Yes, I did a search, but never really came up with what I'm looking for.

I have a 1995 w/ 81k on the odometer, and it's still got the original coolant in it as far as I can tell. It's been testing out okay, so I've been putting off changing it out until spring. The FSM says that the Maxima uses the standard ethelyne glycol Prestone green stuff. I've been considering making the switch to the Toyota red stuff and I understand that the two kinds are not to be mixed.

My first question is just how good of an idea is this, is the red stuff up to all the hype? Secondly, if it's worth it, what steps do I need to take to make sure that my system is totally clean and flushed out before I start? Thirdly, are there any other concerns when using the Toyota red stuff? Is it mixed 50/50 same as the regular stuff? What exactly do I need to ask for when I call up the Toyota dealer? Anything else I haven't thought of?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

if you want to use the red stuff, perform a radiator flush...........open up the cap on da bottom, turn on your car and run a hose in through the top.

 

Don't switch. The seal material in your cars cooling system may not be compatable with the "red stuff". You may wind up going through water pumps and other seals and gaskets. Stick with the regular antifreeze. Add a water wetter for better cooling if you like.

 

I'm about to do the same thing..... I've got a lot of extra Toyota red.

Toyota red is regular eth-gly antifreeze without silicates or borates so it would actually be better for seals and such. It is NOT a 5-year or extended interval antifreeze like dex-cool or something(which I believe is also red in color to confuse mattters). So you will still need to change it as often as the green stuff.

It mixes the same, use 50/50 and nothing more.

Toyota red is also compatible with green (unlike the other extended-drain red stuff which is NOT) but it makes an ugly brown mess. Flush the green stuff completely out(which you should do anyway), and when everything is running clear, fill with 50/50 red.

FYI, Toyota has issued a notice that the red stuff is soon going to be replaced with "Toyota Pink", some nauseating neon-pink color. I'm not 100% sure why, but my guess would be partially to keep people from confusing it with the extended-drain red. Toyota pink and the Toyota red will supposedly be compatible.....

I'm looking for a good and easy way to flush the max now... It looks like a *****. Let me know if you figure a good way out.

-RMB

 

The genuine Nissan antifreeze doesn't have silicates either so it should be as good as the Toyota red, maybe a little more expensive.

I definately wouldn't use Dex cool or any Dex cool compatable antifreeze as GM has now warned you should not use this coolant on a car that is not equipped from the factory.

Just about all of the off the shelf Prestone or similar brands use Silicates, so I would stick with Nissan or Toyota coolant

 

Wow, you really are useless, aren't you?

 

Thanks for the information, that's almost exactly what I was looking for. If possible, could you tell me what I need to ask the Toyota dealership for? If I just ask for the red coolant will they know what I'm talking about?

 

Yeah just go to the dealer and ask for Toyota Red coolant. I believe it is somewhere around $10 a gallon, so it isn't that expensive. I changed mine last year, and haven't had any problems.
There is a thread somewhere talking about how to drain and fill, but basically you pull the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator, empty all the fluid, and fill back up with water. Start the car to circulate all the fluid and turn on the heater on high so that the coolant comes out of the heater core as well. Do about 3 drain and fills with water until you get clear water coming out of the drain. Then fill with 50/50 and you'll be set. I used tap water, but I've read that distilled water is better.
-hype

 

This is very good to hear. I'm going to switch back to Nissan stuff. Hope it's not as expensive as the Toyota stuff.

I've been using the Prestone green. Just replaced my water pump at 133,000 miles.

I remember when I dropped the Nissan coolant, it was a translucent green, the prestone is less translucent, more thick.

DW

 

It gets worse

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=115711

SuDZ

 

Yes, Thanks alot Hype, I had to drive a total of 40 miles on a sat afternoon, but I got the toyota red. I drained and filled 5 or 6 times. So far no problems and I'm glad I did it before the scorching summer.

 

No problem....

Any Toyota parts place will have it. Just say "Toyota Red Coolant". Be warned though, I got raped for $16/gallon. I'm sure you could do better if you shop around. I just felt like having a good **** rape that day... Cleans you out... you know.

I'm also using Distilled water I got from Walmart for like 49 cents/gallon. One thing I've heard is that it's especially a good idea if you've got hard water to use distilled with the Toyota Red. That could be total crap though, but distilled water is cheap enough insurance.

-RMB

 

Why do you guys buy Toyota coolant? Is it cheaper then buy from Nissan dealer?

 

Dunno... My local nissan dealers are idiots and say they just use "whatever we have in the bulk container". Comforting. I'm sure it's not Nissan OEM fluid, probably Prestone or some cheap clone.

