Oat coolant color plus#

They say their coolants can safely protect both cast-iron and aluminum engines and radiators, regardless of what kind of vehicle they are in. The Better Business Bureau challenged one coolant supplier on this claim, insisting there can be no such thing because the vehicle manufacturers all have different and sometimes conflicting coolant specifications.Įven so, those who make universal coolants argue their additive packages have been thoroughly tested and meet all applicable ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) and SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) specifications. Universal Coolants Coolant suppliers who say this is so much nonsense have developed their own proprietary OAT-based products, which they say can be safely used in all makes and all models.

Oat coolant color plus#

Coolant suppliers who have tried to meet the conflicting OEM coolant requirements now market three basics types of coolant: the traditional green formula, plus an orange formula that meets GM’s Dex-Cool 6277 specification, and a yellow hybrid (HOAT) formula for Ford, Chrysler and all the rest. The aftermarket has always had a knack for simplifying things the OEMs have complicated, and coolants are no exception. Everybody decided to dye their coolants a different color, which only added to the confusion because there was no standardization which meant the colors were essentially meaningless as far as what was actually in the formula. The Japanese and Europeans both developed their own OAT formulas, with the Japanese adding phosphates while the Europeans took out phosphates. Ford and Chrysler opted for a hybrid version (HOAT) formula that added silicates to increase aluminum protection. GM specified its orange-colored Dex-Cool coolant, which used a totally different kind of additive package based on organic acid technology (OAT). So in that respect, green coolant was essentially a universal all makes, all models type of coolant for its day. But as far as the aftermarket was concerned, the same stuff worked just fine no matter what you poured it into. The Japanese and European automakers had their own versions of this formula. Before Dex-Cool was introduced back in 1995, almost every domestically produced vehicle used a traditional “green” formula inorganic acid technology (IAT) coolant.