Coolant Change Interval

[RedRaptor]

There is no information on the Mazda3 service schedule regarding coolant.

Car is at 125,000km and 5+ years old.

I've had the original coolant flushed out about 2.5 years ago. Got it done at Avante Mazda so I am going to say they used the stock coolant.

That was well over 60,000km+ ago.

Is it time again? If so, what brand of coolant should be I be getting? Should I just stick with the Mazda stock coolant?

[TheMAN]

use ONLY the mazda coolant unless you're willing to spend hours and hours researching the correct brand for your car just to save a few bucks

people are going to reply here saying "prestone is universal and works fine" and other baseless BS.... the reason why I'm saying this is because not all coolants are the same even if they look the same... the chemical additives are different and can seriously damage your cooling system/engine if the wrong stuff (generic "universal" coolant) is used... mazdas (and japanese cars for that matter) do not like silicate based coolants, nor borates based coolants (european cars)... they use phosphate instead as a corrosion inhibitor... when you put an unapproved coolant in, it can lead to buildup in the radiator or water pump failure

the newest mazdas (very late 07 and newer) as well as nearly every other maker will be using this "extended life" coolant... instead of using those mineral based corrosion inhibitors, they are using organic or hybrid organic compounds instead... this is where you get into trouble... when you mix regular "ol' green stuff" into a car that has this, it can turn to jello... putting in the wrong TYPE of this extending life coolant into car that needs it can also cause issues... as I said already, some cars use the hybrid stuff and some don't... in general, when you mix, it can turn to jello, does nothing at all, or cause buildup... it's really russian roulette... also, these newest coolants typically are used straight and not mixed with water because automakers know people used tap water (not supposed to do it but they did) in the past to mix the traditional coolant concentrates which reduces life despite the fact that it generally posed no significant harm

since your car is an 04, it should be using the non-extended life crap... it needs to be mixed with water and it should be changed out every 2 years or 50000km (this is assuming avante's flush machine uses tap water and generally all shops do because of cost)... the first change was supposed to be 100k or 4 years only because the factory fill didn't contain impurities (in tap water)... it is safe to go between 50-100k if you used 50/50 distilled water mix in a drain and fill... and it is important you change these when the time comes and not when the mileage comes if you don't drive enough... the corrosion inhibitors have a life span on them and they weaken over time due to chemical reactions and stuff like thermal cycling in the engine (stored new bottles should last a long time)


I'm sorry if this didn't make any sense but I tried to keep it as simple as possible... bottom line is, is it worth your time to figure out what you need just to save a few bucks? as a final reminder, don't trust what the manufacturer or label says... even if they claim it "works with asian cars" and stuff like that, they typically still have a slightly different corrosion inhibitor because they're still "generic"... why gamble the life of your engine/car just to save a few bucks?

[casperwonder]

Good read, thanks for sharing.

[Gizzmo_jr]

So what am I looking for when I go to a part store? I do my own work on my car.

[TheMAN]

nothing you'd really want to buy unless you got an old beater that isn't worth any money

[Gizzmo_jr]

So my options are nothing or coolant flush at a dealership.

[RedRaptor]

Thanks for the post, TheMan. So that basically means, we should buy the Mazda Coolant should we do the flush ourselves?

[TheMAN]

coolant flush are overrated
the 3s uses aluminum engine blocks and therefore don't "rust"... plus there isn't any sediments to that flake off the inside of the engine block because it's not cast iron (where they use sand to cast them)... furthermore, as I said earlier, shops typically use tap water for flush machines (and also drain & fill operations)... I have NEVER seen anyone use distilled water in a shop (maybe they do at high end places), but what I'm saying is, the impurities in tap water cause more harm than good... it reduces coolant life and also causes buildup in the system... this is why the scheduled intervals are much lower after the initial coolant change because mazda assumes tap water is used (assume the worse)

as long as you follow the scheduled maintenance on the coolant drain & fill strictly, you'll never have a problem for the life of the car

use mazda (or subaru coolant as long as the car doesn't use FL22) and mix with distilled water and you'll be fine

[Gizzmo_jr]

hrmm okay thanks. I did a half flush (just drain from the bottom of the rad), but it doesn't change over the entire water jacket.

