420R coolant

[Nigel B]

This is probably something of a numpty question, but reading the information on the side of coolant bottles makes my brain glaze over! 

I’ve been using the coolant in the above photo since I bought the car, but Caterham & Opie Oils are out of stock (& have been for a while). I’m wondering if the stuff in the photo below would be a compatible alternative? I notice you have to dilute it, so that might be the only difference?

Any clarification would be greatly appreciated!

 

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-60206-motul-auto-cool-optimal-ultra-car-antifreeze-coolant-concentrate.aspx

[BigCol]

Coolant is available is both concentrated (ie needs diluting) or ready to use (so doesn’t); as far as I know they will be equally effective.

Think there are discussions elsewhere regarding the benefits of orange/red and blue coolants… 😳

(the only silly questions are the ones you don’t ask!)

[Jonathan Kay]

What BigCol says.

For concentrated solutions there's then the question of what water to use. I'm not aware of any adverse effects from using UK domestic water, no matter how hard or soft.

And there's a safety point. Antifreeze containing ethylene glycol is sweet and brightly coloured... and poisonous. Please store it where children can't get at it. And if you dilute it be very careful with the leftover solution: a soft drink bottle may be convenient but it isn't a good idea.

Jonathan ( ex chemical pathologist)

[John Vine]

I think any reputable OAT (Organic Acid Technology) coolant would do the job.  I use Comma G30 in my R400D -- diluting it with "distilled" water from my dehumidifier.

JV

 

[Nigel B]

Thank you all for your replies!

I thought that might be the case, but I’m never sure about these things. 

I think I have a few bottles of distilled water lurking in the garage somewhere.

And don’t worry Jonathan, I’ll avoid swigging it back!

[aerobod - near CYYC]

Just replacing the coolant in my R400D, had exhausted my stock of the Ford orange OAT (WSS-M97B44-D/D2 spec) and went to buy more from the dealer. It seems that globally they have superceded it with yellow phosphated OAT (WSS-M97B57-A1/A2 spec, which shouldn’t be confused with the previous “gold” coolant to WSS-M97B51-A1 spec).

[Jonathan Kay]

54 minutes ago, aerobod - near CYYC said:

Just replacing the coolant in my R400D, had exhausted my stock of the Ford orange OAT (WSS-M97B44-D/D2 spec) and went to buy more from the dealer. It seems that globally they have superceded it with yellow phosphated OAT (WSS-M97B57-A1/A2 spec, which shouldn’t be confused with the previous “gold” coolant to WSS-M97B51-A1 spec).

Thanks for the heads-up. I've had a quick read of the Ford/Motorcraft notes and can't see any concerns about incompatibilities or concerns of relevance to Ford engines used in Sevens.

But it should add nicely to the confusion!   : - )

Jonathan

PS: But it did uncover a warning about "Universal" coolants.

[aerobod - near CYYC]

51 minutes ago, Jonathan Kay said:

Thanks for the heads-up. I've had a quick read of the Ford/Motorcraft notes and can't see any concerns about incompatibilities or concerns of relevance to Ford engines used in Sevens.

But it should add nicely to the confusion!   : - )

Jonathan

PS: But it did uncover a warning about "Universal" coolants.

I saw that warning Jonathan, I think overall sticking with the current Ford OAT yellow should be fine. It seems that adding phosphate additives to the coolant is not just something Ford is doing, BMW changed it's longtime blue coolant to dark green about 3 years ago, which also saw phosphate additives as the main change.

I have donated my spare 4 litres of 50/50 orange OAT to my son for his Fiesta ST200 track car.

Interestingly I managed to squeeze in 6.5 litres of coolant into the Caterham to just reach the MAX mark on the reservoir, a lot more than the 5.1 litres listed in the owners manual for an S3 with heater. This is also cold without starting the engine, but elevating the reservoir, squeezing the main hoses to burp the air out and topping up the radiator via the bleed bolt. I was checking under the car to see if I had a leak 😁