Changing antifreeze when changing water pump

I am going to change timing belt, tensioner pulley, water pump and
thermostat on my Nissan Quest 2001 following my mechanic's
recommendations. He also recommends changing antifreeze when changing
water pump. Since i am supplying him all parts what kind of antifreeze
do i need and how much of it is needed?

Honestly, I am not meaning to be rude or flippant, however~~~~~~~

1] If you bought the parts yourself, ask whoever sold them to you. I
presume you purchased from a parts store.

2] Call a Nissan dealer, ask for parts dept., see if they can give you
the info. you want.

3] Ask any parts store, most are usually willing to help, hoping you
come in to buy the a/f from them.

4] Goto Nissan forum, post this ? there, chances are someone would
know. I'm afraid I don't know at this time.

If you have an owner's manual, it should tell you the quart or gallon
capacity of your cooling system. or #2 or #3 might give you that. It
should also recommend the type of a/f your system requires. From that
info., you generally want to mix the a/f 50/50 with water for a good
general range of coolant protection.

As far as what type a/f to use, if unsure for some reason, look at
Prestone, they have some a/f that is compatible with all systems, get
that.


--
Knifeblade_03
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knifeblade_03's Profile: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...?userid=262826
View this thread: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=668744

http://www.automotiveforums.com

On 1/29/07 7:45 PM, in article
, "Sasha"
> wrote:

> I am going to change timing belt, tensioner pulley, water pump and
> thermostat on my Nissan Quest 2001 following my mechanic's
> recommendations. He also recommends changing antifreeze when changing
> water pump. Since i am supplying him all parts what kind of antifreeze
> do i need and how much of it is needed?
>

When you take off the water pump and thermostat to replace them, pretty much
all the antifreeze that is in there is going to run out. Your mechanic
would be replacing it anyway. I think he is just giving you the opportunity
to provide the anti-freeze along with the other parts. There can be
compatibility issues with different antifreezes vs. the Nissan stuff that is
already in there. If he isn't planning to do a flush, the safest thing is
to have him use more Nissan stuff (get it at a dealer). Your owner's manual
will tell home much you need. You mix it 50/50 with water when you use it,
so buy half as much as the listed capacity.

Thank you for your response. My car manual says total coolant capacity
is 11 1/2 quarts and it is 50/50. Can I buy Prestone 50/50 premixed
anti-freeze? What else should be done when doing this? Should radiator
be flushed or it is assumed to be doen when replacing anti-freeze?

On Jan 30, 10:43 am, E Meyer > wrote:
> On 1/29/07 7:45 PM, in article
> . com, "Sasha"
>
> > wrote:
> > I am going to change timing belt, tensioner pulley, water pump and
> > thermostat on my Nissan Quest 2001 following my mechanic's
> > recommendations. He also recommends changing antifreeze when changing
> > water pump. Since i am supplying him all parts what kind of antifreeze
> > do i need and how much of it is needed?When you take off the water pump and thermostat to replace them, pretty much
> all the antifreeze that is in there is going to run out. Your mechanic
> would be replacing it anyway. I think he is just giving you the opportunity
> to provide the anti-freeze along with the other parts. There can be
> compatibility issues with different antifreezes vs. the Nissan stuff that is
> already in there. If he isn't planning to do a flush, the safest thing is
> to have him use more Nissan stuff (get it at a dealer). Your owner's manual
> will tell home much you need. You mix it 50/50 with water when you use it,
> so buy half as much as the listed capacity.

"Sasha" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thank you for your response. My car manual says total coolant capacity
> is 11 1/2 quarts and it is 50/50. Can I buy Prestone 50/50 premixed
> anti-freeze?

WHY? Get 6 quarts of normal and use 6 quarts of water... Unless you like
paying $10 quart for water.

BTW, why are you buying car parts for your mechanic when you don't even know
the most basic of auto skills?

