[Darryl]

I searched the other threads and found references to Prestone Orange...is this what we're talking about? (pic attached) It specifically says "silicate and phosphate free" on the back label and formulated for aluminum radiators/engine parts.



I noticed today I was a little low and wanted to top it off, so I checked the owner's manual and found out that practically anything is OK so long as less than a quart is used but I didn't think you were supposed to mix antifreeze types. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/huh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Also, are there any tips or tricks or specific things to be concerned with our cars to do a system flush other than the basic drain, flush, refill? Thanks!



- Darryl

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[mitch968]

I would also like to know what to use. I'm replacing a faulty thermofan switch tomorrow and need to know what to refill with. I've seen a lot of banter about the "orange stuff", but now I'm confused by this chart....

http://www.valvoline.com/zerex/pdf/Zerex...tChart.pdf



It seems like they recommend the G-05 which is yellow for pre-1996 P-cars. The website also makes it sound like the wrong choice can lead to very bad things, among them gasket deterioration.



What's the final word on this and is it available (I hope) at Autozone, Walmart, etc?

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[SILVY968]

Here is the scoop.

Yes, that it the right stuff. Mix it 50/50 with water.

Draining the coolant works best if you jack up the passenger side to get the car to tip toward the drain plug on the lower drivers side of the radiator.

After you refill run the engine with the heater on, long enough to open the thermostat. Refill as needed. let air escape from the 12mm nut on top of the metal inlet neck at the front driver side of the engine. Close when coolant mixture starts to squirt out. Repeat after a short drive and you should be OK.

You can find Prestone orange cap in most auto parts stores.

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[mitch968]

If the orange is the right stuff, why do Valvoline recommend G-05? There's a special cap for the orange stuff? The more I read, the more horror stories I see about failed head gaskets when switching to orange. Here's another post I found with some info about G-05...

http://65.61.16.109/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2548

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[whakiewes]

What does Porsche supply or reccomend? Anyone ever use WaterWetter?



Wes

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[flash]

i believe porsche recommended a shell product originally



they are extremely specific about using a phosphate free coolant - so much so that they will void warranties if somethign else is used



watter wetter works well, though i am not currently using it - it is the preferred thing for the track, and in most classes, the only thing you can run

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[mitch968]

After much deliberation (ok, not that much), I went with the Prestone orange after flushing every drop of the green stuff out of my system. I've got a nice 50/50 mix in there now and a brand new low temp fan switch.....life is good again and my water temp needle stays right around 8 o'clock where it should. I haven't even heard the high speed fan kick in yet....not hot enough yet.



Interestingly, my old fan switch was marked as 95C/102C, whereas I thought stock was 92C/102C.



Brian, thanks for the draining tip....I jacked the passenger side higher and taped off the other escape routes for the coolant and managed to not make too bad of a mess.



To the overtorquers out there, be gentle with the bleeder bolt. Mine sheared off under not much torque. I guess my repeated flushing and bleeding wore it out. That, and my stupidity. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Luckily, our part is the same as the 944's and my mechanic let me steal one off an older 944 he had lying around. For a moment, I thought it was gonna be one of those 968 rare part nightmares. Unbelievably, the notorious plastic radiator drain plug remained intact, though I replaced it with a new one anyway.

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[Bob]

hey guys



I dont follow how you got all the coolant out of the block by just pulling the rad. plug. Basically you would need to get the thermo to open to flush the block. I did that by pulling the lower hose and the thermo.



??

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[mitch968]

Bob, I basically drained it, filled with distilled water, bled the system, ran the engine up to temp with the heat on long enough for the thermostat to open, and then repeated the process several times until it drained clear. Then I did the final fill. I also used the prestone flush during the first drain/flush cycle.



The old stuff probably isn't absolutely 100% gone, but definitely enough so I'm not worried about any possible effects of mixing coolant types. I'm sure a shop could do it a lot quicker by backflushing with a machine though.

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[Bob]

[quote name='mitch968' date='Sep 12 2006, 07:26 PM']Bob, I basically drained it, filled with distilled water, bled the system, ran the engine up to temp with the heat on long enough for the thermostat to open, and then repeated the process several times until it drained clear.  Then I did the final fill.  I also used the prestone flush during the first drain/flush cycle.



The old stuff probably isn't absolutely 100% gone, but definitely enough so I'm not worried about any possible effects of mixing coolant types.  I'm sure a shop could do it a lot quicker by backflushing with a machine though.

[right][post="26067"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]





Thanks Mitch

Went the hard way and pulled and replaced the thermostat. My concern was the coolant was not the orange or the Porsche blue so I wanted it all out

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