Antifreeze question

[0860silverado]

I changed my coolant about a year ago and I recently discovered that there may or may not be a difference in chemical makeup between Honda's green antifreeze and the regular old green Prestone style. I thought there was only the red (dex-cool) type and then the standard green stuff that has been on the market for decades. I did notice that when I drained the OEM Honda coolant, it was a much darker shade of green than the Prestone mix. Can someone clarify if there is a difference that would warrant me draining/flushing/refilling with Honda antifreeze or am I ok with the Prestone? FWIW... it's been in there since January of 2021 and I have no known issues with it yet. Thanks guys.

 

[Admin]

 

[Stateboy]

Here's a recent thread concerning coolant but it may not directly answer your question.

P1000 - Honda coolant?

Anyone using the automotive coolant in their Hondas vs the oem quarts? I gotta believe it’s the same smurf juice? gonna risk it for the biscuit as I got a leak and need it now.

r.tapatalk.com

 

[Buggyman]

I changed my coolant about a year ago and I recently discovered that there may or may not be a difference in chemical makeup between Honda's green antifreeze and the regular old green Prestone style. I thought there was only the red (dex-cool) type and then the standard green stuff that has been on the market for decades. I did notice that when I drained the OEM Honda coolant, it was a much darker shade of green than the Prestone mix. Can someone clarify if there is a difference that would warrant me draining/flushing/refilling with Honda antifreeze or am I ok with the Prestone? FWIW... it's been in there since January of 2021 and I have no known issues with it yet. Thanks guys.

I have the 700 not 1000 so it might be different but I needed to add a little in the overflow. in my researching everyone said to stick with the blue honda antifreeze because it will extend the life of the cooling system by preventing pits and corrosion on the aluminum so I went with Honda coolant. $8.00 a qt. at dealer $32.00 a gal. on amazon. hope this helps.

 

[P1K5Dave]

You have a 1000? It's supposed to be Asian vehicle (blue.)

 

[Jerryg]

I changed my coolant about a year ago and I recently discovered that there may or may not be a difference in chemical makeup between Honda's green antifreeze and the regular old green Prestone style. I thought there was only the red (dex-cool) type and then the standard green stuff that has been on the market for decades. I did notice that when I drained the OEM Honda coolant, it was a much darker shade of green than the Prestone mix. Can someone clarify if there is a difference that would warrant me draining/flushing/refilling with Honda antifreeze or am I ok with the Prestone? FWIW... it's been in there since January of 2021 and I have no known issues with it yet. Thanks guys.

If you believe this is a problem, or is just bothering you. You can always do a flush and start over.

 

[0860silverado]

You have a 1000? It's supposed to be Asian vehicle (blue.)

Yessir... Pioneer 1000-3. Mine is a 2016 year. I could have sworn it was dark green but that was before I even knew blue antifreeze existed. Manual says Pro Honda HP Coolant or equivalent ethylene glycol antifreeze. Maybe the 2016s had the old green stuff?

 

[0860silverado]

Guys... I just looked at images on google and what I thought was dark green was actually what they call Blue! Hope I didn't screw anything up.

 

[Scoop]

It's never too late to drain the wrong stuff and get the right stuff in there. Just be careful on older vehicles - use of anything to "clean" the system often leads to leaks, as the sh*t that's in the cracks and crevices often becomes a seal.

You can go aftermarket with Prestone blue for Asian vehicles.

 

[P1K5Dave]

I have no idea what the implications of running the green stuff in your machine would be, but I can't imagine it's all that tragic. I would probably re-do it, though.

 

[P1K5Dave]

And yeah, I used the Prestone Asian blue myself.

 

[P1K5Dave]

Ok, so here's why you want to change it out. The old Inorganic Acid Technology (green stuff) was for cast iron blocks. Organic Acid Technology (blue is one) was developed for aluminum blocks

as more and more vehicles began to use aluminum parts and rubber seals in the system, more problems began to occur. For example, silicates caused massive amounts of scale in the system when in contact with aluminum, further causing cooling issues. Phosphates on the other hand, over time, dried and corroded anything rubber – like water pump seals.

https://www.autozone.com/diy/trustworthy-advice/understanding-different-types-of-antifreeze

 

[john790]

Being most cars and trucks today have many aluminum parts.I would say most antifreeze for aluminum would work i think i would stick with the blue.Do you think the dealers use honda antifreeze.They probley buy in bulk in a 55 gallon barrel

 

[BobRack]

I changed my coolant about a year ago and I recently discovered that there may or may not be a difference in chemical makeup between Honda's green antifreeze and the regular old green Prestone style. I thought there was only the red (dex-cool) type and then the standard green stuff that has been on the market for decades. I did notice that when I drained the OEM Honda coolant, it was a much darker shade of green than the Prestone mix. Can someone clarify if there is a difference that would warrant me draining/flushing/refilling with Honda antifreeze or am I ok with the Prestone? FWIW... it's been in there since January of 2021 and I have no known issues with it yet. Thanks guys.

You can use any silicate free coolant regardless of color. The blue dye in Honda coolant turns a bluish/green patina like color when dry as a visual indicator.

 

[BrianM]

The key is silicate free. Some green antifreeze has (or used to have) silicates. I bet it doesn't anymore since so many vehicles have aluminum blocks. Anyway antifreezes with silicates don't play well with aluminum. I don't really know why but I had a friend with a VW van years ago that found this out the hard way.

 

[0860silverado]

Thanks for the help guys! I still have the (almost empty) bottle of what I put in my machine. Oddly enough, it reads that it is safe for all engines and cooling system parts, including aluminum. The website states that it contains silicates and phosphates. Regardless, I'm changing back to the blue juice. Thanks again!

 

[BrianM]

I found this link. It's a pdf file from oreilly that shows a lot of different antifreezes.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://images.oreillyauto.com/uploads/pdf/ad/SD_672%2520AFZ%2520Comparison%2520Chart-1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjU65_55fP1AhVjk2oFHXfZAdMQFnoECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw39kLtM1ajU9wEL-JN2kkyZ

 

[0860silverado]

I found this link. It's a pdf file from oreilly that shows a lot of different antifreezes.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://images.oreillyauto.com/uploads/pdf/ad/SD_672%2520AFZ%2520Comparison%2520Chart-1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjU65_55fP1AhVjk2oFHXfZAdMQFnoECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw39kLtM1ajU9wEL-JN2kkyZ

Yup...That's the one I read. The product I used was the very first one at the top left.

 

[0860silverado]

Update... I finally got around to replacing my traditional green antifreeze with the proper blue formula. The green stuff was in for a full year and about 3200 miles. When I looked down into the radiator, the ends of the tubes were clean and shiny as new with no scaling or corrosion that I could see. Soooo if anyone is ever in a pinch and needs to use the traditional formula, it doesn't appear to have any immediate negative effect. The only thing I could imagine is it wouldn't provide corrosion protection as long as the newer formula, but it won't damage anything short term.