prestone coolant
 

how much coolant is needed to bring the tank from the min mark to the max mark? 1quart?


has been discussed, but cant find the correct answer, is it ok to top up with prestone, my mechanic did that today... quoting it says all brands all models on the jug. my coolant color was orange/yellow.

i understand this top up is a small amount relative to the whole tank size, however do I need to take this to the dealer and get it flushed out?

I have driven the car since the prestone coolant was added, siphoning is no longer an option.

While some aftermarket coolants are compatible with the OEM product, not all are and mixing can result in major league problems. Two basics: 1). Never let anyone add any other brand coolant to your system. 2). If no Porsche coolant is available, add distilled water instead; the system is so large that a small amount of DI will not alter the freeze point by much.

If you get over the counter, get the extended life one, more yellow than green. The green one is conventional antifreeze.

I cant beleive i didnt stop him at the time. kind of too late now, flush necessary at this point?

I understand the hesitation and it does happen.

I would flush it. It's one of those cheap maintenance. Drain it, run it with distill water for a day, drain it, and then put in new coolant.

That's probably good advice if you live in Texas, but depending on where in Canada Max lives, it's getting a little late in the season to risk having no freeze protection, even for a day.

Max, if it was going to be problem, I'm pretty sure you would already know and have a big ol' gelled mess on your hands. If that hasn't happened, I think I would leave the flush until next time you change out your water pump or coolant tank, or do some other work on your cooling system.

What I would do is test the freeze point to make sure that you are adequately protected down to the -35 to -40 range and then call it a day.

You should also be aware that gelation problems do not necessarily happen instantly, but often require both heat and circulation to form over a period of time.

If you flush, you need to have the newest coolant cap from the dealer (if you haven't already updated it). That's one part I wouldn't try and get from Ebay. Not worth the savings.
And if you are doing the fill old school (no airlift) make sure its burped good, check the coolant level constantly in the trunk. If all the air isn't out and you're on the original coolant tank (by now old and brittle), you'll likely be in for another coolant flush, an unexpected one.

That's good to know. I thought it would be almost instantaneous if it was going to happen. What do you think, JFP - should he flush the system?

Because we are a shop, I tend to take the "belt and suspenders" approach to this type of problem because we do not want to have a customer stranded somewhere as the result. I would dump and flush the system.

This way, you sleep better at night..............

interesting points here:

i called the dealership, the parts department guy said porsche coolant is not compatible with any aftermarket coolant, prestone included.

I then called the service department of the same dealership and the person said it was fine to top up with same/similair color coolant as long as the coolant added was not green in color. the added coolant had to be the yellowish/orange color.

I then followed up and tried to book a coolant flush appointment, and they refusued it, as the coolant is lifetime and they dont do or advise any flushes being done.

mentioned to them my situation, as i only topped up from min to max, they let me know the min/max only measures the coolant overflow tank is approx 2L, while whole coolant tank is around 16L. so it should not harm anything. are these figures accurate? Havent got a chance to check my manual yet.

I am rather confused now. any more insight into this?

called another dealer part dept, and he said the same thing that no other coolant is compatible with porsche oem coolant.

2 vs 1 right now....


my car 2005 boxster S 987 btw.

Max,
This is my 2 cents worth.PPI said non Porsche coolant. Comes across as kind of pompous!? A year later I thought I am driving a Porsche. It deserves the best. Bought Porsche coolant and (distilled water ?)and supplied it to my indy who installed it. I don't cheap out on Box. Oem only for me....

not really about costs here for me, want to find out if the mechanic adding non oem coolant did damage to anything,

and figuring out if i really need a flush, if i dont need one, i rather not do one.

Question has been asked and answered...............and by multiple sources.

Don't porsche use pink coolant like Toyota now?

Yes, the green coolant was discontinued years ago. The green is compatible with the newer pink.

no, it hasnt been clearly answered. if you read my previous post from the dealership, the same dealership is telling me it is OK and IT IS NOT OK to use prestone.

they are also refusing coolant flushes..

I would flush, I'm not an Independent Mechanic, but I wouldn't go to a Michelin rated restaurant and be satisfied with box wine served with dinner. The coolant will likely run you $120-$150 from my last recollection and the water is easily available at most grocery stores. And ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

When was green coolant discontinued by Porsche?
My 2k box received a factory reman engine in 2005 by a Porsche dealer (and had the expansion tank replaced in 2008 with no mention of coolant flush).
I received the car with green coolant which the PPI noted as incorrect. Would a dealer in 2005 have used green?