coolant change interval

[poppa smurf]

my coolant is due to be changed but according to our service agent it still tests fine......should I change it "because" ......or is it fine to leave it until it tests bad

I have had the brake fluids replaced because they failed the test

[SavVYute]

Recommended interval is every two years according to most service books I've read.
Maybe it goes off or degrades after that period?

[graham7773]

poppa smurf, you will get 64 different opinions on here about what the change interval should be. I only use Nulon Long Life and the manufacturer recommends 4 year change interval. Most Coolants are glycol whiched is a form of alcohol with corrosion inhibitor added. there are more expensive ones but IMO you are paying for not much if any more than you get with Nulon... In a sealed system, the alcohol can go nowhere ie stays in the system. Brake fluid should be changed every 12 months regardless. It absorbs water and rusts components in the brake system if left in for lengthy periods of time. SavVY ute, the car manufacturers are talking about if you use their coolant. Better quality coolant lasts longer.

[mik]

to me the corrosion inhibitors are the most important, if corrosion gets a hold in the cooling system you might be looking at big dollar repairs, lots of alloy parts on modern engines that corrode fast if not looked after properly, once it starts eating into water jackets ,......... head gasget problems are`nt far behind, not to mention pipe work, walsh plugs, radiator, heater core, being tight with 30 buks worth of coolant and an hour of your time just is`nt worth it imo, i usually change before time is due.
i think usually decent brand coolants also have water pump seal lubricant and wetting agent in too .

[poppa smurf]

ah okay.....so assuming the coolant has been in since new (05)

although it has been regularly serviced at the correct intervals.....there may be a clue to it's last coolant change in the service book.....although not everything that has been done is placed in there

maybe I should change it to something like the nulon

I've been told the mitsubishi coolant is the ducks guts I was thinking of using that

[davenl5l]

change it. its cheap insurance and then you can keep track of when its done

[Rodge]

Great thread.
According to Ford Au change every 3 years.
Accoring to Ford N.Z. change every 2 years.
I'm pretty sure they recommend sticking with the green stuff mate.
I reckon go with every 3 years regardless of what type of litmus test the service agent uses. My 2 cents.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Focus is every 10 years! I did it every 2yrs/ 50km in the Festiva using a quality coolant that exceeds the cars needs / intervals.

Prob do it 5yrs wit focus... 10 years just doesn't sit right with me.

[Mr Hardware]

My motto is my coolant flushes itself every couple of years when a component of the cooling system fails

[Silver Ghia]

VW Polo etc. do it at 7 years when the cam belt and water pump replacement gets done. The interval is not actually stated in the owners manual, but querying the service manager, thats when it gets changed. The coolant is red, different to the green/clear stuff in the Falcons which should get changed at 3 years.

If changing to a different coolant, the cooling and heater system must be flushed and cleaned thoroughly. Simply draining and refilling will likely to lead to problems.

[poppa smurf]

oh gawd forgot about the heater setup.......how is that done?

[Yellow_Festiva]

Flush every which way till water comes out clean. Then seal and get to temp and dump that as well. Some say to turn the heater on but I don't see that increasing or slowing the flow in most cars unless the on switch also opens a tap for the heater units water flow.

I also put a dose of flush / cleaner to help lift any scale etc.

[poppa smurf]

looks like a job for the weekend.......these things got a tap on the bottom of the radiator or do we undo the bottom hose?

[Evgeni]

I just stick the multimeter on it. If it reads over 700mV, it gets dropped and topped up with fresh coolant.

There is usually a drain plug on the bottom of the passenger side of the radiator.

[poppa smurf]

where does the charge come from or is this read as a "circuit continuity test"

[BHDOGS]

i thought bas used red coolant from factory

[Evgeni]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

where does the charge come from or is this read as a "circuit continuity test"

Not exactly sure where the charge would be coming from. Technically the system should be insulated, but in the real world, its anyone's guess, without doing tests.
I chose this method as a measure of the pH of the coolant - just easy I suppose.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

i thought bas used red coolant from factory

mines green so this could be a hint that it may have been changed sometime in the past

my wife has nicked it for now (her micra is in getting repaired after the wayward cyclist incident) so i cant look up in the service book to see if or when it was replaced, thats assuming it was documented

[mik]

i think some of the voltage occurs as a natural chemical reaction caused by pumping hot liquid past different metals(ie cast iron block, alloy head accessories) hence the inhibitor/s .

[poppa smurf]

ah! the old "power generation by the exchange of liquids and bimetal's"......or in other words electrolysis

hell if I'm not real careful here I'll learn something!

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

mines green so this could be a hint that it may have been changed sometime in the past

my wife has nicked it for now (her micra is in getting repaired after the wayward cyclist incident) so i cant look up in the service book to see if or when it was replaced, thats assuming it was documented

It was normally originally green, not red.

[poppa smurf]

ah blows that out of the water then

[OLDBLOKE]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

ah blows that out of the water then

i think you are best to stick with the ford coolant,the others mite not be compatible.they all say thay are but have see blocked radiators with mixing coolants.