Coolant Change Interval

[Nova 3 GT]

Woohoo, my car is now officially using FL22 coolant. The FL22 coolant change and flush at my dealer cost me 100$ which is 10$ more than the conventional 2-year coolant change. Worth every penny and no more headache for another 5 years!

[liquidzyklon]

Woohoo, my car is now officially using FL22 coolant. The FL22 coolant change and flush at my dealer cost me 100$ which is 10$ more than the conventional 2-year coolant change. Worth every penny and no more headache for another 5 years!

So which model of the Mazda3 came with FL22 coolants? Is it safe to switch from non-FL22 coolant to FL22 coolant?

[stevenma188]

So I'm confused. We can only use coolant we buy from the Mazda dealer? We can't just go to CT or PartSource to pick up a jug of coolant? I'm thinking of changing my coolant in the near future.

[Nova 3 GT]

So which model of the Mazda3 came with FL22 coolants? Is it safe to switch from non-FL22 coolant to FL22 coolant?

I believe late 2007 or early 2008 Mazda3 are factory filled with FL22. Check out here for more information:

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...3-07-1830b.pdf

[Nova 3 GT]

So I'm confused. We can only use coolant we buy from the Mazda dealer? We can't just go to CT or PartSource to pick up a jug of coolant? I'm thinking of changing my coolant in the near future.

I'm not sure if Canadian Tire has the "Peak Global Lifetime" coolant... I've heard that it's the most compatible with FL22. Otherwise, the one that the dealer sells is garanteed to work with our cars.

[stevenma188]

When coolant replacement becomes necessary for older Mazda models not originally filled with FL22 coolant, FL22 coolant can be used.

From the TSB Nova 3 GT posted.

[TheMAN]

coolant change intervals do NOT get extended when one converts to FL22

I already explained clearly why you don't want to just grab some random jug of coolant from crappy tire and pour it into the radiator... that's on the first page!

[Soyabean]

If we decide to get the coolant from the Mazda dealership. Does that come premixed or do they have to mix it? I recall you saying something about using distilled water and that there are no shops out there who use distilled water. So what do we do if we had to incorporate some distilled water into it? Where can we get that?

[standsideways]

If we decide to get the coolant from the Mazda dealership. Does that come premixed or do they have to mix it? I recall you saying something about using distilled water and that there are no shops out there who use distilled water. So what do we do if we had to incorporate some distilled water into it? Where can we get that?

you need to mix it 5050 with distilled or soft water.it comes concentrated.

any green coolant should do.

[Nova 3 GT]

If you buy FL22 from the dealer, no water is needed because its already pre-mixed. As for where to find distilled water, Canadian Tire has it (they call it either de-ionized or de-mineralized) or any pharmacy.

[Soyabean]

OOO, sorry I failed to read the last couple of posts. So the FL22 is compatible with my older 06 and it is already premixed. Looking at the TSB all the way at the bottom, it says that it requires 6 gallons?

[Nova 3 GT]

I've checked my invoice and its written : two 4-liter jugs. In the owner's manual, it says 7.5L for a total flush including the heater and my favorite tech advisor said that he gave me the remaining jug so I can top off after the engine is fully cooled down. Just in case!

[stevenma188]

I already explained clearly why you don't want to just grab some random jug of coolant from crappy tire and pour it into the radiator... that's on the first page!

I wasn't planning on grabbing any random jug of coolant, but was wondering if there was anywhere else I could get coolant for our car, since I'm sure the stealership charges a premium on it.

[RedRaptor]

I'd go with the Mazda coolant as saving $5 per bottle isn't worth the risk.

[stevenma188]

AH, for $5 more a bottle, thats not that bad. I thought it was significantly more expensive.

Nova 3 GT: how much did the FL22 cost?

[TheMAN]

you need to mix it 5050 with distilled or soft water.it comes concentrated.

any green coolant should do.

no, as I said already, green is NOT green
there's many different kinds of formulations out there!

[TheMAN]

they're out there but they're very hard to find the EXACT right one... that takes a lot of time and formulations change from time to time, so it's not worth the trouble
when time= money, just go to the dealer and pay the extra few bucks knowing you're getting the right stuff that NEVER changes

[Nova 3 GT]

AH, for $5 more a bottle, thats not that bad. I thought it was significantly more expensive.

Nova 3 GT: how much did the FL22 cost?

Here in Trois-Rivieres, a 4-liter jug of FL22 coolant cost me 19.22$+tx. Not sure how much it cost in Toronto...For comparison, the Mazda-branded regular green stuff cost 17,44$ +tx. So it's not THAT expensive

[liquidzyklon]

coolant change intervals do NOT get extended when one converts to FL22

I already explained clearly why you don't want to just grab some random jug of coolant from crappy tire and pour it into the radiator... that's on the first page!

Sorry, I'm in and out of this thead. But TheMAN states that coolant change intervals do NOT get extended when one converts to FL22, but in the TSB provided link, note #1 specifically states that the change intervals are extended for older models. Maybe you did not know that Mazda had this note. But I would like your input in this matter.

