead use the different colored stuff. Then if there really is a problem, Nissan will blame you for the issue, and you have no way of proving otherwise.

As far as adding coolant to the mix, it won't do too terribly much for you as 70% coolant to water mix is the best you can get for the most part. You are probably protected with the stock stuff, unless you start seeing temperatures in the -30 range on a regular basis and leave your car outside.
 
#6 · (Edited)
You have two options: Green or Yellow
...but like I said, If it were me, I would go to the dealer and get their green. If you use orange you're gonna have problems. Be careful because some of the Dexcool/Gearhead crap says extended life on it.. but the yellow is always called Ex-Life.
 
#8 ·
Just for your info, the 50/50 stuff is a waste of money...It's just that, half coolant, half water...So you are paying the same or more for the 50/50 as you are a whole gallon of just coolant when you are only getting half a gallon of coolant and half a gallon of water...

Just buy a gallon of regular green Prestone, a gallon of distilled water and mix them in a big bucket...badda bing, you have 2 gallons of 50/50 for about $1 more than 1 gallon of premix 50/50...
 
#10 ·
If it were me, I would also get the genuine Nissan coolant. If you are draining and refilling, then use whatever Nissan-compliant coolant you choose. But, for adding or topping off, just get the Nissan stuff.

Think of it this way - any thing OTHER than genuine Nissan coolant MIGHT cause problems. The genuine Nissan coolant is GUARENTEED to not cause problems.

On my 2003 Toyota Corolla (genuine Toyota coolant is bright red....looks just like ATF), I mistakenly mixed some Prestone orange stuff in there (which did say it was compatible with Toyota coolant) and a few months down the road, I had little globs of slimmy gunk floating in the radiator neck and coating my entire cooling system. Prestone's statement was that is dissolved once up to operating temp and didn't cause any harm. But if you had seen it, you would swear the head gasket was leaking oil into the coolant....because it was REAL NASTY STUFF and lots of it. The two compatible coolants reacted unfavorably. I never used anything other than Toyota LLC on my Toyotas again. And won't use anything other than Nissan coolant on my Nissan, either.

Just throwing that out there.

Late,
Trav
 
#20 ·
I'm sure you can use a lot of non-Nissan stuff in your car with no worries. Finding which ones to use however, is less than a perfect science unless you want to experiment on your car. Personally, I don't always choose to use Nissan stuff in my car (oil, oil filter), but most maintanence items that I don't do very often like coolant and such I do use Nissan. At least I know its guaranteed to work under stated conditions if changed on schedule. I also know it won't cause other problems down the line and if it does, it'll be covered under warranty. The only other time I don't use OEM is if its a specialty item, like ceramic brake pads, and can be easily be changed out if it causes problems.

I choose not to mix most chemicals, except maybe motor oil which I do once to change to synthetic. I use Mobile 1 in that case, and I only use the one kind so that I'm not mixing oils either.
 
#16 ·
Actually - GM has used a PLASTIC overflow tank that IS PRESSURIZED for many years on most of their vehicles. It's a hideous design when changing coolant, but it does exist.

Hell - the side tanks on most (our) radiators are plastic.

Not that it means anything, but I distinctly remember studying phase changes in chemistry in high school and also in physics - and in college chemistry and in college physics. It's not one or the other - it's both! It's all mathematics, anyhow.

Late,
Trav
 
#17 ·
The big three Japanese manufactures (Nissan, Toyota, and Honda) only use silicate and phosphate free coolants in their cars now days. It's all the same coolant, just dyed different colors.

You are asking for trouble, if you use the regular Green Prestone. The phosphates and silicates will eat away at the aluminum parts of your radiator, and water pump seal.
 
#18 ·
Are we arguing about antifreeze? Is this the battle between stupidity and ignorance? Or just the battle of "Big words?" :D Use nissan antifreeze.. I have a feeling you are one of those people who likes their overflow right at the line eh? That's good, if it's low, add a little, the temp can play a huge part in your tiny loss, and btw if you two we're as intelligent as you try to sound, you would probably consider listening to what the other has to say... we can all learn something here... I for one have learned that antifreeze causes massive weight loss when ingested orally.

gay little dash MATT
 
#25 ·
We were....and it was a great pissing match.

