Antifreeze for the Mitsubishi Pajero

Most Pajeros on Georgian roads are twenty years old or more. At that age the main question is not which fluid to pour in, but what condition the system you are pouring it into is in. Mitsubishi's ES 64-217 specification is named on the Valvoline Zerex Asian Blue data sheet.

Antifreeze for the Mitsubishi Pajero, Valvoline Zerex Asian Blue

Photographs come from the manufacturer's official materials.

Cooling system volume (litres) roughly eight to ten litres

The system first, the fluid second

Old Pajeros were often topped up with plain water for years. Water does two things: it freezes in winter, and all that time it rusts the cast iron and steel.

The product of that rust settles in the narrow passages of the radiator. This is why an engine sometimes still boils after fresh coolant goes in: the fluid is new, but the passages are still blocked.

If the fluid in the tank is brown or you can see sediment at the bottom, flush the system with clean water several times until it runs clear, and only then fill with new coolant.

A V6 with two cylinder heads

The 6G72 and 6G74 have two cylinder heads, so twice the gaskets and twice the coolant passages of an inline four. Aluminium heads sit on a cast-iron block, and those two metals expand at different rates.

That is exactly why it matters that the fluid protects both metals. According to the data sheet, aluminium weight loss in the ASTM D1384 test is 0 mg and cast iron 3 mg, where the limit for cast iron allows 10 mg.

The system holds eight to ten litres, so a complete flush takes two bottles of concentrate.

Frequently asked questions

My Pajero has water in it. Can I pour coolant straight in?
Flush it first. A system run on water almost always holds rust, and the inhibitors in fresh coolant will be spent fighting that rust instead of building a protective film.
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