I own a 2003 Volvo S60 2.5 AWD and need to add radiator fluid but it is so low in the

reservoir I canttell if its orange or green. Or do I have to see the dealer for a special fluid?

 

I believe you will be safe buying any regular greeen fluid such as the big yellow bottle of prestone.. but wait for someone else to confirm..

 

I have an '06 and the fluid in mine is definitely NOT green.

 

You can buy Prestone 50/50 which is already mixed with half coolant fluid and half water and just add it to your vehicle. I changed the coolant in my 04 S60 a couple months ago and used Prestone instead of the expensive Volvo brand.

 

The fluid is going to be orange. Never EVER EVER mix green and orange fluid. EVER.

 

really confused here.

does anyone know where i can check for fluid in my car for the color besides the reservoir since it is empty.

 

you can fill it up with a little water and run it to see what color comes up.

 

What technical source did you get that guidance from? I'm no expert on coolants, but the Prestone products indicates it will mix appropriately with all other antifreeze products............never heard of any cautions about mixing antifreeze "colors"?

 

First that's a good idea and it worked, and the Volvo dealership near my home told me otherwise. What the bottle says and what will happen are two different things.

 

Zerex Z-05 is supposed to be compatible with Volvos. It's yellow. Here's a short article about coolant chemistries: http://www.whitfieldoil.com/www/docs/164.244

 

I don't feel like looking it up but it will ruin seals it will also ruin the effectiveness of the coolant to actually cool. And it can cause rapid corrosion.

 

Thanks for the link. This was quite interesting. Regarding dexcool, and GM vehicles, I have seen many coolant related failures occur. Regardless of what the service interval is, you must change it regularly. Toyota red, on the other hand, is terrific. The service interval on it is much longer. Even though the two coolants are both red, they have different results when left in for several years. Honda makes a green coolant that is almost fluorescent in color. It has a longer service interval than regular ethylene glycol type antifreeze. Terrific stuff. Honda also has a blue coolant. In our shop, we were always very careful to use the proper coolant Call me a purist, but when in doubt, use OE coolant. At least, you know what you are getting.

Perry