[TheMAN]

that's fine as long as you were within the schedule
a flush is only necessary when the system has long been neglected and downright looks disgusting.... otherwise flushes are there to just make your wallet lighter

subaru has even gone as far as having their corporate reps tell dealers NOT to sell coolant flushes to their customers because they care about keeping their brand and dealership network untarnished... they don't want their brand to show bad/unnecessary service or rip off dealers... this goes to show coolant flushes are totally unnecessary for a properly maintained car

please understand what I'm saying about "avoid aftermarket coolants" applies basically to japanese cars only as they all have very specific and proprietary formulas... if you own a domestic (except certain fords like the fusion using FL22), then you're safe to buy whatever you like (as long as the label says its what its for).... even for some european cars, they use G05 which is also used by ford... easily bought... but the rest of them also share the interesting proprietary dilemma


and finally to throw a wrench in the gears, mazda canada sells its regular coolant (for 07 and older) in yellow... this is so that it works with both the ford built cars (mazda6, 626, B-series, tribute) that used G05 coolant and the (non-silicated) green stuff that they had in proteges, millenias, etc.... that is not the case in the states... there's the old green, G05 orange, and dark green FL22 sold at american dealerships... while it's all factory approved, I can't say I'm 100% confident about this decision because of the fact mazda dealers everywhere else in the world (not just the US) has the specific stuff... I also mentioned earlier about subaru coolant... their green stuff is pretty much the same as mazda's old green coolant and is to also be mixed with water.... my 3 is running that stuff right now because I happened to get a couple of gallons free (used it when I installed the oil cooler months ago).... so far nothing has gone wrong (like jelling up) so it appears fine to me... subaru's coolant is also formulated using phosphate corrosion inhibitors and is 100% silicate free just like mazda's.... it is completely safe to use in aluminum engines (which subaru engines are)... beware that the subaru super coolant is for subaru's only (it's blue), and FL22 is completely proprietary for new mazdas and some fords... these are extended life coolants and mixing water is not allowed (though I say just a few ounces of DISTILLED water wouldn't hurt it at all, but definitely do NOT put in tap water)

[Gizzmo_jr]

Thank you sir, now I'm getting the big picture.

I changed mine due to 3-4 times I boiled over and filled with what I could at the time. I still gotta do a gravity test to see what i'm at currently. Key point for me is not to change it to frequently and at longer intervals.

[TheMAN]

doesn't hurt to change it too often like oil, but unnecessary of course

[Nova 3 GT]

When I went to my dealer to get a jug of coolant to top off, this is what I've
got:

***wrong picture***

[TheMAN]

wrong stuff
notice the label says "low silicate"

I don't know about MOT, but DWM carries the mazda coolant

[Nova 3 GT]

Edit: Oups, I've posted the wrong picture.

The bottle I've got from my local Mazda dealer is indeed Zerex green BUT, it also says "Extented Life 5/150". I'll try to post the right picture! My bad, sorry guys!

[DumpInfo]

There is no information on the Mazda3 service schedule regarding coolant.

Car is at 125,000km and 5+ years old.

I've had the original coolant flushed out about 2.5 years ago. Got it done at Avante Mazda so I am going to say they used the stock coolant.

That was well over 60,000km+ ago.

Is it time again? If so, what brand of coolant should be I be getting? Should I just stick with the Mazda stock coolant?

It's funny you mentioned this because he told me I had to get mine done as well. He told me to stick with the Mazda stuff so I went with that. I got my thermostat and coolant ready to go!

[TheMAN]

that only applies for the older 3s that don't use FL22

[Mty Mous]

What's your opinion on Amsoil's Antifreeze and Engine Coolant?

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/ant.aspx

[TheMAN]

I don't know... the MSDS doesn't say anything about what it has except its propylene glycol

[W_L89]

even regular green coolant has different formulas/ additives to make? i thought it was just dex and universal coolant that used different formulas to create based on brand

[MAZDA Kitten]

Wow good info. Thanks TheMan

[TheMAN]

even regular green coolant has different formulas/ additives to make? i thought it was just dex and universal coolant that used different formulas to create based on brand

yes, green is not green

don't let the colours mislead you!

and don't expect every shop/mechanic to know this... I didn't know anything about the coolant differences until a year ago!

[thekid]

Edwin, do you know if Mazda's GOLD coolant is the same as Ford's GOLD coolant, both are extended life... just asking cause it's cheaper from the mazda dealer than ford, and my diesel truck calls for Ford Motorcraft GOLD extended life coolant.

[Fuman]

you don't have to do it at the dealer.
I brought the coolant from MoT and had street Performance do it.

[TheMAN]

Edwin, do you know if Mazda's GOLD coolant is the same as Ford's GOLD coolant, both are extended life... just asking cause it's cheaper from the mazda dealer than ford, and my diesel truck calls for Ford Motorcraft GOLD extended life coolant.

I don't think so because it's meant to be compatible with the older mazdas that had the normal life green coolant

the one in the states are though