As I was driving along the freeway the other day, my radiator decided to go. Full, catastrophic failure. I can count at least three cracks in the core. This was a brass radiator (from AutoZone) replacement I installed a year and a half ago. I've been running the orange Zerex Extremelift AntiFreeze since installing it, as I came from the most corrosive environment in the US.
I was just curious if i'm a victim of "getting what I paid for" or if the Zerex degrades the brass.... or if there might be some other problem in the car that would cause the radiator to go like that. Up to this point temperature gauge never peaked above 1/4-1/3 deflection from the left.
I bought a fluidyne replacement and new FAL fans (one of the cracks shot fluid onto the motors oh my old flex-fan which immediately shorted out) but don't want to install them if there might be some reason for my previous radiator failing, still present.

Also, for those who have the fluidyne radiators, does it come with a cap? I'm going to be leaving on vacation for a week and want to get it ordered if I need one. Thanks in advance!

 

Yes, actually... using orange antifreeze with a brass-core radiator can and will cause failures along the seams of the tank.

If the car came with standard green antifreeze, it should be kept at that. The organic-acid (aka orange antifreeze) stuff can cause some serious troubles with systems not designed for it... I think it can even cause some damage to certain waterpumps...

Here's hoping the damage is limited to the radiator, and I'd switch back to the green stuff with your new radiator, and just change the fluid more often, if you're concerned with system contamination in your car.

 

ya learn somethin new everyday. looks like i wont be replacing my fluid with the orange shit. h:

 

The only real difference between orange and regular stuff is that the orange stuff lasts longer, and something about the silicate content.

 

I just bought some rad fluid from the dealer and the guy said it was a new product from honda designed to last 60K miles.

Scott

 

he was trying to sell you a product, and hey, it sure worked.

 

It's Honda's new OEM fluid.

 

The orange/pink stuff though is "long life", actually evaporates alot quicker. And, if even 1 drop of the green stuff mixes with 1 drop of the pink stuff, they instantly start to corrosion.

Your best bet is to stay with what ever your car came with OE!,

 

Honda/Acura recommends low/no silicate and phosphate coolants. The silicate may eventually cause damage to our alumninum blocks and is the reason that Honda went to the low silicate formula. Don't caught up with the whole color issue. There are silicate and non-silicate formulas that are green color. For example the OEM coolant is non silicate and is green color.

If I were you I would either use OEM fluid or Zerex's G-05 coolant. The G-05 is a low silicate/phosphate formula that is reasonably priced. Something to note though is that the G-05 coolant is yellow in color.

 

the orange coolant is Dex-cool. Most new veh comes with it cuzz it last longer then the regular green antifreez. GM use them on their vehicles.