what coolant to run green or red/pink ?

[RolfGolf]

It used to be that coolants were formulated for cast and for alloy. The chemical composition of each was different and still probably is. I'd stick with manufacturer's recommendations.

[aaron001au]

I just grabbed some of the red nulon that is recommend for the mk4 , I'd rather have the right stuff in there just for piece of mind ....

I went to vw and asked and the guy looked at me strange and said you can run just water and it will be fine .....

[grtuned]

I just grabbed some of the red nulon that is recommend for the mk4 , I'd rather have the right stuff in there just for piece of mind ....

I went to vw and asked and the guy looked at me strange and said you can run just water and it will be fine .....

That guys a f wit. With an answer like that it's a wonder if the guy knows there's actually an engine in a car!!!!

[dylan8]

...With an answer like that it's a wonder if the guy knows there's actually an engine in a car!!!!

Hahaha. Probably owns an old vn or something

[RubAVeeDubDub]

If you don't want to pay for the exhorbitant VW pricing for genuine Pink coolant then buy a bottle of Penrite pink 6+ year coolant. It's a bit cheaper and is approved for us by VW themselves. Be sure to check the back of the bottle to look for the G12+ standard.

But as above, get the green coolant out. It's not made for VWs. Pink coolant apparently has addititives in it that the engine and pump need.

[aaron001au]

I got this its what was recommended to me buy a few other vw owners I know and the nulon site says this suits my mk4

[aaron001au]

Thanks so much to every one for your input so far.

Do you think after I flush it I should fill it with water drive it for a day add radiator flush again then add new coolant or avoid radiator flush all together ?

[kaanage]

Some good info in this thread - G12 antifreeze - TDIClub Forums

[dylan8]

You could run water through it for a bit to clean it out.
If done two lots through my mk3 now in an attempt yo clean out all the bits of broken water pump and old gunk. Don't want to waste expensive coolant on that

[aaron001au]

i drained the green coolant this morning before work while the car was cold , gave it a quick flush with the heater controls on hot and used the hose to it flush throw and let it drain out the bottom of the radiator for a good 25-30mins.

Filled it back up with water took it for a drive and waited for the thermos to kick in , so now its mostly water , i think ? i will do the same thing tomorrow and then again Saturday but on Saturday i will pull the hoses off the oil cooler , heater core and remove the thermostat and to give it a good flush throw and remove what is still in the block , then full with water again.

on Sunday ill do my finial drain , flush it throw again and then fill with new red coolant and all should be well , its a little over the top but i would rather be safe then sorry with this kind of thing ...

[aaron001au]

**** UPDATE****

ok so here is a bit of a update on this

so i flushed the system with water again on Friday , and again on Saturday , but thought i would do the thermostat as well while im doing it so i pull the thermostat out and flush the block, heater core, oil cooler and radiator , whet to put the thermostat in with the gasket i got for it and the gaskets too small and pissed water out

so i call vw and get a gasket ( rubber o ring) from them , same thing happens , so i went back to my local bursons and said this is what i was supplied and what was listed but its wrong , showed him the gasket that was on there ( i was a rubber o ring with a grove in the center that sat around the thermostat

he said yep its this one its a falcon thermostat gasket so i get that come home put it in same thing water every where so i put the old one seal back in and it seals with a very minor leak ...

so i jump on the tridon web site have a look thorw there gaskets and find a few that might help go to my local super cheap and find one with the part number TTG34 thats a 56mm round gasket i buy that get it home and it a nice snug fit in the block , i added some gasket good for piece of mind and so fair so good no leaks

so ill drive it for 3 or 4 days like that check for leaks if all is well then ill drop the fresh clean water and finally add some red coolant

never thought such a small thing could be such a pain in the ass ....

[Umai Naa!!]

Yeah, that's nearly always the case dealing with Repco, Bursons, etc with European stuff sadly.

You're nearly always better off getting parts through a dealership, or specialist parts supplier where your VIN would be used. Sometimes small running changes occur across a model.

[aaron001au]

sadly even the one from vw wasn't much help as it was just as bad as the other i got

[Umai Naa!!]

Where did the t/stat come from, and did you re-use the plastic housing?

[aaron001au]

Thermostat came from Burson cause vw couldn't get me one said it's no longer available , reused the plastic housing that connects to the hose