Coolant Question

[phinleft]

I have finally got the engine running great! After enjoying the jeep last night, I got home, and discovered a coolant leak. If it isn't one thing, it will be another. It seems to be a cracked lower hose. I am going to replace it, and flush the radiator at the same time. The manual says to add 14.5 qt back. Do you all suggest a 50/50 mix for these old jeeps (7 coolant and 7 water)?

 

[priceg]

50/50 green

 

[Old Dog]

50/50 green

X2.

 

[BrockGrimes]

You can use orange also, the old green coolant had a higher silica? silicon?
anyway a higher content that messed up aluminum if not changed regularly, it was dyed orange and works better with aluminum.
Orange is just as a dye so basically all the new stuff orange or green is fine as long as aluminum isn't in the heads, block or water pump.
Then you want to use orange or a low content green and change it more frequently.

Or don't believe me and google it to be sure, LOL.
But here's some info.

"The green antifreeze contains silicates, phosphates and / or borates as corrosion inhibitors to keep the solution alkaline. As long as the solution remains alkaline, corrosion is controlled and the system is protected. Over time, the corrosion inhibitors will be depleted and the corrosion protection is lost. It is for this reason that green antifreeze should be changed every two years or so. Aluminum is especially vulnerable to corrosion and many vehicles have heads, radiators and other aluminum components in the cooling system. If the coolant in an engine cooling system is changed before corrosion inhibitors reach dangerously low levels, corrosion damage is prevented.
An alternative to tradition green antifreeze is a product currently used by many engine manufacturers. "Orange" antifreeze is a long life or extended life type of antifreeze used to increase the useful life of engine coolant. It is ethylene glycol base as is the green antifreeze. The difference between the two colors is that orange antifreeze contains a different type of corrosion inhibitor that has a much longer service life than silicates, phosphates and borates. Orange antifreeze contains organic acids that protect engine parts from corrosion. Silicate (green) type antifreeze does not mix with orange type antifreeze. Never mix the two colors in a cooling system. The organic acids in orange types will cause precipitation of silicates in the green type and corrosion protection is greatly reduced. Orange type antifreezes are good for five years or 100,000/AMC 150 ,000 miles in newer vehicles (1996 and later). They can be used in many older vehicles (ask your vehicle dealer if it is safe to use orange antifreeze) if all of the green mixture is flushed from the system and is replaced with the orange mixture. Useful life is about four years or 60,000 miles in older cars."

 

[Cheepjeep85]

i have to disagree with this orange (dex-cool) anti-freeze stuff. i had a 99 s10 with 4.3, and i still have a 2002 s10 blazer with 4.3, that ate the intake gaskets out of both, and i had to put 3 water pumps on my truck, 1 radiator, and i've put 2 water pumps on the blazer, i cant even begin to count the number of thermostats i've put in both. you can't keep the rad. in the blazer from gettin clogged up with that brown (don't know what it is) some sort of corrosion. i know that most all car manu. use it nowadays even heavy truck companies but when gm first came out with that junk there was a class action lawsuit over it because of all of the damage it caused. that being said i wouldn't recomend that garbage to anyone. personally i use the green prestone that plainly says on the front of the jug compatible with all types of anti-freeze.

i don't buy all of that better for aluminum , if you could see all of the damage that stuff has caused on a motor with aluminum heads, intake, and water pump you'd agree with me.

 

[BrockGrimes]

The brown sludge is usually because they have mixed the green and orange or swapped without flushing it first. I worked at a chevy dealership and know the pains of coolant issues. Mainly people not replacing it as needed. You run the green or orange beyond the recommended service life and you can start kissing parts goodbye.

 

[Cheepjeep85]

i've never mixed the green and orange, and i do maintenance on my vehicles like clockwork. that stuff ain't worth buying in my opinion, but as you know opinions are like assholes everybody has em