I would be willing to bet that ingesting antifreeze would cause people to buy 20's that look like yours :crazy:! j/k

Anyhoo, the only reason I ever stated buying the Nissan stuff was the only way to go, on top of not needing to buy it was that there are many types of coolant. Using the wrong one can cause issues most people don't want to deal with. Most people are not willing to go and do the research when, on a Friday, realizing they think they might need coolant. Not doing research, or not knowing first hand what to do causes trouble. There is almost a non-possibility of doing something wrong by using the Nissan Coolant. Yes, it will cause you to pay more Space Bucks.

I was a mechanic for years. I've seen the full gambit of strange and amusing ideas customers have come up with.

I can almost guarantee that if you don't have a lemon for a car, if you do the proper preventative maintenance, and don't beat on your car every day, most people's Altimas will last well over 100,000 miles with no issues. The great part about the dealer is being able to get piece of mind. If they screw it up, its THEIR fault. If you screw it up, well, one might pay dearly for it.

The basic facts are:

If you aren't a DIY mechanic with previous knowledge of how everything works, save yourself time and hassle and just buy the Nissan stuff and know that it WILL work. Why chance it? I can think of far more important things.

Now....if we were having a thread about how to do a coolant flush so you could learn to do it on your own....I would still say take it to the Nissan dealer that has a BG (brand) coolant flush machine. It does a fantastic job, and for the money, can't be beat. The kit comes with a cleaner, and a conditioner for the cooling system, and the coolant flush machine is pretty sweet and almost idiot proof.

BTW, most prices at dealerships are negotiable. If a dealer is charging $95/hr, they can go down to about $60/hr depending on location. Most are willing to help you out and get your business.
 
#19 ·
If in doubt, just use the Nissan stuff. If you're only buying one jug of the stuff, you aren't going to be spending that much either way anyway. Think of it as protecting your many $$$thousands investment.

Its one thing to be cheap about things of no consequence, but bad/wrong coolant COULD cause problems if you aren't 100% sure. Don't trip over a dollar to pick up a penny on this one.
 
#22 ·
Zerex original formula is a low silicate, ethylene glycol anti-freeze. I bet the Nissan product is also "low silicate" as opposed to silicate free.
http://www.valvoline.com/products/zerexoriginal.pdf

Interesting, many of the anti-freeze manufacturers are a bit vague in their vehicle charts.

Here's teh ASTM Standard referenced, but it doesn't seem to help any.
ASTM D3306-05 Standard Specification for Glycol Base Engine Coolant for Automobile and Light-Duty Service

I doubt the Nissan container would list any of the product specs, but does anyone have a container on the shelf?
 
#24 ·
I just want to make a correction. The Nissan stuff does have Phosphates, but no silicate. I was thinking of Dexcool, which is silicate and phosphate free.

Wow, that was quick, thanks! I guess the Nissan stuff is some sort of hyrid OAT antifreeze? (OAT's don't have silicates but are not typically green) Based on this info, it would make sense to stick with Nissan antifreeze, at least while under warranty.

Car & Driver or Road & Track had a very good article explaining antifreeze options, but that was probably over a year ago. I'm pretty sure it was R&T as I was a subscriber. (a search didn't yield anything)
 
#26 ·
Japanese cars use an OAT coolant with phosphates, no silicates. reason being phosphate is fast acting to protect aluminum like silicate but doesn't erode water pumps and seals like traditional "high" silicated American green antifreeze was thought to (different than today's coolants that are all lower silicates). Also, high silicates can cause problems in the long run if not maintained, so you can debate phosphate may be a better choice than silicate for fast & strong corrosion protection. The OAT in this coolant is sebacate, according to my article linked above.

G05 is phosphate free, and is rumored to be preferred by europe car makers because they have hard water. hard water + phosphate = bad. Not really an issue if you're smart enough to use distilled or demineralized water. G05 is low silicated, with benzoate or benzoic acid as the OAT for long life corrosion protection.

dexcool is phosphate & silicate free, using sebacate as one of the organic acids for corrosion protection. It uses a 2nd OAT and is 2-eha, and is a plasticizer and incompatible with nylon and silicone. So if engine parts and gaskets are made of nylon or silicone and come into contact with 2-eha it's bad. Japanese automakers have strictly forbidden using OAT/HOAT coolants with 2-eha, specifically dexcool
 
#29 ·
I am new to car and this is my first car(07 altima),at the dealership they said I need to winterize the car and explained that they had to flush the anti freeze and it will cost me 130 to 150.My question is do i have to get the get the car flushed every year?
 
