Best Engine Coolant

[ssolidd]

Hi guys recently I notice that my engine coolant level is at low but I havent seen any warning on my car panel yet should I start refelling it? also what would be the best engine coolant I can buy for my mazda3 2008 gsi? all I know is that it needs an fl22 or something please recommend me some brand maybe i go canadian tire tommorow.

[stevenma188]

Go buy OEM fluid from the dealer.

[Jackal]

Go buy OEM fluid from the dealer.

+1 get the OEM fl22 coolant from the closest dealer.

[sarujo]

What these guys above said. It would also be a good idea to get your cooling system pressure tested, including the cap to just make sure you don't have leaks anywhere, thus causing the low level.

[ssolidd]

thanks guys that really helps any idea how much would it cost? how about canadian tire anyone tried buying from there?

[Jackal]

thanks guys that really helps any idea how much would it cost? how about canadian tire anyone tried buying from there?

It's not labeled as FL22 at CT. It says something like "for Asian cars" or "for import cars". Better stick to the Mazda Dealership stuff.

[silverstarmazda]

it should say somewhere its compatible. as long as its silicate free i think. but yea, oem is the best way to go since your %100 its going to work. also, changing you coolant will only change and half of it. your only draining your rad and overflow tank (not called overflow for our cars but something else i dont remember).

if you want to change all of it you will need to uninstall your thermostat and disconnect the hoses on the other side. flush the block and rad with a hose. (garden hose will work, yes there are minerals but the water isnt staying in the system. the new coolant will dilute the hose water down to nothing).

i dont recommend doing this if you dont know what your doing. just take it to a dealer to have it pressure flushed. that should get almost all the old stuff out. last of all, you want to "burp" the system after. just let the car idle for 5 minutes with the pressure cap off. this will allow the coolant to circulate and let the air out. if you dont burp the system, you will get air in the system and recieve haywire readings and might run the engine a bit hot. "burping" wont be as efficient with the cap on. might take a couple days to get the air out if its left on

[TheMAN]

if you're just topping off the system, go to the grocery store and buy a jug of distilled water.... a few millilitres of distilled water won't hurt
if you're replacing the coolant, use ONLY AND ONLY FL22... YOU CANNOT FIND THIS AT STORES... the "for asian cars" stuff is different and you'll end up reducing the life of your coolant! FL22 is designed to last for many miles and many years, beyond the typical ownership time of a new car... so unless you're doing some sort of repair, you do not need to change it!

DO NOT flush the system if you are not having any problems with the cooling system... flush machines at many shops uses tap water, it will contaminate the cooling system and reduce the life of the coolant! the minerals that comes from the tap water will also cause build up in the system! Any sort of recommendations about flushing is ill-advised!

[Wes08M3]

if you're just topping off the system, go to the grocery store and buy a jug of distilled water.... a few millilitres of distilled water won't hurt
if you're replacing the coolant, use ONLY AND ONLY FL22... YOU CANNOT FIND THIS AT STORES... the "for asian cars" stuff is different and you'll end up reducing the life of your coolant! FL22 is designed to last for many miles and many years, beyond the typical ownership time of a new car... so unless you're doing some sort of repair, you do not need to change it!

DO NOT flush the system if you are not having any problems with the cooling system... flush machines at many shops uses tap water, it will contaminate the cooling system and reduce the life of the coolant! the minerals that comes from the tap water will also cause build up in the system! Any sort of recommendations about flushing is ill-advised!

+1

Distilled water would be a lot cheaper if you're just topping it up a bit. FL22 is good for 192,000km no need to change it for a long time.