I happen to have about 3 gallons of Toy red around so that's what I'm using.

If you find a price on genuine Nissan antifreeze let us know. I'd be curious if they've got a specific and different OEM fluid like Toyota...

From previous experience though, the Toy stuff is great. It keeps the inside of cooling systems that have always used it like new. Almost like cracking open an engine that's always used Mobil 1.... I have never, ever had a Toyota motor with a cooling related failure while using Toy red. I once switched to Prestone on a Toy 4 cyl and had a water pump leak within 10k... Coincidence? Who knows...

-RMB

 

hey got a question wut if you just put anti freeze with no water is that bad ???

 

I am using antifreeze with Water Wetter.
I forgot what the advantage of water wetter is.

 

Yes. You really should use a 50/50 mix.

DW

 

Antifreeze itself is a very, very poor conductor of heat. It's the water that actually does most of the cooling. Antifreeze is added to raise the boiling point and lower the freezing point. It's also got some lubrication qualities for the h20 pump. Most have some kind of rust/corrosion inhibitors too.

In theory you could run straight water for the best thermal capacity but then you'd have more problems with corrosion and water pump failure...

-RMB

 

I use all anti freeze and havent had any problems with my water pump i have a 95 gle 175,000 miles and never over heats

 

Come down to Texas and run that If it doesn't get too hot where you are you can probably run straight coolant like we can run straight water here. However, for real world use and varying temperatures the 50/50 works well. I do know people that run 60/40 so for better cooling though.
-hype

 

You've been lucky...

You should never go over 70% antifreeze/30% H20....


-RMB

 

Absolutely straight water?? Nothing else?? You should have something b/c straight water will kill your water pump early. anti-freeze stuff also has lubricating agents.

DW

 

For those of you who think it's ok to use 100% antifreeze check out the demonstration on the link below:

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/goss/21009.shtml

 

Warning: I personally have seen TWO GM vehicles FACTORY equipped with thge Dexcool coolant eat away their head gasket seals in less than 60k miles EACH.

Buick skylark and a Olds Achieva. Seems to be a very common problem.
Personally, after paying for a head gasket replacement on both I HATE dexcool and GM overall for not issuing a recall or at least offering a discount. They did not engineer the seals correctly and they disintegrate prematurely.

 

The Nissan shop manual, owners booklet, and Chilton's manual say to use an ethyl glycol base coolant. That's all. They make no mention about using a coolant with no silicates. If you've got money to burn, then go ahead and use the Toyota "red". I don't think it's anything special and Toyota most likely went with the stuff because some of their motors were prone to leaky seals therefore using a coolant that reduces seal corrosion was a plus. Nissan doesn't seem to have this problem. I changed my OEM coolant at 79K miles. By looking at the coolant thru the fill hole, it looked nice a translucent green. It tested good too. When I pulled it out of the motor it was DEEP dark green. There wasn't any oil on the coolant, but it did look like the coolant was at the end of it's life. The factory cooling system on the Maxima, in general, seems to be really good. I've never had the needle past half.

BTW, NEVER use pure coolant, regardless of where you live. Coolant is resistant to freezing, not heat. If you live in an area where the temps never go below 20 degrees or so (especially if you have garage), you can safely go with 70/30 (water/coolant). If you live somewhere a little colder (above 0), you can go 60/40. Anywhere else and you're looking at 50/50. I believe that Nissan recommended 70/30 for the VE (iron block, very strong).



Dave

 

I don't know why they don't make mention of a no silicate formula especially since thats what they sell as OEM formula.

Read this article for more information on Nissan collant and why it't important to use a non silicate formula.

http://www.ontariozcar.com/zedline/1.../septoct04.htm

 

Because they want you to pay to replace your water pump eventually...... Figure even using regular green stuff you'll probably get at least 90k, long after most people's extended warranties.

-RMB

 

In essance..... Just change your antifreeze every 2 years for peace of mind. preventative maintance.

 

I won't make any comments about the effictiveness of the Maxima's cooling system, but many users have reported that the temp gauge isn't very accurate. It only responds to large differences in temp, so should your needle ever show hot you're probably running considerably hot.
Accuracy of Stock Water Temp Gauge
-hype

 

Yeah, most temp guages aren't accurate, but I've never had mine move above half suggesting there was ever a point to where my motor got really hot. Engineers design these motors to run relatively hot all the time 180-210 degrees in order to achieve peak efficency. The hotter the heads, lower emissions. My 94 Z28 had a very accurate temp guage and the car always hovered in the 200-205 degree range on hot days. At a stop, I'd watch the gauge rise to 215 and then the fans would kick on and take it to 195. I kinda sucked because the LT1, like the VQ, has a high compression motor therefore higher temps helped emissions, but hurt overall performance. The LT1 also had reverse flow heads just like the VQ. The reason VQs and LT1s peform so much better on cooler days is because of the cooler running engine. It's less efficent, but more powerful. I know it sounds odd, but it's true.


