coolant

[steven240374]

Hi what kind of coolant should i be using as i have heard there is some that are corrosive to the cooling system

[Gaz]

Blue.

[steven240374]

Cheers gaz it says there should be an image but i cant see it,Is it something i need to see

[Cavalier342]

Just use any ready to use blue coolant. I use halford's own stuff.

[Gaz]

No image, theres red blue and other stuff.

Bog standard blue is what it left the factory with.

[Terry]

i always replace with red personally even if they originally came with blue. Just have to make sure all the old blue has been removed as you can't mix the 2.

[steven240374]

Cheers i will stick with the blue

[Cavadan]

id recomend red , red is long life antifreeze , the difference between red and blue is the additives and Glycol content mate , they pack red anti freeze with more anti corrosive addatives and lubricating substance than they do with blue , rule of thumb i use is you cant really go wrong with either as they both do the same job , even tho red is 5 years and blue 2years , i change my red every 2 years , why do you think red antifreeze is more expensive?

[iangsi]

What ever you use you are supposed to mix it with soft water which helps it to stop scaling up.

[steven240374]

Well mine thats in seems a dirty brown colour I presume they don't sell that type anymore

[Rage]

What's people's thoughts on the O.A.T.S stuff that's radioactive pink? any pro's or con's to using apart from the price?

[humbucker]

GM/Vauxhall issue stuff is now pink which replaces the old blue standard. Make sure you use the recommended mix (usually 50/50) of whatever goes in.

[Rage]

but is the O.A.T.S. stuff suitable for a cav the current standard issue stuff may have changed but has the materials used in the engines changed?

[planetc]

... has the materials used in the engines changed?

alloy, cast iron, plastic and rubber? how different can it get?

[Cavadan]

... has the materials used in the engines changed?

alloy, cast iron, plastic and rubber? how different can it get?

theres alot of difference mate lol . im mean sure you dont see it strait away but in time it does mate a difference . OATS was the first type of antifreeze . it does the job its suppost 2 but as stated in my last post blue and red have different formulation and addative to condition the cooling system of the engine , when you see rust in the expantion tank it usually has been run on OAT or just water , car that have had the proper mix of blue or red dont have half as much corrosion in the cooling system. well... i could go on and on about this lol just see for your self mate , my advise is if your guna keep it for a few years to come , do it right and chuck some Red stuff or blue , your choice ,, or if the cav came out of the factory with OAT antifreeze in then look up the HybridOAT antifreeze ,,, its a real touchy subject this and my probly guna step on peoples toes about this , but i did a lot of research on this for my car plus learned about the different types of anti freeze in college and ATA ,
enjoy my ramblings ^^

[planetc]

Point taken, though I was referring to the lack of significant change in the engines rather than the anti freeze

Further reading...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifreeze

[Cavalier342]

I just stick to a 25% blue anti-freeze mixture in the warmer months (whenever that is) and a 50% mixture for the colder periods. If there's a really cold period, I'll up the mixture a bit just to be on the safe side.

[btcctroy]

Halfords advance coolant for me. Stays lovely and red. Blue is cheap shit

[humbucker]

50/50 red for me in all my cars.

Don't mix blue and red though. You'll get purple!

[steven240374]

Well managed to flush the matrix out today I now have a really hot heater blowing lovely hot air,But still blowing cooler on the passenger side but hot on the drivers side.With a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water so i should be well protected thanks for all the advice guys