ACCORDING TO HONDA ALL 2001 HONDA MODELS USE TYPE 2 COOLANT.

I have 1,400 miles on my 2001 S2K and while checking on the oil I noticed my coolant reserve was near the MIN. level (FYI - I have checked and the car is not leaking coolant). I looked in my owner

 

I noticed in my Helm manual that this is one of the differeces between the 2000 and 2001 models: the 2000 takes the concentrated coolant that must be diluted, and the 2001 takes the new Type 2 ready mixed stuff.

Did they really change something in the cooling system between model years? If not, why not just specify the new stuff for both model years?

Ted

 

It may be Propylene glycol (which can be very effective straight) rather than ethylene glycol. I cannot find any industry reference to

 

Perhaps the coolant level was low when you bought the car. You should have your dealer document that you had to add coolant at 1400 miles (they should have topped it off free of charge). If you do have a problem down the road there will be a paper trail to follow. Keep a close eye on the level.

John

 

On the straight versus premix thing, to me, it kinda sounds like this is some sort of simplification or standardization strategy. If you are a performance nut then there might be an easy tweak you can do if you don't need -40F antifreeze protection in the summer. Increase the percent H20.

I like to run a coolant/water mix in my M3 that has as much water as possible. Here in CT I usually run around 80-85% water along with the Texaco orange/red coolant and Redline water wetter. They suggest no less than 15 % coolant in order to get the protective effects and water pump lube etc. Fewer hotspot issues, increased resistance to heat soak engine fade, reduced maintainance intervals...this is regardless of the BULK average coolant temp. In other words you can benefit even if your car does not overheat. Hotspots near the exhaust valves are one of the things that can lead to knock. And therefore knock sensor related engine spark advance reduction - less go.

It's not a good idea to swap coolant fluids unless you are sure they meet the right specs. The new orange/red stuff is NOT fully compatible with the old green stuff. I wouldn't suggest mixing one with the other unless you flush and follow any changeover procedures. I had to do many flushes on my M3 along with an initial one year later fluid change before I can go with the ultra long service interval allowed by the T stuff. Blind nonflushed changeovers can run into things like premature water pump seal failure...but this is not an instant thing so it can be hard to track. A water pump that goes 2-3 years later for example.

At the time I looked into it last year, it appeared that the Honda coolant was very much along the same lines as the Texaco long life, better cooling stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if they were compatible but have definitely not verified this. Perhaps someone has some hard facts on that subject. If they are compatible, then Honda is using an organic acid additive approach. That type of additive concept is what allows the long coolant life and increased cooling since it forms a thinner anticorrosion protective film on the wetted internal surfaces. The long life of the additives gives reduced maintainance and the thin protective layer allows the heat to transfer into the coolant more effectively than with green coolant which uses the old style thick protective film. The actual glycol coolant "base" is not very different if at all between green and red glycol coolants. Propylene Glycol is a how 'nother thing.

Stan

[Edited by E30M3 on 05-26-2001 at 03:53 PM]

 

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

I wonder what coolant I got added with my replacement short block.

What color is the coolant for MY2000 and what color is the coolant for MY2001?

Since I have had overheating TWICE, I am sensitive to this issue. Also, since the mechanic goofed and improperly filled my cooling system when he did the short block repair, which led to the overheating, I wonder if he also goofed and chose the improper coolant type. Maybe AHM chose for him and I'm okie dokie.

Barry

 

When I bought the car the level was in the middle (between Max. & Min.) but I will keep close eye on the coolant level. If it goes down again I will contact the dealer ASAP. Because I live in Atlanta and the Temp. goes in the 80's to 100's it is common for the level of coolant in the reserve to run a little low (the stuff does evaporate a little). The Temp gauge has never gone over three bars and the performance of the car only gets better.

I think this is normal wear so it wouldn't be covered on the warranty. Would the break fluid be covered under warranty if that level goes down without a leak?

The type 2 antifreeze is DARK GREEN.



[Edited by JoeyO S2K on 05-26-2001 at 07:37 PM]

 

Hmm, now this is very interesting. I have always suspected that the #4 cylinder problems were coolant related.

To date, this is the only information I have read that indicates any engine / mechanical differences between 2000 and 2001 models.

In Australia a new Ford Falcon was released in the late '80s - an OHC alloy design. Ford had many motors which overheated and destroyed cylinders. The problem was finally traced to the fact that there were particular spots within the cooling system where pockets of air would collect and the engine would not be cooled properly. The only way to resolve this was to pressure bleed the cooling system.

Ultimately Ford changed the head/block design to eliminate this problem but not before there were a sufficient # of problems to cause consumer dissatisfaction and result in Ford losing market leadership.

When I heard of the S2000 #4 cylinder problems I immediately suspected a similar problem. Now I am not a mechanic nor an engineer (well I used to be a software engineer but I'm not sure that counts) but I learned enough during my years of programming to know that you start debugging by first looking at what has changed since the last "good" version.

Now as I say, I don't know much about coolants but I suspect this new coolant has sufficiently different flow characteristics as to somehow cause hot spots in the cooling system. At the very least, it justifies some more indepth examination.

Joey - your comment about your coolant being close to the "min" level is consistent with my thoughts here. I figure it was full at the factory (as there was probably an air pocket in the block/head somewhere). When this air was finally pushed out of the system (after delivery of the vehicle to you) then you would see a corresponding drop in coolant level in the tank.

I'd be interested to hear other opinions.

[Edited by 2kturkey on 05-29-2001 at 06:37 AM]

 

The Helm manual indicates coolant changes @ 3,5,7 years. What's your opinion of the long life (5 year) coolant? -- Dexcool type (orange color).

 

2kturkey, I don't think overheating caused the #4 cylinder failures. It has happened to both 2000 and 2001 models, and I don't remember any of the peoples' cars overheating (4 bars or more).