I need to re-fill my coolant .... how and what? Help!

bin liner · May 04, 2007, 08:56:42 AM

err..all motor factors should stock it...its very common...if not halfords try any other local motor factor...

barmar · May 04, 2007, 12:40:40 PM

Hi Jim
I use Comma\'s Xstream Green, which most good motor factors will have. Cost about Â£12 for 5 litres. The standard cooling system has 8.7 litre capacity so this will be plenty for you at a 50/50 mix.

Barry

Ricco_04 · May 05, 2007, 10:20:34 AM

I havn\'t done my coolant yet but will do soon.

The long life coolant (usually red) starts to turn acidic after a while which is no good to aluminium components so you need to use an ethylene glycol based coolant which is friendly to aluminium. The Halfords blue stuff is the friendly stuff - just read the label on the back and it will tell you that it contains ethylene glycol.

Ricco

fletcher9017 · May 05, 2007, 10:52:31 AM

ethylene glycol is the one that halford sell but its red

Ricco_04 · May 05, 2007, 11:06:00 AM

They sell the 2 - the red and the blue - they are both ethylene glycol but the red is the long life which I personally wouldn\'t use. Also if you change every year there is no point to the long life (but then as it turns acidic over time you minimise that risk also)

Chriszx · May 05, 2007, 11:06:17 AM

Quote from: fletcher9017ethylene glycol is the one that halford sell but its red

I\'m at work at the moment (Toyota dealership) & just checked our pre mixed coolant. The Green, Red & Pink stuff we sell all contain ethylene glycol. Bit confused as you are, coz mine could do with a coolant change & their seems to be alot of conflicting views on which is the safe stuff.

ashc · May 05, 2007, 09:57:32 PM

i\'ve heard to avoid the non ethelyne glycol coolants in rotarys, so when i recently changed mine (a week ago) i used the halfords pink summer ready-mixed - it is ethylene glycol based. Seemed a lot simpler than getting distilled water and making a mix up. iirc Carl from Haywards said it was ok. Presumably if you change it regularly, it wont have time to go acidic. I\'ll change it again towards wintertime, unless anyone has any hard evidence i should change it tomorrow morning!

Jim_rx7 · May 06, 2007, 06:32:56 PM

Ah....

So I can use the pre-mixed stuff as long as it\'s EG based and I change yearly?
If so, like yourself ashc, it seems simpler.

But you said it\'s summer mix?... so should it be changed for winter?

Jim_rx7 · May 06, 2007, 06:38:00 PM

Quote from: barmarHi Jim
I use Comma\'s Xstream Green, which most good motor factors will have. Cost about Â£12 for 5 litres. The standard cooling system has 8.7 litre capacity so this will be plenty for you at a 50/50 mix.

Barry

This the stuff??.....

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/comma+xstream+green+concentrated+5+litres/pid/696652

ashc · May 06, 2007, 07:41:25 PM

well, perhaps i\'ll use \'better\' stuff when i next do it. Quite honestly, it was a doddle that took about 20mins to do. After draining it, I took the hose off the back of the plenum, undid all the caps and filled very slowly until it bubbled out the plenum hose and the filler was full - so apart from the expense, no problem. I didn\'t have any trouble with \'burping\', \'air pockets\' or nowt. Maybe just first time luck though?
-- next time a modified coke bottle funnel filler would be helpful as per robinettes site (loads of post about it on rx7club.com) which allows for speedier filling.

Quote from: Jim_rx7Ah....

So I can use the pre-mixed stuff as long as it\'s EG based and I change yearly?
If so, like yourself ashc, it seems simpler.

But you said it\'s summer mix?... so should it be changed for winter?

Jim_rx7 · May 06, 2007, 07:59:34 PM

supposedly if you remove the hose from the back of the plenum, it does help take alot of the air out.

Anyone got a pic of the hose that needs to be removed, and where to remove it from etc?

ashc · May 06, 2007, 10:34:14 PM

really easy, theres one obvious hose on the right, right at the back of the plenum quite superfical at the top. Cant miss it! comes off a short stubby takeoff and disappears somewhere *inside*

interloper393 · May 06, 2007, 10:53:10 PM

you can remove this hose all together and simplify the coolant system

Jim_rx7 · May 07, 2007, 10:21:51 PM

Ok.... the coolant that Halfords sells that you can use is the stuff in the light blue bottles. This coolant is blue.

The dark blue bottles is orange coolant and the other is red.

I\'m a halfords store manager and without opening them all it actually took me a while to track down this info!!!

Quick question.... what\'s the best way to flush it? Simply throw some distilled water in there and let it drain out the radiator at the bottom?