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Old 02-01-2017, 11:59
hedsashed
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Is it ok to mix different coloured antifreeze in the radiator or not?

I have dipped the radiator and the liquid inside is a light blue colour but from what I have read it should be the red one for the model I have, (Nissan Micra 2008) so should I top it up with red one or the blue?

It's all very confusing as different websites say different things, some saying colours should never mixed others saying it's all a load of baloney.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 02-01-2017, 12:30
srpsrp
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I believe the red / orange die is used to show that it's long life ( 10yrs+) That's not to say that someone hasn't replaced it with blue stuff at some point ( a lot cheaper and if car won't be around in 10 years then makes sense ?) I wouldn't mix them together though, or add water.

Best bet is to look in the manual, I know ford sell there own coolant for example. If it came with 10yr red coolant then some one has replaced it with traditional stuff so I'd just top it up with that, especially if it's leaking.
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Old 02-01-2017, 12:39
hedsashed
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I believe the red / orange die is used to show that it's long life ( 10yrs+) That's not to say that someone hasn't replaced it with blue stuff at some point ( a lot cheaper and if car won't be around in 10 years then makes sense ?) I wouldn't mix them together though, or add water.

Best bet is to look in the manual, I know ford sell there own coolant for example.
I have checked the manual and it says nothing about what colour to use, it just states that it should be OAT antifreeze for use in mixed metal engines. I have just added about half a cup full of de-ionised water to the expansion bottle, hope I haven't done the wrong thing
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Old 02-01-2017, 12:45
SeasideLady
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Get some Prestone ready to use http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/ca...4607&0&cc5_902 , helpfully it's available from Tesco and Asda. I used it in my VW Polo ( which already had red coolant in ) and topped it up with this. It's totally universal, can be added straight in to whatever's in you car safely.
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Old 02-01-2017, 12:46
srpsrp
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I have checked the manual and it says nothing about what colour to use, it just states that it should be OAT antifreeze for use in mixed metal engines. I have just added about half a cup full of de-ionised water to the expansion bottle, hope I haven't done the wrong thing
You should never top up with water, always use neat antifreeze. Can you syphon the water out or have you started the engine since ? OAT based is the red orange stuff according to google

http://www.coolantexperts.com/coolan...ew/oat_coolant
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Old 02-01-2017, 13:40
ianradioian
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Itll be fine. 1/2 a cup of water wont thin the antifreeze mix to any extent. Next time always top up with a 1/2 and 1/2 mix no matter how slight. Any quality brand antifreeze will suffice.
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Old 02-01-2017, 14:03
PowerLee
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Colour means sod all with antifreeze these days.

Red, pink, orange, purple, green, blue, clear are all colours you may find.

Put the correct spec in, read your owners manual to see which spec is required.
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Old 02-01-2017, 17:30
hedsashed
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OK, thank you all for your replies, it is all still very confusing,there just doesn't seem to be a definitive answer to the problem, as suggested, some say never mix them and others say it makes no difference nowadays, which is what I was finding when looking on-line.

The prestone antifreeze as suggested by SeasideLady seems to be safest option.

Unless someone comes on to say that it's bad idea and confuddles my brain all over again
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Old 02-01-2017, 21:01
Galaxy266
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If you aren't sure which antifreeze is already in your car the best thing to do is to completely drain the cooling system, flush it out and then put in the manufacturer's recommended coolant in the correct dilution with water.

If you aren't capable of doing this work yourself then take your car to a garage. Make sure they tell you what antifreeze they've put in, though, in case you ever need to top it up!
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Old 02-01-2017, 22:04
srpsrp
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personally on an older car with blue antifreeze I'd say it's a safe bet to put normal blue antifreeze in it. Any thing is better than running it too low or using water ( which will eventually make it too dilute). Where I live we don't get much below 0 very often, most anti freeze specs are much lower than that.
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Old 02-01-2017, 22:48
Forza Ferrari
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By radiator do you mean water reservoir?
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Old 03-01-2017, 16:16
hedsashed
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By radiator do you mean water reservoir?
Yes, the small expansion bottle next to and piped to the radiator.
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Old 03-01-2017, 22:54
Waj_100
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Is it ok to mix different coloured antifreeze in the radiator or not?

I have dipped the radiator and the liquid inside is a light blue colour but from what I have read it should be the red one for the model I have, (Nissan Micra 2008) so should I top it up with red one or the blue?

It's all very confusing as different websites say different things, some saying colours should never mixed others saying it's all a load of baloney.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Never seen red in a Micra!

It's either green or blue...doesn't matter which!

Fit a 50/50 mix into the expansion tank but don't overfill it!

I've been a Nissan mechanic since 1974!
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Old 04-01-2017, 20:27
hedsashed
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Never seen red in a Micra!

It's either green or blue...doesn't matter which!

Fit a 50/50 mix into the expansion tank but don't overfill it!

I've been a Nissan mechanic since 1974!
Hi Waj_100, thanks for the reply, I shall get some blue stuff asap and get it mixed in.

It seems such a complicated thing to find facts about, a lot of different opinions on this, is it really a such a big problem if the wrong stuff/colour would have been used ?

Thanks to all that replied too.
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Old Yesterday, 05:55
srpsrp
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Hi Waj_100, thanks for the reply, I shall get some blue stuff asap and get it mixed in.

It seems such a complicated thing to find facts about, a lot of different opinions on this, is it really a such a big problem if the wrong stuff/colour would have been used ?

Thanks to all that replied too.
It depends where you live, I'm on the coast and even when it's -5C 15 miles inland it can be just above freezing here. You only need one really cold night though and then if the antifreeze fails you risk a ruined engine/car. The water expands as it freezes and can crack the engine.

My MX5 has a label on the expansion tank with the type of antifreeze. My Focus has the signature orange ford stuff in it. Fortunately I know the service history of both vehicles. I wonder if Nissan make an OAT based blue coolant ?
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Old Yesterday, 23:14
Waj_100
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Hi Waj_100, thanks for the reply, I shall get some blue stuff asap and get it mixed in.

It seems such a complicated thing to find facts about, a lot of different opinions on this, is it really a such a big problem if the wrong stuff/colour would have been used ?

Thanks to all that replied too.

For the small amount that you will be using it will not ,make any difference what is fitted at present.
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