[silverstarmazda]

+1

Distilled water would be a lot cheaper if you're just topping it up a bit. FL22 is good for 192,000km no need to change it for a long time.

the car would probably be in a new owners hand waaay before you will need to change the coolant. i however need to change mine....all of it... had to replace the thermostat a while ago and just put "compatible" fluid in...i just need a bay for me to work in. school is starting soon so ill be in the auto bays i have here. every coolant flush machine out there is different. some work with better with some cars. i dont remember how the one for the mazdas work. but if its anything like the fords (which are prety much the same) theres this machine i used that sucked old coolant out in one resevoir and replaced fresh fluid that was in the other resevoir. all this was done with the car running. yes, you dont need a flush if you dont need it. you can however do a drain and fill interval once, a week after to get over %75 of the old stuff out. after that its pretty much the best you can do. i planned on adding water wetter in to lower temps, but so far i have heard it reacting bad to aluminum, or hoses. plus the effect doesnt last as long as other coolant additives.

sry if im making this a bit more complicated as it is. buy the fluid from the dealer. drain rad and overflow. refill and run wih cap off for about 10 minutes and cap it off. enjoy

[TheMAN]

water wetter is going to contaminate your system... IT CONTAINS SILICATES
diesel water wetter does NOT contain silicates

if you already changed the coolant with the aftermarket crap, it's too late.... system already contaminated... flushing or changing it all out still will not get you back to 100%... smooth move xlax!

[silverstarmazda]

water wetter is going to contaminate your system... IT CONTAINS SILICATES
diesel water wetter does NOT contain silicates

if you already changed the coolant with the aftermarket crap, it's too late.... system already contaminated... flushing or changing it all out still will not get you back to 100%... smooth move xlax!

lol thats why i didnt get the water wetter yet because i was on the edge of if it was good or bad. some people here have used it in theyre 3's and seems to works pretty good. yea, my system is already contaminated. but i rather have a contaminated system than a system with no coolant. so i had no choice. at least it was "compatible no silicate" but i highly doubt it...i rather have %100 oem. changing a majority of my coolant was on my list... then other things got in the way.

its kinda like a road trip and you get a rock that punctures a hole in the rad and you lose coolant. you either push it to the next garage. or you pee in the radiator and limp it to the garage lol. you will NEVER get that smell out...

[TheMAN]

I put diesel water wetter in mine... works perfectly, and it's a better deal.... more "treatments" in one bottle as it's more concentrated which is intended for diesel trucks that have big radiators

[silverstarmazda]

heard the additives only work for a couple months though... i forgot which other brand that lasts longer. how long have you had yours in the car for??

[ssolidd]

Hi fellow tm3's so most of you suggested from dealer fl22 coolant instead of those CT stuff because of its greater compatability, any idea how much this cost at dealership?

[zzz3]

Hi fellow tm3's so most of you suggested from dealer fl22 coolant instead of those CT stuff because of its greater compatability, any idea how much this cost at dealership?

Call them and find out (i.e. joe at Mazda of Toronto who can give you a club discount).

I have phones for sale if you don't own one:
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?64332-FS-Panasonic-Cordless-Phone-Nortel-Vista-350-Corded-2-Line-Phone

[silverstarmazda]

^lol smart post. dont we get a discount at affiliated dealerships? (ei: tm3 stickers on theyre door?) i went over to agincourt mazda where i get all my parts and they give me a %10 for just asking about the discount

[TheMAN]

lol thats why i didnt get the water wetter yet because i was on the edge of if it was good or bad. some people here have used it in theyre 3's and seems to works pretty good. yea, my system is already contaminated. but i rather have a contaminated system than a system with no coolant. so i had no choice. at least it was "compatible no silicate" but i highly doubt it...i rather have %100 oem. changing a majority of my coolant was on my list... then other things got in the way.

its kinda like a road trip and you get a rock that punctures a hole in the rad and you lose coolant. you either push it to the next garage. or you pee in the radiator and limp it to the garage lol. you will NEVER get that smell out...
if it were me and I didn't have any special coolant on hand, I would've put in distilled water... won't hurt anything except lower the freeze and boil over protection... as long as I drained it out and put the proper stuff back in soon afterwards, no big deal :) the mixture will be a little off, but it won't kill the life of it

[silverstarmazda]

if it were me and I didn't have any special coolant on hand, I would've put in distilled water... won't hurt anything except lower the freeze and boil over protection... as long as I drained it out and put the proper stuff back in soon afterwards, no big deal :) the mixture will be a little off, but it won't kill the life of it

lol i guess on a long trip that would be smart. but i was thinking more of a sudden trip with no extra fluids. lol