Antifreeze changed from green to bright yellow.

[RestoCreations]

My coolant has turned from neon green to neon yellow. Imagine being extremely dehydrated and using the restroom, that is how yellow the fluid is. The engine reached 210 degrees twice when i was messing with the carburetor attempting to get it tuned in just right, but i am not sure if that would have anything to do with it. I have the Kirkham aluminum radiator and an all aluminum engine. I have used aluminum radiators in the past and had engines overheat, but i have never seen the antifreeze change to this color. However, i have never used an all aluminum engine either.
So, why would this happen. Is this normal?

[Dangerous Doug]

Is it clear or kind of foamy looking? I had an oil leak into my cooling system on my Porsche 944, and it was yellow and foamy...

DD

[patrickt]

You know there is yellow antifreeze -- any chance that could have been in there from the get-go? And if not, did you use lousy tap water from the faucet for the 50% mix?

[RestoCreations]

I used part 50/50 mix from and a little full strength. It seemed neon green at the time, but perhaps it changed color when everything got mixed together and it heated up. Hard to say. Nothing is in the antifreeze-no oil and not foamy or containing anything else. I am sure it is fine, but it just seemed really neon yellow from the green that i thought it was previously.

[patrickt]

Just flush it really well, then fill it with "Conventional Green" antifreeze with a 50/50 mix of distilled water from the grocery store. Now if that turns yellow, send a sample off to the lab.

[Cashburn]

Yellow is the newer formula that works with all the others. I have not seen straight green used in awhile, and at all costs forget that orange sludge.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Cashburn

I have not seen straight green used in awhile...

Chas and I swear by it -- just change it every three years.

[Dangerous Doug]

Originally Posted by Cashburn

Yellow is the newer formula that works with all the others. I have not seen straight green used in awhile, and at all costs forget that orange sludge.

Orange sludge? What the heck is that?

DD

[Cashburn]

Originally Posted by Dangerous Doug

Orange sludge? What the heck is that?

DD

Dexcool? That GM stuff...

[Luce]

What's the beef with dex-cool? Earlier this summer I changed the antifreeze in my 05 Hemi Durango with 140,000 miles. We were getting ready for a road trip, and it occurred to me, I've only popped the hood 4 or 5 times, and have never checked the antifreeze. I was afraid that I would find something resembling over cooked red beans and rice. To my knowledge (I've owned it since new) that's the first time the cap has been opend, and the stuff looked new. It was crystal clear without a speck of rust or sediment.

I think I remember reading that it'll give you problems if your system isn't sealed, or your puke tank is actually being used by the cooling system, but in a properly designed and maintained system, I can find no fault in the stuff.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Luce

What's the beef with dex-cool?

Luce, I don't know the answer to your question. But, I do know that Ford saw fit to actively discourage Dex-Cool in their engines. They even put a sticker on them.

[Cashburn]

There's plenty of info on the topic all over the Web... short answer it did not work well with many intake gaskets and other critical sealing points. Ford used it for 1 model year the '99 Mercury Cougar ... and then as you can see in Patrick's photo they made efforts to never deal with it again.

[4RE KLR]

I just had to change the radiator in the Cadillac. The sales guy at the local O'Reilly told me there are so many new types of antifreeze he can't keep up anymore. The antifreeze that came out was the red stuff and I wanted to make sure that is what went back in.

You can't mix the two right?

I had to go to the Dealer to get the right antifreeze. At $24.80 a gallon. (X2)

_________________
Ferrari Killer
Steve

Must Sell Right Now

.

[Luce]

http://www.sancarlosradiator.com/ima...-%20Z-1217.pdf

Here's a nice little chart saying what your car should have. OUCH! I think the moron at Autozone sold me dexcool and Dodge used the hybrid. I'll keep a close eye on it and change it soon.

I'll research more and post anything I dig up as interesting AND valid.

I still believe air is the problem, and if you're system burps every time you shut it down, you'll quickly exhaust the corrosion inhibitors and then all of the ills begin. I remember looking into this a while back and reading something to the effect that the organic acids are supposed to build a protective oxide coating, but with continued introduction of oxygen, the oxides flake off, causing the sludge.

But the obvious safe side step is stock up on the green stuff before it's discontinued.

[Rick Parker]

Is it possible that by adding water or the premixed 50/50 to the straight coolant that it "diluted" or weakend the color. One of the craziest things I have seen in recent years is the marketing of what is "advertized" as premixed 50/50 coolant. It seems to be about $1.00 - $1.50 less per gallon. That doesn't "pencil out" for me.

Several years ago on this site there was exhaustive discussion regarding various coolants and their use in our varous engine combinations. It was ultimately determined that some coolants are not compatable with the some of the performance gaskets (there were several failures).
Many of the OEM automakers use gaskets that have a plastic like support (frame) and utilize rings made from a "rubber like" material that create the necessary seal.

[RestoCreations]

I put the coolant back in the car today. I poured it from the thick WHITE plastic bucket that it appeared bright yellow in, into the YELLOW plastic coolant containers that the coolant came in from the store. As i was pouring it from the white bucket i observed that it appeared to be green once it left the white bucket. It also appeared green in the yellow containers. When i poured it from the yellow containers back into the engine, it appeared very neon green once again.

So,it was just a little trick on the eyes due to different background colors.

[Dimis]

Chris, You sure your not suffering from some form of colour blindness?
I understand Red/Green colour blindness is hereditary but I know nossing about Yellow/Green colour blindness.


Take care champ.


PS: Missed that shelby shifter you had on evil-bay some time ago.
Where did you get it? and where can I get another?

Thanks

[FUNFER2]

Are you sure nobody PISSED in it !

[Dwight]

RestoCreations
I noticed you live in B'ham. I live in the northwest corner of Alabama in Florence.
You don't need a 50 / 50 mix of antifreeze. I'm sure you keep the Cobra inside during sub zero weather. You need about 25% antifreeze and 75% distilled water. This mix will help with overheating and you have enough antifreeze to lubricate the motor.


Dwight Frye

[Gaz64]

There are coolants that change colour from overheating and/or age.

On a new engine the coolant could change from any contaminant that was used during the engine assembly and cooling system fitout.

I would flush it out well, remix your coolant in the specified ratio, refill and bleed the system.

Then keep an eye on it.