Sasha > wrote:
>Thank you for your response. My car manual says total coolant capacity
>is 11 1/2 quarts and it is 50/50. Can I buy Prestone 50/50 premixed
>anti-freeze? What else should be done when doing this? Should radiator
>be flushed or it is assumed to be doen when replacing anti-freeze?

1. If you look in the owner's manual, it will tell you if you can use
conventional antifreeze or you need something special.

2. If you can use conventional antifreeze, there is no reason you cannot
mix the new antifreeze with the OEM antifreeze.

3. HOWEVER, this would be a good time to flush the system out and replace
all the antifreeze while the thing is apart on the floor anyway.

4. If the vehicle will use conventional antifreeze, the premix will work,
however the premix costs between two and five times as much as buying
the normal concentrate. It is generally a ripoff.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Sasha > wrote:
>
>>Thank you for your response. My car manual says total coolant capacity
>>is 11 1/2 quarts and it is 50/50. Can I buy Prestone 50/50 premixed
>>anti-freeze? What else should be done when doing this? Should radiator
>>be flushed or it is assumed to be doen when replacing anti-freeze?
>
>
> 1. If you look in the owner's manual, it will tell you if you can use
> conventional antifreeze or you need something special.
>
> 2. If you can use conventional antifreeze, there is no reason you cannot
> mix the new antifreeze with the OEM antifreeze.
>
> 3. HOWEVER, this would be a good time to flush the system out and replace
> all the antifreeze while the thing is apart on the floor anyway.
>
> 4. If the vehicle will use conventional antifreeze, the premix will work,
> however the premix costs between two and five times as much as buying
> the normal concentrate. It is generally a ripoff.
> --scott
>
>

Also if you flush the system with water you won't want to use premix.
You should add half the system's capacity of full strength antifreeze
and then top up with water. Reason is when you flush there will be
water sitting in the low points of the system that is impossible to get
out without turning the car upside down, so if you just fill with
premix, your mix will be a little weak.

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

E Meyer > wrote in
:

>
>
>
> On 1/29/07 7:45 PM, in article
> , "Sasha"
> > wrote:
>
>> I am going to change timing belt, tensioner pulley, water pump and
>> thermostat on my Nissan Quest 2001 following my mechanic's
>> recommendations. He also recommends changing antifreeze when changing
>> water pump. Since i am supplying him all parts what kind of
>> antifreeze do i need and how much of it is needed?
>>
>
> When you take off the water pump and thermostat to replace them,
> pretty much all the antifreeze that is in there is going to run out.



Are you sure? Most cars I'm aware of have a block drain, which needs to be
pulled in addition to the items you list. There can be a quart or more
stuck in the block.

Maybe the Nissan is different, I don't know.


--
Tegger

If the antifreeze/water mix is old,I would change it out for fresh.As
much of it as I could.
cuhulin

On 2/1/07 12:20 PM, in article ,
"Tegger" > wrote:

> E Meyer > wrote in
> :
>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 1/29/07 7:45 PM, in article
>> , "Sasha"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> I am going to change timing belt, tensioner pulley, water pump and
>>> thermostat on my Nissan Quest 2001 following my mechanic's
>>> recommendations. He also recommends changing antifreeze when changing
>>> water pump. Since i am supplying him all parts what kind of
>>> antifreeze do i need and how much of it is needed?
>>>
>>
>> When you take off the water pump and thermostat to replace them,
>> pretty much all the antifreeze that is in there is going to run out.
>
>
>
> Are you sure? Most cars I'm aware of have a block drain, which needs to be
> pulled in addition to the items you list. There can be a quart or more
> stuck in the block.
>
> Maybe the Nissan is different, I don't know.
>

You're right. Nissans have block drains, though they are usually uselessly
inaccessible, unlike Hondas. There will still be some coolant in the block
& the heater core probably won't drain unless the valve is open. The
radiator is going to empty out though. My point was that enough of it comes
out when you change those parts that it doesn't make sense not to change the
coolant.