Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

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andunn
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 12:20 pm
Location: Missouri

Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by andunn »

So I had a belt replaced in my 2009 Pontiac Vibe 1.8l because it was screeching loud when on defrost both with AC or heat. This was about a week ago.
When popping my hood today I noticed the coolant is below low in my reservoir tank. I don't have any leaks that I'm aware of, but assume I will want to add some to the reservoir tank? I don't know much about cars besides oil and tires which is why I'm asking. I remember reading something about Dexcool versus Toyota coolant. What should I use and where can I purchase?

Thank you
Caretaker

Re: Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by Caretaker »

scratch the word Dexcool from your brain. Pretend you've never heard the word. Now back to our regular programming..............our car (2nd gen) takes Toyota Super Long Life coolant, commonly called Toyota pink. You can buy the equivalent at your local auto store. I use Xerex Asian. As long as your engine is cold, feel free to twist off the aluminum radiator cap to see if it is low there as well. Add some directly to the radiator if needed. Otherwise, just twist back on the radiator cap and then fill the overflow reservoir to near the full line. If you don't smell anti freeze when the engine is hot, then you likely don't have any type of leak. It is a simple maintenance fluid that needs to be topped off every once in a while.
As an aside, another maintenance item (fluid) that is often overlooked is your battery. Once you buy a gallon of distilled water from Walmart, gently pry off the two plastic covers to expose the 6 round ports, 3 on each side. Take some paper towels and gently clean the dirt/grime around the ports without pushing any dirt into the ports. Once clean, dribble in some distilled water until the water looks like it is at the bottom of each port hole. DO NOT fill to the top of any of the port holes. People ignore their battery and end up with one that fails way before its time simply because the heat of the summer causes the water/acid mixture to evaporate. It doesn't hurt to wear protective eyewear and gloves when performing this battery maintenance.
andunn
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 12:20 pm
Location: Missouri

Re: Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by andunn »

Thank you for the info. I twisted the radiator cap in and could see some in there. Not sure how to tell if it needs more. I dipped a piece of paper towel in it and it is a pinkish colors (assuming this is normal). The tiny bit in the reservoir tank that I can see is pink as well. Can I just buy what you use and pour some in?

If so, this is what I found when doing a quick search. Is this correct?
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/zer ... 11046680-P

Edit:: I noticed this says red and mine appeared to be pink so I'm assuming the above may not be correct.


Thanks for the battery tip. I have had issues with my battery in this car having to replace even under warranty every 2-3 years it seems. Will check that out.
Caretaker

Re: Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by Caretaker »

The Xerex you show will be fine. If it indeed is red, that means it simply is a Long Life coolant, not the Super Long Life coolant like the pink stuff. Both are silicate and borate free as they say on the bottle. If you see coolant when you twisted off the radiator cap, I'm sure all is fine. Just add the Xerex Asian to your overflow jug. I use the Xerex Asian in all 3 of my cars, but from their own Valvoline advertisement, it looks like they have broken the group out into only 3 "colors" now, each stating the correct manufacturer at the top of the bottle.
https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/ ... ze-coolant
andunn
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2019 12:20 pm
Location: Missouri

Re: Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by andunn »

Thank you. Will purchase some today and our away. Will look at the battery later this week or next weekend when I have more time.
Mark
Posts: 640
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2008 7:26 am
Location: Cheyenne, WY

Re: Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by Mark »

Yesterday I decided to do a drain and fill on Frosty, at 200k I don't really want to have it flushed. The coolant in the reservoir looked pretty red, and what was draining out looked pretty red too. So I let it drain and went and picked up a couple jugs of Peak Asian red from Auto Zone. Closed the drain and filled the radiator, let it run and burp for a bit and called it done. Drug the drain pan out and dang if it isn't orange and not red. About 10-12 years ago I let the service manager at the shop I used to take it to talk me into a coolant flush, they must have used Dexcool since it's a Pontiac.

I had some dexcool on the shelf from a car my son used to own, so I mixed a few ounces each of the red and orange in a cup to see if there was any sign of gelling. This morning it was still good, but I did another drain/fill today just to remove some more of the Dexcool. Also bought a no-spill funnel https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-87009-N ... 136&sr=8-1. It was 40 bucks at Auto Zone and worth every penny, but I wish I had thought of it ahead of time and bought one from Amazon for $25.
'08 Base Stealth, '05 Base Satellite
Bookworm
Posts: 764
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: Coolant - 2009 Pontiac Vibe

Post by Bookworm »

If you do a flush by using the water pump to push everything through the system, you won't have issues. It's only those machine 'forced flush' systems that kill coolant/transmission systems. (Well, unless you had one about to come apart due to corrosion _anyway_)
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