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I needed to buy some top up coolant for my SC430, plus a new radiator cap, and looked up the service manual for what to buy. My recently Lexus serviced car currently has RED coolant in it. To my horror, the manual says to use BLUE silicate and borate free coolant specifically for Japanese cars NOT the red kind !!!! The IS350 manual is less descriptive in its coolant requirements.
Blue Long Life Premix Coolant is Silicate, Borate and Phosphate free. Japanese vehicles require Silicate and Borate free coolant, while European vehicles require Phosphates free coolant. Safe for use in Japanese vehicles as it DOES NOT contain Silicate or Borate
Nulon RED Long Life Pre-Mix Coolant is a pre-diluted, 50/50 mix of Nulon Red Concentrated Long Life Coolant (RLL) and demineralised water.
Any thoughts on BLUE or RED coolant???
Does my car need an urgent life (radiator) saving transfusion of BLUE?
Last edited by Natroth; 05-27-18 at 05:54 PM.
Reason: add more
I bought the OEM one for the Lexus SC430 which is actually pink
Yeah, but the Australian SC430 service book says, on page 416, to use non-amine, non-nitrate, non-borate ethylene glycol based coolant. This description equals the Nulon blue product. The RED product does not have these properties. Hence my question. It may be a storm in a teacup but I thought I would ask the collective wisdom of the SC430 clan
I'm not familiar with any coolant for Toyotas being blue, just pink/red. Then again, I'm not that up on antifreeze either, especially in non-US areas. Maybe you could call your dealer's service adviser, they are usually fairly helpful?
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” or similar high quality ethylene glycol based non-silicate, non-amine, non-nitrate and non-borate coolant with long-life hybrid organic acid technology. “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” is pre-mixed with 50% coolant and 50% de-ionized water (for the U.S.A.) or 55% coolant and 45% de-ionized water (for Canada).
Similar to Harold I'm not up on antifreeze in non-US areas. Lastly, when my timing belt/water pump was changed the mechanic replaced my radiator cap with a new non OEM cap and it leaked so I replaced it with an OEM cap and no leaks. Maybe it was fluke, but I would get an OEM radiator cap.
“Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” or similar high quality ethylene glycol based non-silicate, non-amine, non-nitrate and non-borate coolant with long-life hybrid organic acid technology. “Toyota Super Long Life Coolant” is pre-mixed with 50% coolant and 50% de-ionized water (for the U.S.A.) or 55% coolant and 45% de-ionized water (for Canada).
Similar to Harold I'm not up on antifreeze in non-US areas. Lastly, when my water pump was changed the mechanic replaced my radiator cap with a new non OEM cap and it leaked so I replaced it with an OEM cap and no leaks. Maybe it was fluke, but I would get an OEM radiator cap.
I have heard of several Lexus owners having failed "Ebay" radiator caps so I have ordered one from my dealer. I am going to flush my radiator and replace fluids with BLUE stuff as it appears to be closest to the Lexus spec in the workshop manual, although the green Valvoline coolant sold at KMart is close too. Very scientifically, I like blue because it's different hahaha !!
Gotta love the packaging & marketing ploys by vendors versus functionality of the product. Remember coolant starts out clear and manufacturers add dyes for a number of reasons some useful, others not so much.
Rule of thumb: Don't change coolant color from original spec.
Originally Posted by VVTiBob
Gotta love the packaging & marketing ploys by vendors versus functionality of the product. Remember coolant starts out clear and manufacturers add dyes for a number of reasons some useful, others not so much.
Bob, thank you for moving us beyond color and into the quasi-science of it all. To add to our knowledge base, I found this 2017 article which succinctly summarises the purpose and color of coolant. It profoundly suggests not to change colors without some peril. https://fuelandfriction.com/weekend-...rs-of-coolant/
05-27-18, 05:50 PM
Red or BLUE coolant for SC430?
