Strange Coolant situation

[Craigybaby]

Evening...
Had my belts and water pump changed 2 years ago by a well known indy... coolant level has slowly gone down and it's now on minimum... Spent all afternoon researching what to top up with (in between doing work) as I thought the existing coolant had a pink tinge to it, but everything I read seemed to indicate the pink stuff was bad for our engines (s2). So I've just been out with a glass and a spoon to take a sample and the liquid is completely clear! I'm totally confused by this. All I can think is they've flushed the system with water and forgot to top up with actual coolant. Does that sound plausible? Any other logical explanation?
Cheers

 

[AndrewCS]

What use has the car had recently ?

 

[Craigybaby]

It's my only car, used about 200-250 days a year...been checking through my paperwork, water pump etc was done march 2017, serviced at same garage sept 17 & 18, then last week had a minor service at a different garage, just an oil change basically....I'm baffled by this.

 

[AndrewCS]

The issue then ... is not the loss but the type of coolant additive ... and it was red / pink before the recent service ?

" All I can think is they've flushed the system with water and forgot to top up with actual coolant " ... at the recent service ?

 

[Craigybaby]

No idea what was in previously, never thought to check before, it's always looked like a dark liquid from the outside, so super surprised/shocked it's clear....

 

[Waylander]

I know this sounds daft but taste it, if it’s super sweet then there is some antifreeze in it, you can buy really cheap testers

if it’s got none then Comma G48 is your stuff
next stop would be asking some tough questions of the last two service places

 

[Craigybaby]

Yeah, tasting it had crossed my mind, although I thought it would be bitter rather than sweet from what I have read...if I have only got water in there it'll be pretty shocking and I guess after 2 and a half years the damage could have already been done...

 

[AndrewCS]

... you can buy really cheap testers

A good tip, thanks ... https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/60400/best-coolant-testers-2019

................

Put a sample in the home freezer, they run ~ - 18`C I believe.

 

[Craigybaby]

Just taken another sample, in a clear glass, holding it against a white wall there is a very slight pink tinge, and I mean slight, nothing like as pink as the OAT in my wife's focus... building up to having a taste!

 

[Waylander]

freezer option is a good idea

ok so as far as I know the entire block of these engines is Alusil as there are no liners, so OAT antifreeze is not a good thing

the original Glycol Based Blue stuff like G48 should be in these engines, but its expensive, and has to be changed every 2-3 years

so if it's that weak a solution I would let out about 3 Litres and Fill it back up with G48, that should be good for temps to about -20

 

[Craigybaby]

Thanks for the tip waylander....
Just had a taste and it was foul, so it's obviously not just water...in fact I can still taste it half an hour later....very sorry for wasting your time when after all it appears I have coolant in my coolant system!

 

[Indi9xx]

Porsche retrospectively approved the pink long life coolant in older water cooled Porsche models a few years back, as getting blue is becoming more difficult these days (not so much for garages, more so for individuals to top up with)
But to go with the long life coolant, the whole system needs to be flushed out, which for most specialists is standard practice on changing a waterpump or a head gasket.
The pink colour does fade away with time, but then it turns to either a green or brown (or somewhere in between colour).
On the one hand they say the long life stuff has a... Long life, I prefer to still see it changed every 4 years or so, so usually on a 944 running it, I would recommend it is changed with every belt change, but that is better than it needing changing every couple of years.
The main thing is, when switching to it, you really need the blue 100% flushing out of the system, otherwise the mixture of the two will try to turn into a jelly, mainly in confined spaces such as radiators and heater matrixes.

 

[Waylander]

even a tiny amount tastes horrid, you need to test it, i found my tester in the shed this morning,

I have no doubt that your miles and miles away, Im by J26 M25

and John G48 is easy to get, Euro, GSF, Online direct from Comma

and yes dont mix it, but in your case i dont think you have much in there

 

[Craigybaby]

Thanks waylander and Jon, I'll give my garage a bell tomorrow and see what's in there...

 

[Craigybaby]

My garage say they always use comma g30, the long life pink stuff, which ties in with what I'm seeing in my tank and Jon saying it can lose its colour a bit...g30 is a silicate free OAT, and ive got some of Halfords own brand OAT (which looks like it's made by comma) so I've topped up with that.....fingers crossed.??

 

[vitesse]

I use ECP's Pink OAT antifreeze in both 924S's & BMW without problems-use a 50/50 mixture just using normal tapwater.

 

[Craigybaby]

Great, that helps puts my mind at rest...to be honest I'm bored with it now and was considered topping up by leaving the bonnet up and the cap off and wait for it to pi55 it down... luckily no need now...thanks all.