[toysport]

hey guys,
planning to flush my coolant system this weekend and just wondering what brand of coolant does lotus use? my guess toyota but i might be wrong. thanx for any input.and if mixed what is the ratio for it?thanx.

 

[MattG]

Heh...do a search and you'll find it's not an easy answer! I finally decided to go with Havoline Extended Life coolant (DexCool). The coolant that Lotus recommends is not available in the US by that name (Havoline XLC).

 

[toysport]

thanx mattg.actually i already bought toyota factory premixed coolant at 20 bucks each gallon x2.when did you changed yours? everything's working out well for you so far and how many gallons did you bought?once again thanx.

 

[MattG]

I haven't changed mine yet, bought all the stuff but haven't had time for that project. If the car has orange coolant (which it seems to), replace it with orange...not red (Toyota), not green.

You really need to read the shop manual before doing this, there are complicated air bleeding procedures to follow. The owners' manual lists the capacity, I think it was 6 liters.

 

[toysport]

yes you're right.toyota told me that there are 2 kinds of coolant,one red and one is orange. the orange one which he told me the one we probably have in our car is the premix one so all you have to do is pour it in. the red needs to be mix with water for whatever ratio you want for your car.ithink i'll just stick to toyota if you're not sure what dexcool color is.do you? once again thanx.

 

[Bane]

The car has orange Havoline coolant in it. The manual is very specific about this.

Mixing water in with the Toyota red coolant doesn't make it orange... it makes it pink.

In short, the Toyota red is not what Lotus recommends for these cars.

 

[RoadDad]

Read these:
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f101/engine-coolant-questions-59459/
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/engine-coolant-43350/

My posts in those threads were rather informative .

 

[toysport]

thanx a lot guys. i guess i'll return these coolant tomorow and get havoline.

 

[raggedy1]

the Prestone Dexcool is orange.

 

[Bane]

I think I'm going to go with the PEAK amber stuff that RoadDad posted up.