Universal Coolant: The Ultimate Antifreeze?

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Universal Coolant: The Ultimate Antifreeze?

Copyright AA1Car
Adapted from an article written by Larry Carley for Underhood Service magazine

universal coolant antifreeze

For nearly a decade, vehicle manufacturers have been introducing and using a variety of extended-life coolants. The only thing these coolants have in common is that they all seem to differ in formulation and color. There are orange coolants, green coolants, blue coolants, red coolants, yellow coolants, even pink ones. The proliferation of different coolant types has created a great deal of chemical confusion with motorists and technicians about what type of antifreeze should be used to top off or refill late-model cooling systems.

We are not going to summarize the whole laundry list of OEM coolants and colors here except to say that each vehicle manufacturer has their own unique coolant specifications based on corrosion protection requirements, service life and chemical compatibility. These requirements are usually spelled out in the vehicle owners manual, and/or a decal or label on the coolant reservoir. It is important to always use the coolant chemistry recommended in the vehicle owners manual. For example, Ford and Chrysler specify hybrid OAT-only coolants.

You can't go by the color of the dye in the coolant because two coolants with similar colors may have different chemistry, and two coolants with different colors may have similar chemistry. What is more, colors can change if somebody tops off the system with a different coolant.

The more we get into the specifics of each type of coolant, the more confusing the whole discussion becomes - so we are only going to tell you what is really worth knowing with respect to the different types of antifreeze.

COOLANT TYPES
There are essentially three basic types of antifreeze:

GREEN antifreeze,

OAT-based extended-life coolants.

Hybrid OAT coolants,

WHICH TYPE OF ANTIFREEZE?
Okay, so there are a bunch of different coolants in today's vehicles. The question is, which type of coolant should you recommend to top off or refill a vehicle?

The safe answer is the type specified by the vehicle manufacturer. But practically speaking, shops do not have the shelf space to stock different coolants for each different make of vehicle.

One thing the aftermarket has always been good at is consolidation, and today's coolants leave plenty of room for that. Recently, many antifreeze suppliers have introduced Universal Coolantor Global Coolant products that are one-size-fits-all coolants claimed to be compatible with ANY new vehicle cooling system as well as older vehicles.

Antifreeze Application Charts:

UNIVERSAL COOLANT
The basic idea behind universal coolants is to eliminate all the confusion about colors and chemistry and have one basic product that works in any vehicle regardless of year, make or model. What could be simpler?

. . Brands that promote Universal Coolants . .

Not all antifreeze suppliers buy into this marketing philosophy, so you will still see the three basic types of coolant being marketed: traditional green for older vehicles and budget-conscious motorists who want the least expensive product on the shelf, an extended-life product that is compatible with Dex-Cool and other OAT-based coolants, and a hybrid OAT for late-model Ford, Chrysler and European vehicles that specify G-05 coolant.

But for those who offer a universal all makes and all models kind of product, the advantages are obvious: one or two SKUs to provide full coverage (full-strength antifreeze or 50/50 mix), less shelf space needed to stock the product, and most importantly, no confusion over which product to use in which application.

Makers of universal coolants say their products are formulated to be compatible with all cooling systems (foreign or domestic) and all coolant types (traditional green, OAT and OAT-hybrid with silicate).

The new universal coolants use unique OAT-based corrosion packages with proprietary organic acids (such as carboxylate) to provide broad spectrum protection.

When a universal coolant is used to top off a cooling system that already contains an extended-life OAT or hybrid coolant, the service life is unaffected. It remains five years or 150,000 miles. If a universal coolant is added to an older vehicle that has traditional green antifreeze in the cooling system, the service interval is also the same as before: two to three years or 30,000 to 50,000 miles.

If a cooling system is being refilled with a universal coolant, the cooling system should be flushed to remove all traces of the old coolant. This is necessary to remove contaminants and to maximize the service life of the new coolant. If only the radiator is drained, up to a third of the old coolant can remain in the block.

If the old coolant is traditional green coolant, the new universal coolant will be diluted and won't be able to extend protection much beyond that of the original coolant.

One very important point to keep in mind here is that universal coolants and extended-life coolants are not lifetime coolants. The corrosion inhibitors in all types of coolant eventually wear out and must be replenished by changing the coolant. Leave the old coolant in too long and the cooling system will experience corrosion problems.

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