Dave

 

I've heard of kits for the LT1 that include a cooler thermostat and a computer chip programmed to take advantage it. It's a shame no one has a kit for the VQ.

 

I bought....hold on I'll go look.....Havoline extended life coolant and antifreeze. It states it meets GM's Dex cool and is the first to be awarded this certification, also says it meets Japanese silicate free requirements and European phosphate free requirements. Benefits: Improved water pump life, outstanding high temp aluminum protection 5 year 150K mile protection, meets American, European, and Japanese Manufacturers requirements.
No other antifreeze I could find said this on the bottle. There was a mention of needing to be nitride free by someone here on the org. but this stuff seems to meet all the requirements of all the major manufactures, so I'm going to try it. I bought this coolant because it meets every damn car manufacturers specs.

ANY thoughts would be Greatly appreciated BEFORE I put this stuff in my beloved Maxima!!

What do you guys think

 

Make sure you thoroughly flush out your system. Any leftover 2 year green stuff in your cooling system will reduce the effectiveness of the new orange stuff.

DW

 

No but it doesn't provide better protection than a 50 50 water to anti freeze ratio. You are just throwing money away! But it is your money!

 

Prestone sells DexCool approved antifreeze. No silicates, no borate. 5 year product according the label. Not aware of any warning that this product should not be used in cars that are not factory equipped with DexCool. Why would GM have anything to say about what type of antifreeze can or cannot be used in non-GM cars??

 

Forget long life antifreeze.

You know I have ran plain old Prestone Green in my Maxima since new.

I flush and change it EVERY Fall.

I have yet to have any cooling system problem in my 1996 Maxima.
I am running the stock water pump, radiator, thermostat, heater core, everything, and right now today I have 199,643 miles on the clock!

I did change all of my radiator hoses after five years for piece of mind.

Change your antifreeze on a annual basis for best results in my experience.

I'm going to consider changing to an antifreeze without silicates and borates based on what has been written here, but that plain old Prestone has served me pretty good!


White96MaxSE

 

Most brands suggest to not use any more than 70% antifreeze. Any more may actually restrict the heat transfer and cause other problems.

 

Silicates, yes!
Phosphates, yes!
H@ll,
Ethylene Glycol itself causes corrosion in cooling systems!

Cooling System corrosion inhibitor article:

http://www.kars.com/showcase/no-rosion/

Check out this information on a product named “No-rosion”.

http://www.no-rosion.com/faq.htm

On the subject of silicates in antifreeze:

Cooling System Maintenance Helps Prevent Summertime Overheating:

http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/june97/cooling.htm
On the subject of phosphates in antifreeze:
This article talks about phosphates, distilled water, water wetter:
Transport Deposition
http://www.aera.org/tech/tb1693.htm

Thanks for motivating me to look into this further!

White96maxSE

 

Two comments:

- I think I read that in CA you can't just dump yer stuff on the ground. You have to construct a pool w. 2x4's and plastic and collect your antifreeze, then let the water evaporate, then throw out the dry stuff with your trash. Not the most convenient method of disposal, but apparently that's the law.

- Water wetter is a good additive cause it breaks the surface tension of your coolant and prevents bubbles in little pockets inside your block that could cause isolated hot spots and trouble (soap?).

 

Well now I'm REALLY cornfuzed!?!? This stuff I got meets the DexCool requirements.......but also states it meets Japanese & German Manf. Specs. But this FAQ on this no-rosion stuff says you cant put the long life stuff into a car that has been running the old type stuff, even after repeated flushings, apparently, according to them, there is enough of the old stuff left hanging around to cause a problem. F#@K decisions, decisions, I don't know WTF to put into the car now. I tested it with a hydrometer and it's good to 20 below 0 which it won't make that here in south Ga or north FL in a million years. Should I flush ( I know I shoud wipe ) or just leave it alone for now. Hell the car has 105K on it. I feel like I should do something to maintain it's health, but WTF to do? Maybe just use the freakin Prestone (that is what it looks like is in there now, all nice and GREEN!) Do a flush, fill with Prestone.....and GO!
Anymore suggestions? Looks like this has been ANALized to death, but at the same time, I don't want to replace a waterpump, radiator, or anything else for that matter from making the wrong choice!!
2Maximas