Univeral Coolant
Discussion
My uncle has a volvo v70 2.4 (turbo), the coolant level has just dropped below minimum and the handbook says to use "volvo coolant" - now this isn't very helpful unless you want to fork out for volvo to top it up themselves, so my question is: What spec is volvo coolant, and as a top-up, is univeral coolant okay to use (the stuff he's picked up is made by 'Total')? Any help appreciated. Thanks.
marshalla said:
What colour is the stuff that's already in there ? (and where has the missing coolant gone ? )
Stuff that's in there is blue I think, possibly green, hard to tell by torch light. Not too sure where it's gone, but I'd be inclined to top up and see if it disappears quickly or slowly...but don't know whether it's ok to top up with this universal stuff...If it's blue it's most likely to be a standard "universal" ethylene glycol mix so topping up with similar will be fine.
Not sure about green - Volvo may have some different formulation. If you're bothered about warranty, it'd be worth getting the "right" stuff in this case, IMHO (but I'm no Volvo expert).
The other one that crops up fairly regularly is the pink/orange OAT formula - which turns to jelly when mixed with ethylene glycol.
Not sure about green - Volvo may have some different formulation. If you're bothered about warranty, it'd be worth getting the "right" stuff in this case, IMHO (but I'm no Volvo expert).
The other one that crops up fairly regularly is the pink/orange OAT formula - which turns to jelly when mixed with ethylene glycol.
It's definitely blue or green, the universal stuff is yellow-ish. Really unsure what to make of it...on one side, if it says universal, surely they wouldn't sell it with the intention of mixing if you couldn't mix it but on the other hand, it's not the exact same as what's there already...
Not sure warranty is an issue since it's an '02 plate.
Not sure warranty is an issue since it's an '02 plate.
Universal coolant isn't universal, and I don't recommend using it at all.
Coolant has two functions - anti-freeze and anti-corrosion. If both coolants are ethylene glycol based mix then mixing them will provide anti-freeze protection.
The issue with different types of coolants is that the inhibitor packages can often fight each other and the end result is no corrosion inhibitor protection at all. This often results in oil coolers being ruined or radiators leaking.
If it was my car I'd be going to the dealer and buying the concentrate they sell, just pour it in, job done.
From the information I have the Volvo is probably using BASF G48 and the Total is an Arteco / Dexcool OAT and I don't think the inhibitor fight is worth the risk.
Regarding coolant colours, there are quite a number of chemistrys out there that aren't miscible and are the same colour so it isn't a reliable guide.
Coolant has two functions - anti-freeze and anti-corrosion. If both coolants are ethylene glycol based mix then mixing them will provide anti-freeze protection.
The issue with different types of coolants is that the inhibitor packages can often fight each other and the end result is no corrosion inhibitor protection at all. This often results in oil coolers being ruined or radiators leaking.
If it was my car I'd be going to the dealer and buying the concentrate they sell, just pour it in, job done.
From the information I have the Volvo is probably using BASF G48 and the Total is an Arteco / Dexcool OAT and I don't think the inhibitor fight is worth the risk.
Regarding coolant colours, there are quite a number of chemistrys out there that aren't miscible and are the same colour so it isn't a reliable guide.
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