As the subject states, I was planning on replacing the antifreeze in my 02 ram 4.7L. The stuff in the overflow bottle looks pinkish/ red in color. Does it matter what I replace the old fluid with. Can I use the good old green stuff or is the fluid special?

 

You can NOT mix the 2 kind of antifreeze, but if you empty & flush the system, you
can use any kind. The red is a long-life antifreeze. Its supposed to be good for about
100,000 miles. The green I think is supposed to be changed avery 60,000.

 

I would go to a Dodge Dealership, and purchase their Mopar stuff....Just to be on the safe side...

 

I second "NYPANAMA42" recommendation. Flushing a system as big as you find on the Ram is likely to require you to buy gallons and gallons of distilled water. So the tendency is to use tap water. That's almost worse than leaving the factory fill alone. Your simplest solution is to do the typical drain and fill using the Mopar coolant with distilled water. Unless you have some kind of sludging or contamination, that's all you really need. Don't use tap water unless there's no other alternative.

If you just can't do the Mopar route, then drain the block and radiator. Fill with distilled water. Drive for 5 mi. Drain, refill with distilled water. Drive 5mi. Drain and then add enough pure antifreeze to equal 50% of the capacity--eg, 18 qts, fill with 9 of coolant. Then top of with the distilled water. That way the pure water remaining in the system won't over dilute your fill.

Roger...

 

The Mopar coolant is a long life HOA (high organic acid) coolant specially designed for aluminum. It is not interchangable with just any kind coolant. Make sure you get the right coolant and make sure you use DISTILLED WATER as mentioned. The tap water at your house has all kinds of exgtra stuff in it that can cause deposits on your cooling system. Unless you have been having problems, I suggest a drain and fill.

 

Texaco has a long life 150,000 mile anti freeze that you can use and it's cheaper then buying Mopar from a dealership and it's just as good. Don't buy any kind that has Dex Cool in it as it can play hell on your cooling system. If you can use Distilled water or buy your anti freeze pre mixed. The main reason to use Distilled is that many places in the USA the water has a high mineral content and these can cause deposits that can plug up your radiator.

 

I tow a trailer during the summer in the Rockies and occasionally my cooling temperature hits the limit. My son runs heavy duty equipment in the summer and recommends to use a water/Purple Ice mixture to reduce cooling temperatures about 30 degrees. Any pros or cons out there?

 

There is another coolant out that is a bit cheaper then the dealer stuff, but is the same HOAT stuff. It's called Zerex G-05 and is available at Napa. It may be available at other places but Napa is the only place in my area to get it.

 

I use the zerex stuff that is approved for late model chrysler products, among others. And at less than a dollar a gallon for distilled water at any wally world and most grocery stores, i dont see why anyone should be tempted to dillute with tap water. Or just buy pre-dilluted anti-freeze. If you dont do a proper drain and flush, you would probably leave half the old stuff in there anyway. Do it right or dont bother. It is also a good time to change hoses and swap out the thermostat.

 

I have been using Prestone in mine for years and never any issues. Just flush good and refill.