coolant brand

Forum for Infiniti M35 and M45, and Nissan Fuga owners.
bicsintegra
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what type of coolant do you guys use? I am changing my ATF fluid and I am flushing the coolant I have the prestone 50/50 but it does say in the manual to you use the genuine Nissan antifreeze. Does anyone use the recommended antifreeze? If not what do you use?


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Ilya
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I personally would use ANY of the Japenese OEM coolants along with a bottle of water wetter (local parts store).

They are all the same formula but different colors. Honda is blue, Toyota is red, and Nissan is green. Acura/Lexus/Infiniti would probably match their parent brands.

When I had a Maxima, in the Maxima.org forum, someone did tests and found the Japanese OEM's to be the best because they have lower levels of particular harmful additives, etc.

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Towncivilian
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Why use Water Wetter? What is inferior about the chemistry of the antifreeze that prompts the use of it?

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wingFeather
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Please note that they recommend "Genuine Nissan Anti-freeze coolant or equivalent".

I notice the Prestone website says: "Prestone® Extended Life 50/50 Antifreeze/Coolant is phosphate, silicate, and borate free."

That sounds quite similar to Nissan's description: "contains no amines, no silicates, which may harm water pump seals, or borates that may cause aluminum corrosion and pitting which would cause your radiator to malfunction quicker."

Not sure what amines are & if Prestone contains them, but they sound equivalent to me. If I experience any issues I will be sure to report back here.

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Ilya
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Towncivilian wrote:Why use Water Wetter? What is inferior about the chemistry of the antifreeze that prompts the use of it?
Nothing inferior about it but this helps maximize the ability of the new coolant you're putting in (especially if you're doing a 50/50 mix like me up here in NY). IMO.

Also, I'm sure there are 'aftermarket' coolants that are additive free as Wing stated above, but me personally, based on my experience...I stick to OEM parts if they are not much more than the 'store brand'. Piece of mind and for some reason, I trust them more. If OEM coolant was 200% marked up cause it's OEM, then yeah I'd settle for something else.

Could all be in my head and/or placebo though. The OEM coolant, last time I bought it, was like $22/gallon. Not a big deal for me. Water wetter was like $5.

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AZhitman
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For your purposes, they're substantively similar. Save your money and don't buy the pre-diluted mix (why anyone would pay a premium for a half-gallon of water is beyond me).

As with oil, the best antifreeze is clean, new antifreeze. Flush and fill biannually and you can run the generic stuff without concern.

Side note: Don't MIX different types of coolant. If your car has "the red stuff", use that. They DO NOT "play nice" together, so stick with the type that the manufacturer installed from the factory.

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AZhitman
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Towncivilian wrote:Why use Water Wetter? What is inferior about the chemistry of the antifreeze that prompts the use of it?
Here's a pathetically inept review: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2008/0 ... AE-review/

The writer misses the point, and if his boss knew d!ck about cars (or the scientific method), he'd fire the guy. Expecting the product to keep a car's coolant temperature BELOW the level maintained by a properly-functioning cooling system is akin to expecting witchcraft - it defies the laws of thermodynamics.

Stupid writer notwithstanding, WW is great for people in super-hot climates. We don't need a 50/50 mix, and I've always run 80% distilled water, 20% coolant, and a bottle of WW. Then again, I don't let my cooling systems turn into cauliflower and rust farms, either. :)

While it doesn't (and won't) meet the silly claims of "30* cooler", it DOES do 2 important things: Reduces bubbles and cavitation, allowing the coolant to remain in contact with the surfaces that it is supposed to transport heat energy away from, AND provides an additional measure of protection against a temperature spike in the event of component failure or periodic, short-term abuse.

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szh
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AZhitman wrote:For your purposes, they're substantively similar. Save your money and don't buy the pre-diluted mix (why anyone would pay a premium for a half-gallon of water is beyond me).
Very true! However, I recommend using distilled water - these is available at most supermarkets and drug stores. It is sold for use in clothing irons for example, to avoid deposits inside the irons).

My reasoning (disclaimer: may not be well-founded) is that water from taps, and also "spring water" sold for drinking, tends to have various minerals and metals dissolved in it. Particularly to make it taste good. Some of this dissolved material may interact with the anti-freeze chemicals and precipitate out inside the engine or radiator (when hot perhaps) ... and I would just as soon avoid that possibility.

