Engine coolant

[coxmattycox]

HI all,

My 02 Fiesta has a bluey engine coolant in it, when on car parts websites and use the recommended coolant finder it only seems to show redish colours

Are you ok to mix colours?

Thanks

 

[Liverpool-Lad]

No!

 

[coxmattycox]

if that is the case does it currently have the wrong coolant in if all sites seem to recommend a redish colour?

 

[Stormster]

Nope, don't mix colours. I'm sure red stuff is long lasting and blue isn't but don't really know much more specifically than that lol.

 

[iaind]

I'd be more concerned about where the coolant was going rather than what colour it is.

 

[ubersonic]

the colour doesn't mean a thing, you can get red/green/yellow/blue/orange coolant its just a dye they put in it to stop retards drinking it by accident and to differentiate between their different types. I.E at Halfords their "pre 1997 car coolant" is blue and their "post 1997 car coolant" is red but some manufacturers have this colour scheme reversed.

The are three main types of coolant for cars: inorganic (synthetic) additive technology (IAT), organic additive technology (OAT) and hybrid organic (semi-synthetic) additive technology (HOAT), find out the one your car needs from the manufacturer and get it, colour doesn't matter, don't mix the different types

NB: an '02 fiesta will most likely use the "new" type, which is red if your buying form Halfords

 

[Matt82]

ditch the blue stuff. flush it all and put red/pink stuff in there

 

[coxmattycox]

The coolant was changed on it's last service. Its currently on at the low line, would adding a little water be ok?

Is it easy to flush the system and put new coolant in? Don't know if I fancy all this bleeding stuff.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah just add a tad of water will be fine.

 

[coxmattycox]

tap water ok or does it need to be fancy like distilled etc?

Thanks

 

[Iceman]

Tap water will be fine.

 

[Iceman]

Where abouts are you located?
Reason i ask is i have loads of the correct anti freeze in work if your not too far away.

 

[coxmattycox]

Near Basingstoke Hampshire, a long way away. Ill just add some water for now and do some research on how to change it

Thanks for your heklp

 

[BigglesPiP]

Don't mix it, it turns to jelly - well, forms a precipitate.

Use the stuff your owners manual recommends, a lot of these motorfactors recommendations differ.

 

[5abr3]

As far as tap water is concerned and if my slightly inebriated brain is working properly then hard water areas can cause large amounts of sediment and general gunk to form on the pipes when heated (like you get in a kettle ina hard water area) so you might want to avoid that.

 

[Clarkey]

Yep, I always use distilled water. It sloshes around in there for a long time and goes through tonnes of heat cycles, you don't want to be putting 'contaminated' tap water in if you ask me.

 

[Iceman]

Tap water is fine. Distilled water you use for batteries.

 

[Westyfield2]

As far as tap water is concerned and if my slightly inebriated brain is working properly then hard water areas can cause large amounts of sediment and general gunk to form on the pipes when heated (like you get in a kettle ina hard water area) so you might want to avoid that.

Yep, I always use distilled water. It sloshes around in there for a long time and goes through tonnes of heat cycles, you don't want to be putting 'contaminated' tap water in if you ask me.

Here in Bath our water is insanely hard! A kettle or a coffee-machine lasts less than two years .

So because we're a hard-water area I always use boiled water to try and save the insides of the cooling system!

 

[Howard]

Tap water is fine. Distilled water you use for batteries.

It's not if you live in a hard water area, i.e. most of the south of England. Distilled water isn't expensive, and won't cause scaling inside your engine's coolant tracts