Correct coolant for 1HD-FT diesel engine 1995.

[frank rabbets]

I fitted "OAT" antifreeze from Halfords years ago. Due for a change but when I look online Halfords warn me this type may not be suitable for my engine ? I can't see what they recommend for my engine. Thoughts welcome.

 

[uHu]

Standard Toyota Red (Long Life) is always right. Why on earth would anyone consider anything less.

 

[Towpack]

I recently refilled mine with the Halfords 5 yr OAT stuff after I checked and it was last changed (with Halfords OAT) 9 years ago! The old stuff came out looking virtually like new, no sludge, discolouration or anything. The Halfords "recommendation" widget isn't that reliable IMO. It can't even find a recommended engine oil for mine and when I check Shell Helix 10w/40 against my reg says "not suitable".

 

[Towpack]

Following on from this coolant conundrum and out of sheer bordom this evening I tried four bikes I've owned/still own, a 2010, 2012, 2020,and a 2022, in the Halfords "recommended" widget and it couldn't find a coolant "suitable" for any of them. It couldn't even find the vehicle with the VRN for my March 2024 model. I've used the OAT stuff in my older bikes for years and I'm pretty sure it has recommended it in the past. Strange.

 

[Shayne]

Boat engine coolant problems recently had me banging my head against a wall and up all night googling when chanced upon a recommendation for my engine 60/40 dilution hence the very expensive ready to use industrial coolant I use is probably to thick and the water pump is struggling to circulate it .

I have to assume ready to use coolant is 50/50 water antifreeze because nobody offers that info ?

 

[Ciderman]

When my radiator let go and went off like Chernobyl, and since my system was so clean, i fitted a new radiator, hoses and thermostat, then filled with the Prestone all season premixed stuff.
Its a sort of fluorescent green colour but that was two years ago and still clear as a bell and no issues at all.

 

[Towpack]

I used the concentrate and mixed with tap water which works out slightly cheaper than premixed and also means you can decide the mix ratio if required but I stuck with 50/50.

 

[frank rabbets]

I found a site online (now lost) with all the specs over the years listed. Looks like 80s should be running on old style G11. I'm not confident that Toyota would supply the correct antifreeze.

 

[Bmonck]

I used the concentrate and mixed with tap water which works out slightly cheaper than premixed and also means you can decide the mix ratio if required but I stuck with 50/50.

it may be marginal but isnt distilled water better than tap which has minerals (admittedly not much) in it if you are going to mix your own?

 

[Ciderman]

The plethora of options here is bewildering...
But ill offer a brief interlude and tell you a story...
The year was 1988, somewhere near the English Riviera.... the time was after 2am and the car was a vauxhall magnum...
While on the journey home from an evening of copious beverage and tom foolery in an unmentionable night club, the top hose burst off the radiator.
After some hurried roadside repairs, the cooling system pipework was back in order.... but the only antifreeze/coolant mix available was contained within six over filled bladders - mostly containing Newcastle Brown, Stella and an impressive quantity of Diamond White.

Needless to say, the radiator was topped up in no time and the arduous journey home could continue.
The mixture must have been an optimum balance because it never froze in winter or affected the cooling efficiency, even in the hottest of summers.

Right, you can carry on with the antifreeze/coolant quest again now

 

[Towpack]

it may be marginal but isnt distilled water better than tap which has minerals (admittedly not much) in it if you are going to mix your own?

Better? It's no worse IMO, I don't recall using anything other than tap water for coolant mixing in any vehicle I've ever owned. We don't have "hard" water here but even if we did I don't believe for a second the amount of minerals in approx 5L of tap water will have any adverse effects on a sealed cooling system unlike the 1000's of litres that pass through the pipework in a house or a kettle over a period of time and can cause a buildup of deposits. A battery top up on the other hand, a completely different scenario.