Thread: D3. What type of coolant

It needs to be ethylene glycol based with OAT, usually pink. There are various OAT long life coolants that are suitable (eg. Caltex ELC, Penrite 5 year, Nulon 6 year etc). I used genuine as they're all, more or less, around the same price.

Does colour matter or just type?

Yeah, good question, well asked ! Traditionally long life OAT is orange I think, so I think it would need to be orange or pink. But then I have a random recollection of there being some that is blue, could be wrong on that, I think definitely don't use green, that's not OAT.

Seriously though, coolant colour is bs you need the correct spec coolant. I am cautious about mixing types/brands so when mine was changed it was changed with genuine.

Personally I like orange /pink as it makes it easy to see which of the infernal plastic parts is weeping this week ...

Are you supposed to drain the old or can you just top up?

Nothing special. Just use a flushing agent and put in the correct one . Nulon Red is one brand that is suitable. Btw: Nulon green is a hybrid OAT, so going by colour isn't reliable; apparently there's also an inhibitor that is pink in colour.

Originally Posted by timdo1

Are you supposed to drain the old or can you just top up?

Unless you know the coolant brand that is in there, never ever ever mix.

I agree with Bsperka, dont mix different brands of oats coolant, I have been told if it in not the exact same you run the risk of the mix curdeling in the motor.

The TDV6 coolant is (from the workshop manual)

"Havoline Extended Life Coolant (XLC) or any ethylene glycol based anti-freeze containing no methanol with only Organic Acid Technology (OAT) corrosion inhibitors - mix is 50%"

However that is for a TDV6 so maybe different for the V6.

Garry