This is not a big deal perhaps ... but it is easy enough to get distilled water, so may be worth it.

Z

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wingFeather
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I chose the Prestone 50/50 premix because it does not have the harmful ingredients. I couldn't find any info at Prestone that said the regular coolant omits these. Also, the 50/50 doesn't require distilled water, so I don't have to make a separate trip to the grocery store. It's already mixed in the correct proportions, too, which makes refilling a breeze.

To each his own :)

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antzrus
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Distilled water?! Kinda' like changing your oil at 3k mile intervals; symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. Come on guys! Go ahead and boil away a gallon or two of tap water and look what's left over. Ain't much that can ruin an engine; unless you're using water boiling up from a volcanic fumarole or the Dead Sea.

My baby hums like a Singer sewing machine on plain tap water and 12k oil changes-Prozac kinda' relieves a lot of the those OCD shinanegans...
:crazy:

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AZhitman
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You can run a modern car with cat piss in the radiator and 3 oil changes for the first 70-100K miles. That's not the point.

It's the second hundred-thousand miles where a lassez-faire attitude towards proper maintenance will show up.

Let that same 2 gallons of tap water evaporate and see what's left. In AZ, it's not pretty.

Besides, it's not what's in the water alone that matters (Chemistry 101) but how the minerals, chemicals and dissolved solids react / interact with the various metals of a cooling system under heat and pressure over time.

Just because your car still runs doesn't mean it's happy. Correlation does not mean causation - You of all people should know this. :)

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antzrus
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AZhitman wrote:... Just because your car still runs doesn't mean it's happy. Correlation does not mean causation - You of all people should know this. :)
Oh Gary, I know it's happy-cuz a little Prozac in the crankcase goes a long way. :yesnod

Geeez, there's no debating w/a car nut...
:gotme

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AZhitman
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Greg.

I just hope, if you ever sell your M, that you're as proud to divulge the maintenance schedule as you are now. ;)

Be safe out there, brother.

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antzrus
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AZhitman wrote:Greg.

I just hope, if you ever sell your M, that you're as proud to divulge the maintenance schedule as you are now. ;)

Be safe out there, brother.

Greg..., sorry, I'm getting old. Oh geez, when I sell I was hoping to use you as a reference... :facepalm:

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AZhitman
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I promise I won't mention a word of your Maintenance-Related Episodic Memory Loss. :)

bicsintegra
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thanks guys for all of your responses I have been using the prestone antifreeze since i got my first car in 1994, the 50/50 mix is what i use now in all of my cars. I have already learned the not to mix antifreezes lesson with my acura legend years ago. for now she seems to be fine have not taken the car out on the highway yet but no overheating issues yet.

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wingFeather
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bicsintegra wrote:for now she seems to be fine have not taken the car out on the highway yet but no overheating issues yet.
Be sure to utilize the factory air bleeder. I don't remember which page of the FSM it was on, but all I can say is this step is very important! This engine has some serious cavitation!

antzrus wrote:Distilled water? :crazy:
I don't buy calcium supplements. I simply hose down my car, wait for it to dry, then scrape the calcium cake off it.

But seriously, whether you live in a bad water area or not, I've ripped into enough junkyard engines to see what kind of damage that poor coolant hygiene can cause. *reference photos of mineral blooms on the Titanic here*

After all we're only talking A Few Dollars More, and following manufacturer specs... not buying $80 Slick-50 backed by no scientific merit ever :bs:

So what was this thread about again? I've long since forgotten :bowrofl:

bicsintegra
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wingFeather wrote:
bicsintegra wrote:for now she seems to be fine have not taken the car out on the highway yet but no overheating issues yet.
Be sure to utilize the factory air bleeder. I don't remember which page of the FSM it was on, but all I can say is this step is very important! This engine has some serious cavitation!



I did eventually find the air relief valve and filled the car with coolant for now she appears to be fine but I have not taken her out on the road since i did the coolant and ATF flush been raining, cold , and busy as hell. hopefully this weekend i will have time to take her out on the highway.
Thanks


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