Hi, was wondering if anyone could help me...

Noticed that my coolant reserve tank is bone dry - and probably the radiator too though I've not checked it....was just wondering what brand of coolant I should buy to top it up

Is water ok or should I use the coolant?

Thanks for any help you can provide

If the radiator is dry then coolant is the least of your worries . . . . .

Don't just top it up, change it. Try a good quality concentrated 3 year coolant, drain what is left of the coolant in the system and refill. Use tap water or distilled water but never tap water by itself. Depending on the quality of the tap water it can corrode the cylinder head(s) to the point of destruction in less than 6 months.
Tectalloy is good, or see your Mitsu dealer for some concentrate.

---=== Your car, your choice ===---

tectalloy Gold

tectalloy Gold

Isn't that an additive?

I use Nulon premix. 5L makes up to 15L at 33% mix rate. Good stuff.

How many litres of coolant does a 3.5ltr engine take?

Should be in the owners handbook? if not will be in the gregorys manual. If you drain the radiator but dont drain the block i would take a stab at 6-8L

I use Mits stuff, I thought it was crap and now its all I use , its premix only but not cheap $50 5ltrs, and you can ony top up with it, your not ment to use water after that

Yeah unfortunately mits no longer sell concentrate (which was much cheaper).. apparently it was causing problems with people ****ing up the mix, supposedly.

Can anyone recommend a mechanic who knows their way around a '93 TR? Melbourne Metro please..I want someone who knows what they are doing!! Just spent $1600 on this f**king spaceship two months ago and now it's still emptying out the coolant reservoir, radiator and overheating!!

Can anyone recommend a mechanic who knows their way around a '93 TR? Melbourne Metro please..I want someone who knows what they are doing!! Just spent $1600 on this f**king spaceship two months ago and now it's still emptying out the coolant reservoir, radiator and overheating!!

I'm not sure if he is near you, but try MadMagna (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75228) - he seems to know his stuff and has left most members happy AFAIK!

2nd gen? pray its not your head gasket, too

I'd be taking it back to where you spent the 1600 and saying wtf ?

I use a concentrate Tectaloy Xtra Cool Gold

Tectalloy is crap, I would rather use salt water in my cooling system. I have seen the tests done with that stuff and it was more harmful than just straight water

You can use the mits stuff if you want to pay $50 for 3.5 litres of water lol or I use Nulon. 33% mix, it is good and I have seen Nulon after 12 month of running and still as clean as the day it was put in. They say now 3 years on these but I still do my coolant every 12 months

Mits stuff is good, they no longer make the concentrate however it you realy want to pay that price is up to you

Well now that you say you'd rather use salt water Madmagna I am going to give the Nulon a go. (Sorry for Hi-Jacking the thread)

Nulon has a in use life of 4 years, according to the website. What's the price, anyone who has bought it? I would rather not use salt water. lol

K-mart has the Nulon 2.5 litres of concentrated long life (green) for about $23. I know there is the Red colour coolant, but not sure what the difference between the two are.

Thanks for that. Will check it out. I think the good stuff is green. (?)

K-mart has the Nulon 2.5 litres of concentrated long life (green) for about $23. I know there is the Red colour coolant, but not sure what the difference between the two are.

red goes faster??... I think its just different brands using diffrent dyes.

red goes faster??... I think its just different brands using diffrent dyes.

Nulon produces both Green and Red coolant. Red is preferred for vehicles fitted with aluminium radiators

The 5L Nulon is about $35 which is pretty good value.

just for reference, the 6G74 (3.5L) uses 9.5L of coolant, with a recommended concentration of 30%-50% depending on your climate conditions.

if you live where it doesn't ever get cold (below -16C) then 30% is all you'll need.

cheers,
.wook

Dumb question: do we have aluminium radiators? (what other kind is there?)

2nd gen? pray its not your head gasket, too

Well that's what the mechanic initially thought it could be though he did the test he said it didn't indicate a cracked head. The car doesn't blow any smoke and it runs really well, it's just that the coolant reservoir and radiator keeps draining itself of the fluid. I just replace it with water and it's fine, doesn't overheat and drives well, doesn't idle rough or chug when you stop/start the engine.

On a side note, after I paid the mechanic the $1600 (major service, new radiator core, fix the overdrive gear on the gearbox) and I took the car back it did overheat again straight away! I took it back and he said he replaced a fan and I took it back runs better than ever, temp was always fine. This latest overheating (not quite overheating, went to 3/4 though) happened and I w/out overheating so I'm hoping it will get me through to July which is when I'm due for next service.

you can't get a pressure test or a smoke test done to find a possible leak?

Yes we have aluminium radiators. Check all the hoses for tightness of clamps, maybe change the thermostat. Temp shouldn't budge from half no matter what.

Temp will budge if he has no coolant or water in the system, he has clearly stated he is losing water somewhere

Pressure test is the only way, both of the cooling system and the cylinders.

Yes, I meant NORMALLY, if its not leaking and is full of coolant, the temp is very stable.

Yep, pressure test and find that leak!

so its not head gasket or your rad fans then. perhaps the thermos stuck?

Might sound redundant, they did fit a new cap with the new radiator ?

Might sound redundant, they did fit a new cap with the new radiator ?

Yep

It's weird...since I filled it up with water again it has been fine and i checked again last night, still full...

K-mart has the Nulon 2.5 litres of concentrated long life (green) for about $23. I know there is the Red colour coolant, but not sure what the difference between the two are.

Nulon green is 33% coolant mixture whereas red is 50%. According to the Magna TS manual, 30% mixture should be used for temperatures above -15 degrees Celsius, and for temperature below that, 50% mixture should be used.

Also don't forget that if you're changing the coolant and you don't know what is in there or you're changing the brand, etc that the cooling system will need to be flushed.

Mixing coolants is a very bad idea!

I would however find out where the coolant is going to beforehand though.

Well that's what the mechanic initially thought it could be though he did the test he said it didn't indicate a cracked head. The car doesn't blow any smoke and it runs really well, it's just that the coolant reservoir and radiator keeps draining itself of the fluid. I just replace it with water and it's fine, doesn't overheat and drives well, doesn't idle rough or chug when you stop/start the engine.

On a side note, after I paid the mechanic the $1600 (major service, new radiator core, fix the overdrive gear on the gearbox) and I took the car back it did overheat again straight away! I took it back and he said he replaced a fan and I took it back runs better than ever, temp was always fine. This latest overheating (not quite overheating, went to 3/4 though) happened and I w/out overheating so I'm hoping it will get me through to July which is when I'm due for next service.

id be checking if your Head is warped.
My 2.6L was doing the same about 6 months back. Coolant was disappearing like nothing else, but she ran fine, didnt stutter, misfire or anything irregular.
I only put two and two together when she started to produce a nice cloud of steam from the exhaust, thats when i realised something expensive was amiss...
turns out my radiator was blocked which caused it too overheat, thus warping the head... i was topping up daily. not fun at all.
Im assuming you've already replaced the radiator cap to tick all the boxes?

PS: a leakdown test will tell exactly whats going on ;)