Coolant Color

[Mcgruff]

I got very worried recently when I checked my coolant and noticed it looked orange. It should be purple OAT. If someone mixed a different color HOAT it can cause major problems! I read many threads on other RAM/Dodge/Jeep forums about colors and types and some claims that the purple color “changes” after its been used for a while, which made no sense to me. My wife’s 2016 journey has 40k and original clearly purple coolant in the semi clear / white plastic reservoir.

When I drained it I found something interesting. The purple coolant appears orange on a black background. In a clear/white container it is purple, but against the back plastic of the bottle or the radiator fill it looks orange.

Just wanted to ease the minds of anyone who ran into this as it seems to have caused a lot of confusion and didn’t find this explanation anywhere else.

First picture is pouring new coolant from a white bottle into a black one. Second picture is fresh fill of purple in the radiator.

 

[Burla]

Yeah we have covered this like 100 times, heat turns the purple coolant orange which is the same damn color as the hoat you aren't supposed to mix it with. Best practice do an entire flush with distilled water and trust your manual. The problem is 2013-4, it is a crap shoot which coolant is in there, 2012 and lower for sure is HOAT, 2015 and above for sure is oat. I believe Syn moved his truck over to peak global lifetime, not 100% sure on that for those interested PM him. I know he since sold that truck, but had that coolant in there for a while.

Fresh fill pic didn't even have a heat cycle through it?

 

[bassheadhemi]

yeah here a post I made about the purple GOLD https://www.ramforum.com/threads/180-t-stat-and-coolant.72427/page-4#post-1128269

 

[Burla]

Yeah read basshemi's thread, Syn talks about PGL in there with rmi-25 which I use as well. There have been guys with white reservoirs have the coolant look purple and after driving look orange. FCA needs to work on their dye's.

 

[Mcgruff]

Sorry if I rehashed old info. I really did search. No heat cycle on that freash fill.

The old stuff did have a slightly reddish purple color similar to what you show, but still more foggy purple to me. 65k miles on it. I’m the second owner so I was worried what had been done to it.

I thought I was going crazy at first. I hate this color stuff.

 

[Burla]

redundancy is a good thing because we always add new info and new people joining forum sees stuff that is other wise buried deep in the forum.

 

[S0CAL]

The acronym HOAT seems applicable for the mid year 2013-15, as in "Ah crap, I hoat this works..."

 

[Burla]

Hoat all the way back to 2009, I hoat that's right.

 

[gixxer]

The problem is 2013-4, it is a crap shoot which coolant is in there,

If you have this model year would the vin decode this or just go off the manual?

 

[Burla]

Your probably right on that.

 

[Hemi395]

I went through this back in February, I made a thread about this:

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/what-coolant-is-in-my-truck.115952/

and then how to flush it and put in OAT coolant:

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/ram-5-7hemi-coolant-flush-diy.116399/

Hope this helps!

 

[Jwithing]

The acronym HOAT seems applicable for the mid year 2013-15, as in "Ah crap, I hoat this works..."

Get OAT a here