Bluecol antifreeze

[Mr Spigot]

I have been trying to buy Bluecol antifreeze but it seems to be virtually unobtainable or out of stock. Does anyone know where I can get some? Are there other makes which are suitable for our engines? I understand that Carplan and Bluecol are made by the same company- is it the same thing?

[geoberni]

You can use any Anti-Freeze that uses Traditional Technology, i.e. formulation.
Generally they all are Ethanol Based, but have all manner of other chemicals added to them.

The Colour is NOT a guarantee indication of the formulation, as there are differences in the colours used, in different global markets. There is no standard set for colour coding, even within a particular market.
Even some antifreeze suppliers are a little confused in the way they market their products.
For example, look at KwikFit and their website only speaks of Green, Red and Orange

One thing you can practically guarantee is that few of them know anything about vehicles pre 1980!!
Antifreeze comes in the following 'Technology, BUT You need IAT for anything pre 1980.
It's all to do with the Metals/Rubber used in Engines & Cooling Systems pre and post the 1980s; the Organic Acid Technology can damage the older metals and rubber seals.

Just look at the Colours used and you can see why colour is NO INDICATION of the formulation! Blue is used in 3 of the categories...

Inorganic Additive Technology (IAT) Usually green (or Blue)

Organic Acid Technology (OAT) - Usually orange, red, blue or green
Hybrid OAT - Usually yellow or orange
Hybrid OAT Phosphate-Free HOAT (-P) - Usually turquoise
Silicated HOAT (Si-HOAT) - Usually purple
Phosphated HOAT (P-HOAT) - Usually pink or blue

So to sum up, use anything that is described as IAT and steer clear of the rest.

Prestone market a product which they claim is 'Universal', but personally I wouldn't risk it. These days with so many Major Manufacturers having their own Spec for Antifreeze, 'Universal' is more likely to mean 'Multi-Brand' that multi-generation...

In 2022, I contacted Tetrosyl who make Bluecol and their stance, with an element of fence-sitting, was:

Good Morning

There is some Bluecol information available on the Carlube main page:

https://www.carlube.co.uk/product-category/anti-freeze/

In terms of suitability, there will be much information available on the sites used by “enthusiasts” such as Pistonheads etc. The general school of thought is that older cars should use the traditional BLUE products such as Bluecol BLA001/005 etc which are the 2 years products.

The longer term 5 years RED products would be unsuitable because they are based on OAT technology which does not like the older rubber seals found in pre-1980s vehicles.

Kind regards
Michelle Law

UK Marketing Product Manager

Tetrosyl Ltd

[olonas]

How about https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPlan-BSA005 ... r=8-7&th=1 ?

"Suitable for classic/vintage vehicles "

[Chief]

for anything pre 1980.

My '96 car uses IAT originally (apparently - looking online people throw anything in), so the transition period between manufacturers changing to OAT and beyond appears quite long.

[simmitc]

How about https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPlan-BSA005 ... r=8-7&th=1 ?

"Suitable for classic/vintage vehicles "

What's worrying about that is the product description that states: "Lithium Ion batteries required"

[olonas]

I noticed that too. I wonder where they are installed?

[geoberni]

for anything pre 1980.

My '96 car uses IAT originally (apparently - looking online people throw anything in), so the transition period between manufacturers changing to OAT and beyond appears quite long.

Yes, 1980(s) seems be the start of the changeover where the technology of the additives and the materials used in vehicle construction were coming into 'conflict'.
There seems to be a lot of differing opinion as to what 'additive' might harm what 'component', so when it comes to 1940/50s designs, it's best to avoid all the latter combinations>
It's a ridiculous situation now where apparently OAT is usually recommended for GM, Saab and VW models, while HOAT is generally recommended for Ford and Chrysler models, HOAT (-P) is usually recommended for BMW, Volvo, Tesla and Mini models and so on.
But then you also need to know what inter company cooperation is going on.
My 2010s Ford has a Peugeot Engine, the parts on it carry a mix of Ford and Peugeot branding...

The answer with modern vehicles is always check what the book says.

[geoberni]

How about https://www.amazon.co.uk/CarPlan-BSA005 ... r=8-7&th=1 ?

"Suitable for classic/vintage vehicles "

What's worrying about that is the product description that states: "Lithium Ion batteries required"

Gota to love a bit of Proof Reading when using templates....

[Nickol]

For the winter hibernation, I tend to drain the coolant water out and refill it in the spring not using anti-freeze. In the morris especially, the drained out water , now that it has had a few cycles, is clear and not murky brown as it was.

When it is mentioned about the anti-freeze possibly attacking "rubber" seals, I am trying to determine what seals there are? The hoses on my traveller are new using, it is supposed modern style materials. What else is there which the coolant comes in contact with and could be damaged?

[Biggles1957]

Use ethylene glycol based antifreeze. Do NOT use the 'modern' IAT/OAT types.

[geoberni]

Use ethylene glycol based antifreeze. Do NOT use the 'modern' IAT/OAT types.

Practically all Antifreeze contain 90+% Ethylene Glycol (the exception being a very small number which are Propylene Glycol based).

IAT, Inorganic Acid Technology, is the term used to describe 'Traditional' antifreeze/coolant, that has inorganic corrosion inhibitors...

[geoberni]

For the winter hibernation, I tend to drain the coolant water out and refill it in the spring not using anti-freeze. In the morris especially, the drained out water , now that it has had a few cycles, is clear and not murky brown as it was.

When it is mentioned about the anti-freeze possibly attacking "rubber" seals, I am trying to determine what seals there are? The hoses on my traveller are new using, it is supposed modern style materials. What else is there which the coolant comes in contact with and could be damaged?

Many manufacturers keep their exact formulations of their modern coolant additives a commercial secret, listing only the more dangerous/toxic substances on the Safety Data Sheet.
There has been concern for a few decades about damaged caused by coolant/antifreeze additives, with several court cases.
In the early 2000s, there were several Class Action cases in the USA & Canada, regarding intake manifold gasket failures of GM engines linked to the coolant specified.
There have also been studies that have linked certain additives with affecting Brass, Copper and Solder joints, and the silicone content of some hoses...

[Mr Spigot]

Well thanks for all the useful information. I am still none the wiser about Bluecol and Carplan, but have ordered 5 litres of the latter which should do both cars at the next change. I fill mine with a 50:50 mix of antifreeze and distilled water (our tap water is very hard) after a good flush through with a hosepipe to clear any gunge and deposits.

[svenedin]

I use this stuff: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... =UTF8&th=1

As Berni has said, the colour is not a good indicator of whether a particular antifreeze is suitable but as it happens, The Comma Super Coldmaster is blue.

Stephen