#32 ·
Car Talk

If any of you listen to Car Talk...here is what they say about it:

Dear Tom and Ray:

I drive a Toyota and do all of my own maintenance. I have been using the regular "green" coolant that is frequently on sale, and I change it every couple of years. Recently, I was told by a presumably knowledgeable person that I should only use "red" coolant -- preferably the expensive Toyota brand -- otherwise, I would "freeze" the water pump. Upon further checking, I learned that besides the green and red varieties, there is also orange. Is there any real difference besides the color? Is it just food dye? --Bob [bluecar2.gif]

Tom: We knew the color thing had gone too far when we went to Kmart and saw a whole new line of Martha Stewart Coolants.

Ray: There are basically two types of coolants out there, Bob. There's traditional coolant -- the stuff you've been buying on sale, whose additives and rust protectors have a useful life of about 50,000 miles. And then there's the long-life, or "organic," coolant, whose organic additives have a longer life -- 100,000 to 150,000 miles.

Tom: And yes, the colors are just dyes. They're used by the manufacturers to differentiate their products.

Ray: The orange stuff is usually General Motors organic coolant. The fluorescent-green stuff is usually Texaco or Shell, red is Toyota, and the bright-yellow stuff is usually Prestone.

Tom: We say usually, because you can't count on color alone to identify a coolant. There's nothing stopping Fred's Coolant Supply House and Veterinary Clinic from dying its stuff green and selling it. After all, you can't copyright the color green (although I've heard that Bill Gates has tried).

Ray: So the important piece of information is whether the coolant in question is a traditional or long-life coolant, Bob. In your case, I'd guess the stuff you're getting on sale is traditional coolant. And for you, that's fine, because you change it every couple of years.

Tom: If your car comes with a long-life coolant, you should try to add only long-life coolant when the reservoir is low. There's no danger in mixing traditional coolant and long-life coolant, except that once you go beyond 15 percent traditional in your mix, you'll get the shorter life of the traditional stuff. And since the long-life stuff costs a lot more, that's kind of wasteful.

Ray: And by the way, as long as you're using the correct type, you don't have to buy the expensive Toyota stuff, Bob -- unless, of course, it matches one of the color schemes you've got going under your hood there.
 
#33 ·
Car Tallk Update

They also posted this update, but it only applies to VW cars:

Dear Tom and Ray:

You wrote recently that different-colored coolants (regular and long life) can be mixed without danger. Your info might be accurate regarding GM and Toyota coolant, but as a Volkswagen Service Manager, I can tell you that it's not true with Volkswagen bright-pink "life-time coolant." The pink G-12 coolant, in use since 1996, is chemically different from the old blue or green G-11 VW coolants. When these two mix, there's a chemical reaction that causes the coolant to "gel" and turn brown in color. The coolant will get so thick that it can't pass through the cooling passages and will cause an engine meltdown. On behalf of thousands of Volkswagen owners, please amend your advice. Thank you. -- Will

Ray: Thanks, Will. We've been told by coolant experts that long-life (organic) coolant and regular coolant can be mixed, and the only negative result will be shorter life of the coolant. But Volkswagen disagrees.

Tom: VW put out a service bulletin warning against mixing its own coolant (G-12) with its older, G-11 coolant. We'll have to take its word for it, as we're not willing to sacrifice any of our customers' VW engines to test the theory. Well, there is Mrs. Beaseley ...

Ray: So if you own a VW, it's the pink/red G12 for you. Thanks for correcting us, Will.
 
#34 ·
coolant flushed

Hi, I get mined flushed every two years. I remember going to the stealership and they wanted like $20-$25 (Cdn)bucks for the stuff. I ended up using the prestone-all makes, all models. The heater has never worked better. Now if only I can figure out to stop the water from coming from the back windshield.
I hope this helps.
 
#36 ·
Tom and Ray usually know what they are talking about, but this time they made a mistake. There are basically THREE types of coolant. One, "OAT" has "organic" additives, "IAT" has inorganice, and "HOAT" has a "hybrid oraganic additive technology". IAT is the classic Prestone and is usually green. The inorganic is silicate, and it protects metal surfaces from corrosion. But some manufacturers wanted something better for engines with a lot of aluminum, so they developed "OAT", which didn't work very good when it first came out in the 1980s. Now it is all better. But because silicates work so well, some cars use the hybrid, which has just a little silicate, and also the organic additives. It used to be easy, because European cars used one, American cars used another, and Japanese cars used the third. (Mercedes and BMW use blue coolant sometimes) But now it's hard to identify which one to use, and the manufacturers sure don't help by putting all the info on the label. Sure would be nice if every owners manual came with a list of approved products. Or maybe they could post it on line, so it would be easy to update.
 
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