mixing coolant

59bhp

59bhp

Member +
hello all

Right today i managed to finish a water pump and alernator change and as such i lost a lot of coolant.

Not having any toyota red to hand i had to top it up with tesco (i know its bad but like i said i had nothing else and it was kinda an emergency) anti freeze

is mixing the two a bad thing? i did a quick test in a jug to see if they seperated and they dont but i thought it was just worth a check

will i need to change it again to all toyota red as bleeding it this time around took the piss
 
D

dave-izzle

Member +
59bhp said:
hello all

Right today i managed to finish a water pump and alernator change and as such i lost a lot of coolant.

Not having any toyota red to hand i had to top it up with tesco (i know its bad but like i said i had nothing else and it was kinda an emergency) anti freeze

is mixing the two a bad thing? i did a quick test in a jug to see if they seperated and they dont but i thought it was just worth a check

will i need to change it again to all toyota red as bleeding it this time around took the piss
Click to expand...

I wouldnt think it would make alot of difference mate. Surprised you didnt just take out the toyota red and put all the tescos stuff in to be on the super safe side.
 
Jay

Jay

Admin
It's safer not to mix coolants as some can react adversely. I'd use one type for peace of mind mate.
 
dac69er

dac69er

Super Moderator
yeah, i would just use one type. drain out and refil with some new toyota red as soon as you can get round to it. will probably be fine, better than just water anyway
 
59bhp

59bhp

Member +
dac69er said:
yeah, i would just use one type. drain out and refil with some new toyota red as soon as you can get round to it. will probably be fine, better than just water anyway
Click to expand...

well yeah i really didnt want to put water in it, okay ill get a new bottle of toyta coolant asap
 
NDR008

NDR008

Fresh Recruit
In general I would say that there is no harm mixing the cheap coolants together, as so far from what I read on the their containers, they are made of the same stuff, and often made as top-up coolants.

However, the more expensive ones say NOT to mix. This could be to make sure you spend more, but then again, just like the Toyota coolants, they seem to work better and last longer, so they must have something different.

On a final note, coolant is a relatively cheap component in the car, why risk a more expensive engine. Just change the whole thing and play it safe. ;)
 
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