[TheMAN]

sorry I forgot about that... I was always under the impression that converting or mixing will result in intervals not as long as a factory fill 100% FL22, which is true

so converting to FL22 extends the life slightly, but not to the crazy life expectancy that a factory fill FL22 would be

[stock3]

I think some of you guys are exaggerating quite a bit about aftermarket coolants. If they caused so much trouble as some of you imply, then there would be hundreds of lawsuits pending against Prestone, Zerex and other makers, which is not the case.

Aftermarket coolants are just fine, but there are some key points that should be followed:
- If you want to change coolant to an aftermarket one with a different formula or even the same formula, DO A COMPLETE FLUSH, not just one radiator drain and fill. This will eliminate any incompatibility issues.

- Even if you already have an aftermarket coolant installed, but for some reason want to change brands, say from Prestone to Zertex, again always perform a full flush, as these formulations are different. I even heard that the factory Dexcool fill is different from a Prestone Dexcool, so a full flush is a good idea.

- Whenever your coolant level is low, top off with the same coolant, preferably the same brand to be safe, or just distilled water, if it is a small amount.

- avoid diesel engine coolants, these are totally different, as diesel engine metallurgy and materials are different that gasoline engines.

Silicates are not "evil" for Japanese engines, most manufacturers use very similar materials for their radiators, engine blocks, gasket materials etc. So a low silicate coolant like Zerex G05 or a coolant with no silicates or phosphoresces like Prestone All makes will not cause any harm, as long as a complete flush is done.

Chances are that if you go to the quick lube places for oil changes, your coolant was topped off with some generic coolant anyway, so don't get yourselves scared into "use only Mazda coolant", sure it's a safe bet, but not the only choice we have.

[TheMAN]

there hasn't been any lawsuits because any of the damages it causes happens over a very long period of time... beyond what a typical car owner owns a car... and happens at such a level that 99% of owners are too ignorant to even know why it happened, plus the fact that the garages will either not know or not care what caused it because they're more than happy to sell the repair job while passing on the failure reason as "old age"... I've seen build up using mixed or improperly used coolants... do I have proof? no, you'll just have to take my word for it

the japanese don't use silicates because they have found that it causes reaction with aluminum and adds abrasion to the water pump seals/bearings... this in turn causes a chalk like buildup at the bottom of the radiator which eventually leads to overheating problems, and also water pump failures not long after the 100k mark... using the right stuff? I've seen cars get away with original water pumps way beyond the typical life of a car... as much as 300k... so it doesn't matter if they use "similar materials"... the americans took a long time to get away from it, and that's just their prerogative for being stupid, just like how they design and build their cars

[stock3]

I agree with you that you shuldn't mix coolant formulations, this will cause sludge, gelling or coolant discoloration. That's why I said do a comlete flush.

Japanese coolant is nothing special, their engine use no special materials, as you seem to imply, Ford, Chrysler and Mercedes all use silicated coolant (G05), and they all have aluminum engines, and there is absloutley no issues with G05, no water pump failures or gasket leaks, even on Ford Focus, which has essentially the same engine as Mazda 3 and they use G05 (motorcraft gold). Phosphorates (that japanese coolants use) have the same job to do as silicates in coolant, to provide a quick protection against cavitation, since organic compounds need time to form a protective layer and cavitation strips that layer off, it is the job of silicates or phosphorates to replanish that layer quickly. These are different solutions to the same problem, so again, Japanese did not do anything special with their coolant, just different.

Silicates are no problem as long as the owner doesn't push the coolant change to the extremes, that's where silicates will start dropping out of the coolant causing seal and pump wear. If you stick to the recommended change intervals you will be OK. Again, thousands of aluminum engines drive around with silicates with no problems and the cases where you saw deposits were most likley due to neglect, where the cooling system was probably never serviced or tooped off with an incompatible coolant.

[TheMAN]

like i said already, the japanese have found silicates to lower the life of water pumps (and that's on well maintained systems)... so even if that crap "works fine" in a ford or "works fine" after you flush out the factory fill with the cheap crappy tire stuff, it doesn't mean its great or will let the water pump last beyond 100k... ford or any of the other big 3s don't care, but the japanese care about their stuff holding together (to a degree compared to the past).... you can't argue the fact that phosphate based coolants have made water pumps last insane number of miles

and finally, why even bother flushing just so you can use the $5 cheaper crap? my time is better spent than saving 5 bucks... there is absolutely no need to do any coolant flushes as long as the coolant has been drained and refilled in a timely manner, especially with all aluminum engines... just more money making scam BS the quick lube industry has pushed

save your time, don't gamble, and just buy the stuff from the dealer, drain the stuff out, and put a gallon of the new stuff in... done in 30 minutes tops... why waste more of your time than that?

[Nova 3 GT]

By the way, I forgot to ask especially to those who has a 2010 Mz3: Is the color of your factory-filled FL22 dark green ?