I may need to flush out my radiator and replace the antifreeze/coolant.
I thought antifreeze was a general liquid, but when I searched on the Halfords website it asked for my reg. and then it said it couldn’t match any.
Are there any recommended antifreezes for a Mk1 1600cc?
Also what is the % mixture to water?
Use 50% antifreeze to 50% water.
You will hear all sorts of crap from people here about using a specific type of antifreeze for the pre MK3 cars.
Apart from those guys here the rest of the UK just puts in either a good quality 2 year blue type antifreeze or a quality 5 year antifreeze they.
Just buy any antifreeze from a known manufacturer and do not like a lot of people then ask again if this is OK.
Go out and buy any quality antifreeze
Thank you Drumtochty, I thought that was the case.
(It was just when I looked more at the Halfords website and put my wife’s vectra in as an example, it gave me a list of other antifreezes and said ‘suitable for most cars after 1998’ which made me think about whether there were specific antifreezes for specific cars!)
I will probably get a 5 year one.
As far as i know the correct antifreeze for a Mk1 or Mk2 & 2.5 MX-5 is a silicate free type. Ordinary ethylene glycol has silica in it and it used to be that most of the Japanese manufacturers specified anti freeze without silica in it. If I remember correctly it reduces the life of the water pump bearing and can form a coating on the inside of passage ways within aluminium castings.
OAT anti freeze is something I’d never put in an engine that it’s not specified for. There was legal action against GM in America a few years ago regarding it. It tends to dissolve or damage some metals, I can’t remember off the top of my head but it was either the solder used, brass or copper.
I believe that if a manufacturer states use something, use it, they have their reasons for saying what lubricant, anti freeze, etc.