type of coolant for 04 path and where do you fill

[jroo]

I have a 04 path and coolant was low for the first time. What type of coolant do you guys fill with? Reason I ask is because my volvo was funny about what coolant you replaced with. Also I add coolant to the plastic fill beside the radiator, not directly into the radiator? Sorry for the questions, but this truck is newer to me than my other cars.

[Chuck Tribolet]

I use genuine Nissan coolant because I bought my '01 new and know what's in there. There are lots of horror stories about coolant incompatibilities.
The Nissan stuff is green, but it's not the only green stuff out there. Note: it's GREEN, not yellow-green like old-fashioned Prestone.

There are one, maybe two, vent caps that you need to pull. On my '01, one is just in front of the center of the firewall. The FSM also says
there's one at the upper front of the passenger's side of the engine, but my stick shift model sure doesn't have that one. Maybe
it was just on the automatics. Fill the radiator right up to the base of the fill with a 50-50 mix of coolant and distilled water. Put the caps
on in this order: Any vent capt that runs coolant before full, the radiator cap, mystery front vent cap if you have it, rear vent cap. Then
fill the overflow to the min line. Allow to warm up fullly (at least five minutes after the temp gauge hits normal) with the hood up
and you watching (this is a good opportunity for a beer). If at all convenient, let cool for a couple of hours with the hood up and
check radiator and overflow tank levels. They should be unchanged. Check again in a couple of days.

If it's an '04 and it's never had coolant change, now's the time for a drain, flush, and fill. If you really want to get all of the old
stuff out, there's a couple of drain plugs you need to pull. They are a bear.


Chuck

[jroo]

Just to make sure. In order to just top off coolant are you saying the vent caps need to be opened and fill in the plastic overflow beside the radiator to the full mark? Or was that for a full flush which I will do in the next weekend or so.

[fueler]

the plastic overflow container is exactly that - an overflow container. it is impossible to fill your radiator through the overflow container.

i fill my radiator through the radiator fill cap. located on top of the radiator.

the vent caps chuck mentioned, are simply to let the air out of the lines when you are filling up.


Here in San Diego, its 80 degrees every day year round, so i run 75% distilled water and 25% coolant. I use the green stuff (generic) and i never put any coolant in the overflow tank. If your engine is running right and coolant is not disappearing, then you dont need anything in the overflow tank.

[Chuck Tribolet]

The overflow has MIN and MAX marks. I'd fill it to the MIN mark.

Antifreeze not only keeps the coolant from freezing, it also raises the boiling point. 50%, not 25%.


Chuck

[fueler]

^^ true, but water also dissipates heat better than coolant so you dont even ever reach boiling point whether its 75/25 or 50/50.... the 75/25 ratio will run cooler than 50/50

straight water runs the coolest but then you are dealing with corrosion in the engine & radiator, not to mention it'll freeze up if you live somewhere where it gets cold