Hello all. The wife and I are looking to purchase a CRD soon. I had a gas Liberty in the early 2000's and loved everything about it but the mpg, which is why it got sold. Reading up on what the CRD is capable of, once modified it will meet our needs perfectly.

I'm very mechanically inclined so none of the tech issues scare me, and I've read every "danger point" to look for when purchasing a used vehicle, but I have not found a discussion about coolant, and having been a fleet manager for years I know that using the correct coolant is vital to diesel engine longevity. That being said, what color coolant *should* a CRD have (factory coolant). I know green isn't it.

I used Heavy Duty Fleetguard premixed propylene glycol for years, it was fantastic stuff (at about $12/gal it should be) and it was purple-ish. In these new engines you're crazy to mix coolant with any kind of tap water, in my opinion.

Thanks for any advice you can give,
Matt

Coolant type is HOAT.
Zerex G-05 meets this specification. About $18 a gallon from NAPA or Amazon.
Exact color varies by manufacturer. Sometimes its a light orange/yellow color. Sometimes its a light pink color.

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U.S. Army Retired

X2 on Zerex G-05 and the price point but be a bit careful on what is being sold. Straight Zerex G-05 runs about $18 per gallon (local NAPA sometimes has it cheaper) BUT 50/50 Zerex G-05 runs about $15 per gallon - you can tell which is the better deal. Depending on your location tap water can be ok if it's low in mineral content which is not the case here in N. FL so I use demineralized water from my local grocery store for say $1 per gallon or so. The FSM and Owner's Manual are sometimes bad at metric to US conversion so be careful especially on torque values, if they look way too high they are. Full coolant fill is just a bit over 13 qts but you cannot do a simply gravity drain of all the coolant because the lower radiator hose runs below the radiator drain valve although parking vehicle nose down might get close. Try to keep track of what you drain and put back same amount or just add about 6 qts straight HOAT antifreeze and then top off with demineralized water and you will be close to a 50/50 fill.

If the coolant is not Zerex G-05 (green/purple/bright orange) you probably should drain the system. On my son's 06 we did multiple drains and refills with demineralized water until the drain came virtually clear. Alternatively the cheap Prestone hose flush kit might work.

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Sold to LOST member my 05 Ltd, GDE Stg II turbo + TCM tune, SunCoast TC w. Transgo kit, Steiger window regulators, Samcos, Fumoto valve, 2nd gen filter head with Lub. Spec. bleeder, Hayden clutch & 11 blade fan, inverted spare, P-1 battery, BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, Etecno1 glow plugs, timing belt at 50K miles/8 yrs