DakarM

last time i checked there wasn't any coolant (at least made by prestone) that had silicate and phosphate.

you'll be fine, I flushed my radiator with prestone long life (orange)

wedley2

i have a 4th gen so idk what i should be using. im just going to use the green stuff sine i got two jugs for free

RedThunder

any coolants with either one of the two are not approved for use in Honda engines. Yes, they can be used, but when dropout occurs, it's not pretty, what it does to the internals of the engine. Don't get me wrong, use what you want, but if you expect warranty coverage, if you do this while in warranty, it will be denied.

The orange Prestone is also no good as it's OAT (dexcool type) the acids will attack the plastics used in the system. Ask anyone who has a GM with the plastic intake gaskets, what happens to them in very short order.

There has been many a discussion on another site that I frequent that has over 40,000 techs on it, and it's becoming clearer that using OEM fluids is becoming the norm. There is too much risk in not using what they came filled with origninally.

Nearly all car companies are starting to use semi-proprietary fluids.

Technically, they are supposed to supply them to the car owner for free, if that fluid can't be purchased at a local supplier. I don't quite know how they get around that.

some examples, besides Hondas use of coolants, and numerous other fluids.
Here's some that our shop is not able to get outside of a dealership

GM with the blue auto trak fluid for the magnesium transfer cases, I've never seen it anywhere else.
GMs versa trak fluid
Jeep with the quadra drive fluids, again nowhere.
BMW with the 0w60 synthetic engine oil....
VW with the 505.xx oils for all their newer engines, nobody stocks them.
BMW blue coolants? VW's pink G12 coolant?
Daimler Chryslers' orange coolant, which acutally is identical to Zerex G05.

The oil that's now required for use in many cars must be GF4 rated or better, many makes are having sludge problems, even with regular maintenance.
These include DC (2.7, 3.9, 5.2, 5.9gas, and the new 5.7 are very susceptible), Toyota (2.2 and 3.x V6s), Jaguar (V8s), Mercedes Benz (all).

many of us have looked at the new "universal" coolant, that says it's compatible with everything, it's chemical makeup is only close to GM dexcool and some others, but shouldn't be used in others.

RedThunder

The Type 2 honda stuff is backward compatible to all years.
BTW it is less expensive, at least in this area, than any other coolant that's long life.

Kai

There is a difference between transmission/transfer case oils and coolant. I've worked for Honda for about a year and all the cars I've seen had green (in colour) coolant. If you top it off with generic parts store green eth. gly. coolant, they'll never notice the difference. Trust me, Honda doesn't care. I've replaced enough shit that was obviously customer damaged for Honda to give a damn about chemical analizing the coolant.

Short point:
VTM-4, or Dual pump, is very different then standard 80-90 gear oil.
"Green" eth. gly. coolant is only a few thousanths parts per million away from Honda "blue." It's fully compatible. I don't know who brainwashed you, but they did a damn good job.

DakarM

bmw 0w60 is only required for a few engines. namely s54 s62 and the new M5/M6 as they rev super high for a non 4 banger engines all others are fine with 5w-30.

the orange prestone has neither silicate or phosphate. in fact that is what i use in my m coupe with a plastic radiator, same with my 530i and 330i. another fact is that my local bmw dealer will flush with the same orange coolant that i can buy from the local kragen. they will use bmw coolant if asked but charges 2x more. I went home and bought the prestone and did it myself.


I'm with Kai.

Tom T

thanks for all the discussion... but I'm still somewhat confused?

what color is the coolant sold at a Honda dealer parts dept.
and about how much do they charge for a gallon?

and is the basic green coolant from Prestone OK or not
for a 1994 or '99 Accord?

thanks....

JimBlake

Almost all antifreeze is ethene glycol. The differences between them are in the anti-corrosion packages. And sometimes mixing types is really bad.

Also, the color doesn't mean anything. My 2001 Saab factory antifreeze was the same color as the 2003 Accord. But they're probably not the same formula. So you can't just trust the color.

If you're not sure, rinse it a bunch of times so all the old stuff is gone.

RedThunder

Since you obviously don't know what you're talking about, I am finished with this.

I have been a tech working on Hondas and other makes for 20 years!

Your one year means NOTHING to me.
Shut your hole and learn something for a change

Join iATN.net and understand and learn instead of thinking I'm brainwashed. Learn what I'm talking about, and maybe YOU will really know what I'm talking about.

40,000 others who actually care to understand what goes into the cars, besides just attempting to fix them know a hell of a lot more than me and obviously yourself.

DakarM

you need to calm down. you're right on the flaming edge. if you don't want to discuss it any further then stop! no need to get nasty.

In case you're wondering I'm a super mod on this board. Consider this a fair warning before warning points are issued.