Does Coolant Brand Matter?

[Qwerty321]

Does the brand of coolant used matter? I've got a bottle of Calibre Coolant which I bought to flush my fathers car with (I cheaped out alright. It was half the price and his cars falling apart anyway) and now I've just found out a radiator hose on my Fairlane's torn so I'm going to have to drain and fill that up too.

Would it be allgood to use the Calibre coolant to refill the lane up or should I waltz back into the store and buy a proper bottle of Nulon like I usually do? Hopefully supercheap will accept a return and allow me to get the Nulon stuff instead

[FPV+fteT3]

The brand of coolant probably doesn't matter as much as the chemical composition. For instance in my cars the Suby and Lotus use a different chemical based coolant (red stuff) to the Ford (green stuff) due to the composition of the metals and rubbers the coolant runs through.
I know it sounds pedantic but its about chemical reactions with different materials.

[snowcone]

You need to check if it is "ready to use" or "concentrate" that you are buying
Ready to use means you just bought 90% water

[aussiblue]

Ready to use means you just bought 90% water

No all should now comply with and Australian Standards and have around 33% glycol content. The %age glycol will be on the label. Generally stay with brand names as one (now respectable company) was caught some decades ago selling water with a cheap green colouring agent and no glycol. I generally use Castrol or Valvoline.

[Interceptor]

Some ready to use coolants are also a straight up corrosion inhibitor with no anti freeze/anti boil ability, ie: no glycol

[cheap]

Never mix brand X with brand Y.

[Qwerty321]

Well I just went back and swapped it for some Nulon Long Life Green. Both were concentrates yea. Ended up deciding I might as well do it properly instead of half arsing it. Considering replacing the thermostat at the same time. Thoughts?

[monzie]

Some years ago a mates Nissan Patrol was starting to overheat so we whipped the radiator out and hung around while the radiator shop took the top tank off. The top was full of jelly caused by topping up the system with a different brand coolant.
Buying cheap coolant is false economy.

[mik]

Does brand matter ? for me its the perceived quality of the product , i like to think it has the required ingredients to inhibit corrosion/electrolysis and keep the coolant from boiling/freezing in adverse conditions , my henry is 16 years old with the original head gasket/unopened, so i must be doing something right with my cooling system ingredients ......either that or its just a grouse old donk ..

[Interceptor]

Something else to remember is that the 1 litre bottles of concentrate may well have enough corrosion inhibitor additives to treat a 12-15L cooling system, but the glycol content when watered down will be like taking a whizz in the ocean.....

[aussiblue]

Something else to remember is that the 1 litre bottles of concentrate may well have enough corrosion inhibitor additives to treat a 12-15L cooling system, but the glycol content when watered down will be like taking a whizz in the ocean.....

Not if the concentrate in near 100% glycol, as most are, and going above a 65% glycol mix will cause problems and in Australia where freezing generally isn't a risk between 33% and 50% is considered ideal. Amongst other issues too high a level of glycol can cause the coolant to be too viscous when cold so the system keeps recirculating the gooey coolant through the bypass system rather than the radiator (to viscous to be easily pumped through the small radiator tubes) causing short term heat soak and likely catastrophic overheating. Especially so in our cooling system and head gasket sensitive crossflow Ford straight sixes and even more so if the car is used in hilly or mountainous conditions so the altitude and temp change rapidly or in frost of mist prone areas (where the high glycol mix in the radiator will change to unmovable jelly with the cold air going through the radiator).

As the say here: http://www.noranews.org/?page=AntifreezeInfo

A mixture of one part engine coolant concentrate one part with distilled water will result in a mixture with a freeze point of –34°F and a boiling point of 265°F (with 15 PSI pressure cap). Do not use concentrate engine coolant without adding water; it does not circulate well and can lead to overheating. In extremely cold climates using a 60% ethylene glycol mixture will give freeze protection to -55 °F. Additional glycol will not further lower the freeze point. Do not add water to pre-dilute engine coolants.

Too high a level will also cause the additives such as silicates, nitrates and phosphates to settle out so the coolant loses it's anti-corrosion properties.

Purse glycol unlike a water glycol mix also has a freezing point not lower than water:


While ethylene glycol has many advantages, it does not transfer heat as well as clean water. Excessive concentrations will cause a significant elevation of engine operating temperature and cooling system failure. Using just concentrate or levels above 70% will likely result in a catastrophic failure and perhaps a blown head gasket. It's the water in the mix that does most of the actual cooling. The coolant additive is there to prevent freezing, inhibit corrosion and lubricate the water pump bearing.
See https://hellafunctional.com/?p=629 and the articles referenced at the foot of that page.

[Pepscobra]

Have and always will use Nulon only.

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Not if the concentrate in near 100% glycol, as most are, and going above a 65% glycol mix will cause problems and in Australia where freezing generally isn't a risk between 33% and 50% is considered ideal.

What I was saying is that a single one litre of concentate quite often labelled as "makes up to 15 litres of coolant" will have insufficient glycol to treat a cooling system capacity of 10-15 litres, because whatever you do, even 1 litre of pure glycol cannot possibly make the minimum of 33% when mixed with enough water to fill an average cars cooling system.

[janddbone]

Nulon make Calibre coolant.

[ford man xf]

If you mix different brands you do run the risk of electrolysis, which will lead to a hole in your radiator, or worse still in one of the engine water jackets.

[aussiblue]

you mix different brands you do run the risk of electrolysis, which will lead to a hole in your radiator, or worse still in one of the engine water jackets.

No; you need a stray current for electrolysis, mixing different and incompatible types of coolant or inhibitor will more likely cause sludging blocking the core tubes as they react with each other or settling out of silicate or other additives or coating of cooling channels. See http://www.are.com.au/feat/techtalk/horror_pictures.htm for some interesting examples.

[ford man xf]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

No; you need a stray current for electrolysis, mixing different and incompatible types of coolant or inhibitor will more likely cause sludging blocking the core tubes as they react with each other or settling out of silicate or other additives or coating of cooling channels. See http://www.are.com.au/feat/techtalk/horror_pictures.htm for some interesting examples.

If you mix different brands of coolant though, they can react reducing corrosion protection, if you have a stray current and different coolants are mixed the chemical reaction can increase the effects of electrolysis when otherwise the stray current wouldn't have caused a problem.

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by janddbone

Nulon make Calibre coolant.

Doesnt matter who makes it, it will be made to supercraps specifications.

[janddbone]

What an Australian standard???

[uniacidz]

I use Nulon on mine.
Personal preference and brand name that I would entrust with

Calibre brand for a falling apart car is fine
I'm sure prob outlast the car





Sent via my ASUS ZE551ML

[stang65]

interesting a BMW mechanic friend of mine worked for ford & holden before BMW I told him I just bought some ford coolant and he said its to acidic.. He actually recommended Repco.....