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anti-freeze is anti-freeze man. there is no “special” one. there are different ones, yes, but your mazda will not over-heat if you use a different kind. mixing coolants is different though.
I don’t have a step by step for you but if memory serves it’s a pretty typical replacemtent, nothing out of the ordinary that I remember.
OK-I started to take things apart to see if this car had the original timing belt and appears it does from the name on the belt and the made in japan written on it.This car seems to run and start prertty easy.I did end up getting the crank bolt off.All timing marks appear to line up.Had to use a touch of map gas on the bolt, but not much and spun it off with my little impact.Got most of the covers off(one of the plastic covers has some broken bolt mounts so I need to replace that one) and need to get the motor mount off(need a Deep 17mm socket to continue) to get belt off.I think tensioner is bound up.Roller spins but piece spring attatches to is hard to move and do not see how the little spring could pull it to create tension.Need to order parts now.Anyone know if Mazda uses a special anitfreeze??
Theres several different types of antifreeze, some phosphate free, some silicate free. And yes, there is a difference depending on what type of organic technology used. It just varies on what the manufacturer states is suitable for that particular motor.
I would suspect that your antifreeze will be green. If so, any good quality anitfreeze will be sufficient enough for you to use (Prestone comes to mind).
I honestly don’t know if the 2003 thakes a special antifreeze but check the color, if it’s green replace with green, if it is some other color see what you can do to track down the same color, the main point is not to mix colors.
Hi newyota,
Your owner’s manual will indicate what type of antifreeze to use. I am a big believer of using OEM coolant. As dreamer2355 points out, different coolants employ different technologies. The Dex-Cool uses OAT (organic acid technology). Dex-Cool uses the additive sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate and controls the pH to ~7.0 in a 50:50 mixture. In comparison, regular “green” antifreeze at the same 50:50 concentration has a pH of ~9.0!. The “green” coolant is 100 times more basic than Dex-Cool.
Also, some vehicles use HOAT (hybrid organic acid technology). This has different additives and I believe a 50:50 mixture of the Zerex G-05 (used in later model DaimlerChrysler vehicles) has a pH of ~6.5. Newer Asian vehicles typically take a “red” or pink” colored coolant. I don’t have much experience with these, but hope to in the near future.
So as you can see, different coolants have different properties. Hence, why it is not a good idea to mix them. In addition, the vehicles gaskets, seals, and metal components that come in contact with the coolant have all been designed with the OEM coolant in mind.
Continued good luck with the timing belt replacement. If anything else comes up, keep us posted.
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