Does anyone here use Propylene radiator coolant (as opposed to Ethanol Glycol)? If you live somewhere like ... Southern California, do you actually need radiator coolant? Whats the big deal about Propylene stuff? Is it usually a lot more expensive?

 

Sounds like your talking about Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol. Etylene Glycol is a very toxic substance and is very harmful to humans, animals and the environment in general. It's a very dangerous carcinogen, as well. Just about all antifreeze uses this as their base.

Propylene Glycol is used in a few brands of "non-toxic" antifreezes. The idea was to create a product less harmful than other antifreezes so if you dog accidently got a hold of some, they wouldn't be instantly killed. They figured that since all animals are attracted to the sweet taste, smell and color of antifreeze, some measures needed to be taken to prevent ingestion from being lethal. Sierra and Amsoil coolants are two common examples of non toxic products.

If you've ever drank Sunny D, taken a liquid medicine, eaten something with food color in it, etc., then you have ingested Propylene Glycol. The FDA has classified it as being safe enough to be in food.

I am unaware of any performance difference between the two alcohols.

You need coolant anywhere you live. Water boils at 212*F and freezes at 32*F. By itself, both of these alcohols have lower boiling points than water and can actually freeze at higher temps, too. When mixed with water, however, they can yield freezing points as low as -60*F and as high as 300*F. Not only that, but they are excellent carriers for corrosion and rust inhibitors.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMDA9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sounds like your talking about Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol. Etylene Glycol is a very toxic substance and is very harmful to humans, animals and the environment in general. It's a very dangerous carcinogen, as well. Just about all antifreeze uses this as their base.

Propylene Glycol is used in a few brands of "non-toxic" antifreezes. The idea was to create a product less harmful than other antifreezes so if you dog accidently got a hold of some, they wouldn't be instantly killed. They figured that since all animals are attracted to the sweet taste, smell and color of antifreeze, some measures needed to be taken to prevent ingestion from being lethal. Sierra and Amsoil coolants are two common examples of non toxic products.

If you've ever drank Sunny D, taken a liquid medicine, eaten something with food color in it, etc., then you have ingested Propylene Glycol. The FDA has classified it as being safe enough to be in food.

I am unaware of any performance difference between the two alcohols.

You need coolant anywhere you live. Water boils at 212*F and freezes at 32*F. By itself, both of these alcohols have lower boiling points than water and can actually freeze at higher temps, too. When mixed with water, however, they can yield freezing points as low as -60*F and as high as 300*F. Not only that, but they are excellent carriers for corrosion and rust inhibitors.

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very well said

 

Thanks for the info. I'm using Silkolene Pro Cool. VERY expensive but I think its worth trying ... for now.

 

Right on, but how expensive is really expensive? Most people will tell you that the best coolant for a Honda is the premix OEM stuff you get at the dealership.

Just stay away from that red Dex Cool **** and Prestone, and you're good to go...

 

what is wrong with prestone

 

It's been known to harm Honda cooling systems, corrode aluminum and eat rubber seals. Other than that, I'm sure it's a great product...

 

If you read your Honda manual you'll see that it states you should NOT use silica-containing coolants; guess what Prestone contains?
That's right- SILICA!

 

what about zerex?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Zatar69 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you read your Honda manual you'll see that it states you should NOT use silica-containing coolants; guess what Prestone contains?
That's right- SILICA!
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Exactly!

 

For my bro's car, the previous owner used plain tap water, but as of 1st
February 2004, I've been using coolant - Silkolene Pro Cool. It's sold in a 1 litre pack and costs more than even MOTUL Inugel! Contents are a non-toxic 50:50 propylene glycol/water mixture and helps to protect against cavitation and erosion in coolant passages and the water pump. The coolant is reportedly compatible with plastics, hoses and paintwork, aluminium, steel and contains no silicates.

Refill procedure was simple, 1) Remove radiator cap and loosen drain plug. Contents of cooling system will drain out (use a suitable container). At this point I noticed that the water was clear and not rusty or stained. This was a good sign. 3) I then flushed the cooling system with water and checked to see if any traces of contaminants/colour were gone. 4) Refit drain plug, 5) Fill with coolant, 6) Engine was run with the radiator cap removed until upper radiator hose felt hot and bubbles were seen to come out of the radiator filler neck. 7) Radiator is topped up with coolant until level reaches bottom of filler neck. 8) Radiator cap is reinstalled.

The capacity of the cooling system is supposedly 5 litres, but I only used 4 packs of the coolant, meaning 1 remaining litre is the original fill - tap water. I guess this makes the coolant ratio 40:60, but this isn't a problem when ambient temperatures are above 0 deg. Celcius. The anti- freeze properties of the coolant are of course, TOTALLY USELESS in Malaysian weather, but the water pump lubrication, anti-boil and anti-cavitation properties are worth having!

Despite the cost, my opinion is that having a proper coolant will help ensure the cooling system operates optimally for as long as possible without premature water pump failure. As long as I make sure my thermostat, radiator cap, water pump and hoses are performing properly. When in doubt or time has passed, just replace!

 

well i guess it is time to return the brandnew bottle of prestone cooplant that i just bought

so i need to look for a coolant that is not silica based and i will be alright