by ozone » Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:03 am
It's not the end of the world. It will still keep the car cool. I believe the reason for the different coolants is to make sure they are compatible with the materials that make up your cooling system. Over time a different fluid may break down a seal or something. It might be a good idea to flush the system and put the correct fluid in with an acceptable ratio of water.
As far as the color and appearing and disappearing go, I'm a little confused as to what you mean. Here's what I think you mean:
The coolant appears and disappears from the overflow reservoir under the hood. If that's the case this is normal. When the car heats up, the pressure in the system increases until the spring in your radiator cap is compressed to the point it uncovers a little hole that allows the pressure to force the fluid into the bottle and it "appears." When you shut the car off, the system cools down, the pressure drops and the fluid is sucked back into the cooling system and "disappears." This is completely normal.
As far as the color change is concerned, the two fluids have probably incompletely mixed giving you the appearance of one or the other color or some other nasty color where the two have mixed well.
If you have some on the ground under the car, this can also be normal depending on your car and how much is there. Sometimes the little tube that goes from the radiator to the overflow bottle leaks a little or if the fluid comes out vigorously some will escape through various places, like the lid on the bottle which is not a perfect seal, etc. If it's a lot, then you may be overheating. If the temperature never rises, but you are boiling over, you need to change your radiator cap. If the problem continues, you should definitely check the temperature sensor.
That's about the best I can do for diagnosis without actually seeing the car. Plus the radiator cap is sometimes on the bottle and not on the radiator. I don't know which one you have, but the general principles still apply. Check your system. Flush the radiator and fill it up. Often when you first fill it, the fluid doesn't get into every nook and cranny of your system but the first time the fluid is sucked in, it will all be gone as those areas fill up. Just add a little more. It's normal.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
