My '05 Jeep Wrangler has 41k miles on it. I recently took it in to have the radiator flushed and new fluid put in. The shop told me that he used a “new” type of clear anti-freeze, as compared to the usual orange or blue or yellow brands. Q - does anyone make clear anti-freeze or am I being scammed.
There is a bio friendly colorless anti freeze called IceClear so, Yes, there is clear anti freeze. I can’t tell you if you have this or plain water in your Jeep from out here on the internet.
But thanks for making memlook this up.
I performed a fluid test for coolant concentration. It indicated good for down to 110 degrees. Engine gage runs in the normal range. I was just curious because I’d never heard of a clear anti-freeze. They’ve always been colored, so consumers don’t
get them mixed up with water.
Also so you know what’s been leaking onto your driveway!
Love CarTalk for years! Funny story 2013 I purchased Hyundai Accent. Now have about low 25,000 miles. I usually check the coolant thru the overflow and add a little water. So three months ago I took the radiator cap off and the coolant looked clear. I am used to green or brown but not clear. I said, “Oh, my God, the coolant is bad.” So right away I got the mechanic to change my coolant. Twice I mentioned to two other mechanics that my coolant was clear and they never once said it is a new type of coolant. So now I learn there is a coolant that looks clear! Wow times change.
Yes, there is clear antifreeze and it is the recommended type for some Chrysler cars, including my 2007 Town and Country. One brand is Zerex GO-5, which I installed a couple months ago, after replacing a leaking intake manifold gasket that was causing some loss of coolant. See your owners manual for the carmaker’s specifications.
Both ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are colorless so there is absolutely no reason that antifreeze can’t be clear. Automatic transmission fluid is also very likely clear as hydraulic oil before the color is added.
This is really a bad idea. It would be harder to see the level in the recovery tank. And as someone said, if you have a leak it would be hard to notice in your driveway. Who ever thought this product up did not think it though at all.
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Hope this will go away like the clear pepsi did in either the late 70’s or early 80’s.
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Generic “long life” antifreeze you buy in parts store is already light-colored yellow, so I have this complaint of “can not check the level easily”, but making it totally clear… most likely it was not the engineers’ idea in first place, but some marketing folks who can not tell antifreeze from the transmission fluid… all “goes somewhere under the hood type of stuff”
The clear non-toxic stuff is apparently glycerine-based, started out being used for equipment that can contact food. I agree, a bad idea to make it clear for cars. Guess all the colors were used up!
Of course there’s saline.
Add food coloring in small quantities. I doubt it could become so acidic or alkaline that it would attack aluminum.