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Zerex G-05?

2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  bogateer 
#1 ·
Has anyone successfully switched to G-05 coolant/antifreeze in a 2nd Gen Escort (1.9l)? In the spring I plan to do the timing belt, water pump, and replace the radiator and that would be a good time to do a thorough flush and switch if I'm gonna do it. I'm just looking to extend beyond the recommended 2-year limit of traditional green coolant/antifreeze as it's somewhat of a PITA for me to do flush-and-fills (working on the street and somewhat problematic to dispose of the waste).

I know Ford switched at some point...and I know the green is supposedly somewhat better in terms of corrosion protection for older vehicles due to the chemistry (of the older metals and the coolant)...but I don't know that it's definitively "better" enough to warrant not switching to G-05 with an extended change cycle.

If it's a bad idea, however....I'll just stick with the green.

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Thanks. I had not heard of the "continuous change" method but will check it out. The stuff has been in there for 3.5 years now and it may be 4 until I get around to it in the spring....unless I fork over the $90 for a shop to do it...which I hate to do as I'm just going to flush everything and replace several things come spring. I was going to just drain and refill to get me through the winter...if I get a weather-window I may still be able to do that. In the research I had done previously it seemed that anything beyond two years was stretching it for the green stuff. I don't know if it's a time limit or mileage limit or some of each. I don't drive that much so I usually time-out on things like that.
 
#6 ·
As long as it doesn't smell funny and/or get too acidic I suspect it's okay to leave it in for more than a few years. Everyone is going to have different experiences so one just has to judge for themselves. Last time I changed mine, it smelled like cat piss. (acidic) Appearance wise, it was fine. I always put in quite a bit more coolant than the 50/50 mix... maybe like 60/40 as a guesstimation.

The most important thing you can do to extend it's life is to use distilled water. Do not use tap.
 
#7 ·
I usually don't replace the coolant until it starts to look like an off green/almost yellow. there are a few test you can perform every so often. You can get one of those little pipettes with the colored balls. Also, you can perform a voltage test on the coolant using a DMM. You place one probe in the coolant and the other on the engine, if the reading is not around zero than you replace the fluid.

Not sure where you live, but if you have city water and sewer, many cites are ok with pouring green coolant down the drain.
 
#8 ·
Antifreeze is naturally clear, the color is just a dye that manufacturers add to make theirs "special". For instance, both Chrysler and Ford use a G-05 (HOAT) coolant but Ford's is yellow and Chrysler's is orange but this orange coolant isn't the same as GM's Dexcool. Any extended life coolant you buy is going to be either HOAT (G-05) or OAT (Dexcool) based. If you want to use the G-05 then go for it. It smells weird though, almost like heavily chlorinated tap water, and its almost clear.
 
#9 ·
I go out of my way to use "traditional green" AF in the Escorts. It's been working fine for 20 years and if a car has any maintenance at all (lets say an AF change every 5-10 years) it seems to work fine.

In my other stuff with expensive aftermarket AL radiators I run genuine BMW coolant. I've had a few motors apart that were running it and the cooling systems were spotless. Not even any dye discoloring. Seems a lot of BWM guys use Xerex G05 though.

...and always use distilled water no matter what you do.

Also, my local Tuffy will take used AF. Practically no one else around here will.
 
#10 ·
Hey everyone....thanks so much for your input.

I decided just to drain and replace since I'm going to replace the radiator, timing belt, and water pump in the spring. It went really well....in draining I got out 5 of 6 quarts which is 80%. Most other vehicles I've worked on you're lucky to get 50-60% of the coolant out by draining.

I've done the research on coolants...it's just been a while. Switched to G-05 (HOAT) in my '94 Jeep after installing a new all-aluminum radiator and a VERY thorough flush. I will probably switch to G-05 in my Escort in the spring as before doing the work listed above I'll do a very thorough flush.

I always use distilled water....even for flushing. Since I live in a VERY cold part of Colorado I've got to go with a 60-70% mix as the freezing point of a 50-50 mix is actually close to what some of the ten-year lows are here. To know for sure I use a Vee-Gee CTX2 refractometer....MUCH more precise than one of those squeegees with the balls or test strips. But those only measure the percentage coolant and not the status of the rust-protection package....which is what I was concerned about.

At any rate...it went well and is done for now...until spring. Thanks again for everyone's advice, suggestions, and input!

Rob
 
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