Which coolant to use?

[Ninkumpoop]

I had a problem where one of the hoses for the coolant was slacking and not on the wall hoists, resulting in my fan blades shredding a small section of it. I fixed and spliced the hose and it's as good as new but I was in a bind and had to fill up my coolant reservoir with about 4 full cups of tap water. I need to do a coolant flush (which is going to happen tomorrow) but was wondering if I could just use any green colored coolant or if I specifically have to get the FL22 coolant from Mazda. Please message back asap since I only have a 30 minute window tomorrow between work and school that I can be on the computer to check up on replies.

 

[TheMAN]

DO NOT use any other coolant than mazda's FL22
mixing coolant with generic s*** will reduce water pump life, cause build up in the radiator and engine, and will reduce cooling efficiency... worse case scenario is the coolant gells up as what happens on toyotas if you mix that s***!

NEVER EVER add tap water to any cooling system of any car... tap water has minerals that causes build up in the system also... always use distilled water if you are adding water... you should never add water to FL22, but distilled water is OK for emergencies

 

[CWPspeed3]

FL22 isnt the easiest to find either, I just went to my mazda dealer and it was ~$15 for a gallon. FL22 is pre mixed, makes most of that $15 water but what can you do.

 

[Circle9]

I had my radiator line do the same thing, twice. The second time I said "**** this!" and just spliced in a 3/8 inch connector and put some clamps on it. Works fine, I also ziptied the line in a couple places to ensure that it would come loose again.

I've been running with Autozone's coolant, seems fine, but after what you guys have said, I guess I'll switch to FL22.

 

[Hank3]

Well, first...does your car have the FL22 sticker on your coolant overflow tank? If it doesn't, you won't need FL22. Only the later Speed3 models came with it. If it doesn't, I would just get some Peak 50/50 Universal from Walmart or any auto parts place. It's usually $7-$8 a gallon.

 

[Ninkumpoop]

Man...then I guess I'll go get some FL22 sometime today DURING school, come back, then have someone do a coolant flush for me. I hope I don't get caught ditching for an hour or so. >_>" And I already bought generic coolant from Pepboys, too.

 

[Hank3]

So I guess you saw the FL22 sticker?

 

[Kain]

So... you bought coolant first, then came here to ask which coolant to buy?

 

[HOBDisease]

So I guess you saw the FL22 sticker?

*****...

 

[Ninkumpoop]

I actually did buy the generic coolant first because:
1. I was at school and I had to drive 45 miles home
2. All dealership parts departments were closed at 6:30pm
3. I was in a rush since class is over at 7pm

I ended up just using generic coolant. If things go boom, I guess you guys can have your moment and just stick me with an "I told you so." I don't need any flaming or bashing so that's that.

 

[leadf00t]

See once in a while people do choose the right screen name..

J/K !!

 

[GoFast]

See once in a while people do choose the right screen name..

J/K !!

(fuoops)

 

[leadf00t]

Hey, I was just hazing him a little..

 

[ReNaToMS3]

I had to fill up the coolant a while ago and it did get a bit confusing on which type of coolant to use for mine.

I think most of the 08's and beyond use the FL22. All 07's use regular coolant.

Check this service bulletin:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tsb/01-033-07-1830b.pdf

 

[Abilor]

s***! I topped up with prestone 50/50 the other day; I have the FL-22 sticker. It couldn't have been more than 1/2 cup. I will get FL22 from now on. Do I really need a whole drain though?

 

[TheMAN]

I had my radiator line do the same thing, twice. The second time I said "**** this!" and just spliced in a 3/8 inch connector and put some clamps on it. Works fine, I also ziptied the line in a couple places to ensure that it would come loose again.

I've been running with Autozone's coolant, seems fine, but after what you guys have said, I guess I'll switch to FL22.

too late

s***! I topped up with prestone 50/50 the other day; I have the FL-22 sticker. It couldn't have been more than 1/2 cup. I will get FL22 from now on. Do I really need a whole drain though?

and too late

you already ****** your s*** up... you mixed the coolant and since it's contaminated, you will NEVER get it out save for replacing every component and hot tanking the engine block

so while you may never see any problems out of this, keep in mind that your coolant life has now been reduced

 

[TheMAN]

Well, first...does your car have the FL22 sticker on your coolant overflow tank? If it doesn't, you won't need FL22. Only the later Speed3 models came with it. If it doesn't, I would just get some Peak 50/50 Universal from Walmart or any auto parts place. It's usually $7-$8 a gallon.

no! most people do not know that generic "works with any car" coolant contains whatever in there.. most contain some amount of silicates which is bad for aluminum engines and radiators... it is also something that no japanese manufacturer recommends anymore... you're taking a big gamble buying generic s*** from the store because you don't really know what's in it and the wide selection causes great confusion as to what is right for your car

to put it simply, most things sold at parts stores are catered to american cars... why'd you think metric nuts and bolts have a smaller variety than imperial/"standard" kinds? why'd you think hoses are measured in inches and not millimeters? so in otherwords, just consider antifreeze to be suitable for any american car... I still won't trust the bottle if it says "for imports and domestics" because like I said.. you don't know what's in it!

if you care about your car, spend the extra money on the right stuff from the dealer... it's a hard thing to do (psychologically and physically) but there's not really any other place to find non-silicate antifreeze that is suitable for our cars


coolant is not coolant! even if it looks green doesn't mean its the same as what came with the car!

 

[DaleNixon]

Holy s*** I put like 2mL of 50/50 mix in my coolant tank a few weeks ago. I guess it's time to part out.

 

[john blutarski]

s***! I topped up with prestone 50/50 the other day; I have the FL-22 sticker. It couldn't have been more than 1/2 cup. I will get FL22 from now on. Do I really need a whole drain though?

Its no big deal at all. According to that FL22 service bulletin:

"FL22 coolant is compatible with current (Green) ethylene glycol coolant."

 

[john blutarski]

Holy s*** I put like 2mL of 50/50 mix in my coolant tank a few weeks ago. I guess it's time to part out.

lol