Antifreeze: brands and underlying theory

Post by **JDS60R** » 23 Feb 2016, 20:08

Volvo said :

Hello John,
Thank you for your patience in awaiting this response.
Our antifreeze supplier has indicated they do not disclose the recipe for their coolant to the public. They have advised that 2 EHA (2- ethyl hexanoic acid ) is a suspect reproductive hazard and is not contained in the coolant. They further indicated that silicates are often found in drinking water treatment chemistry, while sebacic acid is a natural product from castor oil beans. Our supplier has indicated these are not substances which prompt health concerns, corrosion issues or influence properties like boiling point.
I hope this information proves helpful. Enjoy your day!
Warm regards,

I have asked for clarity on if we can mix this and the previous Volvo coolants.

Post by **jreed** » 24 Feb 2016, 17:00

Just bought a gallon of the Volvo coolant -- the new type with part number 31439821.
I thought it might be helpful if I posted up images of the labels so folks can see for themselves the differences between the old and the new.
The only specific ingredient mentioned in the new coolant is 1,2-ethanediol which is a synonym for ethylene glycol (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol) .

: Front label, new on left and old on right; IMG_4440.JPG (102.82 KiB) Viewed 2725 times

: Back label, new on left and old on right; IMG_4442.JPG (106.26 KiB) Viewed 2725 times

: Top of new label; IMG_4444.JPG (160.2 KiB) Viewed 2725 times

: Bottom of new label; IMG_4446.JPG (175.12 KiB) Viewed 2725 times

: Old coolant label (backside); IMG_4448 coolant.JPG (161.99 KiB) Viewed 2725 times

clifford06 · Post by **clifford06** » 24 Feb 2016, 18:31

Greetings. Why not change the antifreeze every third synthetic oil change ? Pick your own brand. Base it on your current money situation or what ever. Seems that 5-10,000 miles for full syn. oil is the norm ! But a peaceful Saturday morning in the garage "drinking a cold one " working on my car is worth more than a lot of scientific stress. Peace

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 25 Feb 2016, 07:59

erikv11 wrote:Zerex G-05 is $18 a gallon and is the chemistry Volvo recommends, why on earth cut this tiny little corner?

For what boils (or doesn't boil, it's coolant!) down to maybe $3 per year difference, I just go with what the owner's manual says.

Agreed. The Volvo Blue is almost the exact same price as Zerex and certainly of much higher quality than the cheapo universal crap. Just like someone else said, I don't get excited over coolant chemistry either, I just use the right stuff to begin with.

@ JDS60R, fascinating that Volvo thought the dealers would be able to answer that question. lol

Post by **JDS60R** » 05 Mar 2016, 01:29

Volvo wrote back and advised it is fine to mix the newest and its predecessor . But neither should ever be mixed with another brand.

URDRWHO · Post by **URDRWHO** » 18 May 2016, 14:44

I'm researching this coolant matter and reading the statement from Volvo is like them saying to only use Volvo 3309 trans fluid for my S60. When in reality Volvo gets it from ---I think Mobil and re-badges it as a Volvo brand. each bottle has the some chemical structure.

So what I am researching is if it is ok to use Zerox HOAT G-O5 in the V50 reservoir that has the blue. The color isn't what matter but the ingredients is what matters. When I owned Jaguars I remember Jaguar tried every way they could to use their green blood and green boxed part. Caddie did it and actually Delphi was making quite a few of the parts. If you bought the part with Cadillac written in it the part may have been bought through Delphi for half the price.

It is hard to find the truth of what is needed, what is recommended and what you can really use without harming anything.

JDS60R wrote:Volvo wrote back and advised it is fine to mix the newest and its predecessor . But neither should ever be mixed with another brand.

ktuuri · Post by **ktuuri** » 20 May 2016, 01:03

I have used Zerex G-05 for about 5 years in my 940. A few weeks back I was doing the timing belt and waterpump.
I didn't have any Zerex G-05 on hand so I thought I would pick some up for adding. I could not find full concentrate, all I could find was the premixed 50/50 stuff. I hate paying for this , it is a rip off when the full strength stuff is close to the same price. Over 2 different days I went to about 10 places and no full strength stuff Zerex G-05 to be found in Calgary.
If anyone knows who has stock on hand, please let me know. Maybe I have to buy a Case online?

URDRWHO · Post by **URDRWHO** » 20 May 2016, 06:34

Ha ha! I was on the opposite side when I looked for some to use in my S60. All I could find was full strength and I wanted pre-mixed. It was cold outside and I didn't feel like doing the mixing. I have a half gallon remaining of full strength.

I feel if the sell the pre-mixed it should be reflected in the pricing but my guess is that they take advantage of the situation. Sometimes it pays to buy cases of fluids. I buy Mobil 3309 by the case.

Knowing how it goes in today's world I'm wondering if it is a law that you can't sell full strength. Full strength means mixing and the chance of spilling, clean-up etc. has the possibility of coolant getting into the ecosystem. Therefore the politicians will step in and create a law. I am surprised that we are still allowed to buy any fluid from oil to antifreeze. Getting off my speech stump now.

ktuuri wrote:I have used Zerex G-05 for about 5 years in my 940. A few weeks back I was doing the timing belt and waterpump.
I didn't have any Zerex G-05 on hand so I thought I would pick some up for adding. I could not find full concentrate, all I could find was the premixed 50/50 stuff. I hate paying for this , it is a rip off when the full strength stuff is close to the same price. Over 2 different days I went to about 10 places and no full strength stuff Zerex G-05 to be found in Calgary.
If anyone knows who has stock on hand, please let me know. Maybe I have to buy a Case online?

URDRWHO · Post by **URDRWHO** » 21 May 2016, 14:59

so I did enough research and saw that pentosin has a match to OEM. I went to my local supplier and bought 1.5 litre bottle. I needed about 500 M of coolant with 500 m of distilled water to bring the reservoir up to the max line.

I also did research on another computer and it said that it is a match for the Volvo coolant number 31439821 et,al.

Now the sad part if my S60. I've had it for about 2.5 years and put 34,000 on it. Looking at the coolant in the reservoir the color is reddish. I have no idea what the previous owner put in there but I am thinking they may have a mixture in there. It is now high on the list of flushing that stuff. No overheating problems but I don't like it.

http://pentosin.net/f_antifreeze.asp
http://pentosin.net/pressreleases/Pento ... _Guide.pdf

PENTOFROST NF
Size:1.5 liters (1.59 quarts), Part# 8114117
Color: Blue, Bright & Clear
CLICK HERE for PENTOFROST NF (with silicates) Spec Sheet

Audi (up to 06/1996)
BMW (all years)
Dodge Sprinter (all years)
Jaguar (up to 1997)
Land Rover V8 & Diesel
Mercedes-Benz (all years)
Mini (all years)
Porsche 924, 928, 944, & 968 (all years)
Range Rover V8 & Diesel (1990-2005)
Saab (up to 2000)
Volkswagen (up to 06/1996)
Volvo (all years)

Post by **bmdubya1198** » 23 May 2016, 16:31

A reddish colored coolant would probably be Zerex's Asian formula. Or Dex-Cool mixed with something else, as Dex-Cool is orange, I believe.

Interesting about the Pentosin, though.

Antifreeze: brands and underlying theory

Re: Antifreeze: brands and underlying theory