The importance of coolant colour?

[Racer7]

Hello.

Sort of simple one (or maybe not so black/white)

I've sourced a tubby and was giving it a look over. The coolant was pretty low and very much orange and quite dry down the pipe.

Looking at the 'know you 2' sections on IMOC and MR2OC it simply states that this sight should equal 'walk away'.

Is it that clear cut and what potential problems could/should I expect from this lack of change of coolant?

All advice appreciated as it's all knowledge to add to the memory!

[Dame]

Hard to know to be sure, but the real danger is a lack of antifreeze capability in the winter which on particularly cold days could potentially cause the block to crack if the water freezes, also the anti-rush inhibitors present in coolant will help guard against corrosion of the various pipework. Guess the best thing to do is to take the car out for a relatively long run, and look for overheating etc. Also check the colour of the oil in the radiator any signs of heavy gunge i.e. light brown liquid could mean that the head gasket has gone due to overheating.

[Mike]

When the car has warmed up the reserve tank should idealy be about 3/4s full (i.e. there should be moisture 3/4s of the way up the pipe). If there's any sign of moisture on the pipe then the car hasn't reached dangerously low levels (its the reserve afterall) As for the colour, orange sounds fine, the MR2 requires an Ethylene Glycol based coolant which is usually a reddish/orange colour.

[Dan88]

i wouldnt worry too much about the orange colour. my 2 is running absolutely fine and when i look down my header tank or in my reserve tank, i see orange stains to the inside of the pipes etc. It may be that he has just been filling it up with tap water rather than antifreeze mix and distilled water. As said take it on a long drive and check for any signs of over heating. When you get back check the coolant pipes in the engine bay, they should be hard with pressure.

[cherdyboy]

Virtually all of the guides to buying an MR2 say check its got the pink antifreeze in, which i think is the long life stuff, but it can looks orangey aswell.
And for the record, i have had a few coolant changes on my MR2 at Rogue, who everyone regards highly as they do know their stuff, and they use a ble/green antifreeze. Its the same stuff but its just not as 'long lasting', but as far as im concernedno-one should be leaving a coolant change anywhere near 4 or 5 year anyway.....

[Baker]

unless you buy halford 5 year antifreeze.
20 quid a tub and perfect for the 2

[mr2nut123]

Why would colour make a difference? Mines toxic glowing yellow from Motor World. It's just the colour of the chemicals as most of them are suitable for all cars anyway.