Adding coolant what kind of coolant should I buy and how should it be installed?

Chrysler recommends using HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) formula coolant in PT Cruiser. If you want to do a partial refill and don't know which coolant has been used in your car, you need to do a complete flushing and HOAT replacement because HOAT coolants can't be mixed with other types of fluid.

Don't assume that HOAT is in the car now as a previous owner may have flushed it and replaced it with another coolant type.

Different coolant types, whatever they are, must never be mixed and you need to get all the old coolant out before adding the new fluid if the new is a different type.

Buy the genuine Mopar coolant for the PT which is available in the concentrate or in the premixed form.

drain coolant until its below the thermostat.then remove two thermostat housing bolts.remove thermostat housing and thermostat.make note position of thermostat before removing it.then carefully clean all old gasket material from thermostat housing and cylinder block you can buy can gasket remover at any auto parts stores.buy new thermostat gasket.if you have the paper type you need to buy RTV SILICONE to help seal gasket if you have rubber type gasket you dont need RTV SILICONE.make sure both surfaces are clean.then install new thermostat and new gasket.if you have paper type gasket apply thin 1/16 coat RTV SILICONE both sides thermostat gasket.then install gasket to thermostat housing then install housing to cylinder block first make sure new thermostat in place before installing thermostat housing. let RTV silicone sit up about hour before adding coolant.IF THERMOSTAT HAS THE O RING SEAL DONT NEED RTV SILICONE AND THE PAPER GASKET.

just go down to your local auto parts store and buy your basic antifreeze -- you can buy a premixed 50/50,, but depending on where you live and the temperatures,, I would suggest buying 100% antifreeze and adding water to it,, if you look on the back of the antifreeze bottle there will be a chart to determine the correct ratio mix for your areas temperature.

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If it still has the Gm red coolant use the red coolant GM brand otherwise go to wal mart get genaric 50/50 coolant

There is regular coolant that you buy for this I would buy the 100 percent coolant and mix it because its cheaper but if you dont have a way to mix it they sell 50/50 pre mixed

How to Buy the Right Type of Engine Coolant
I want to do this! What's This?

If you have ever bought engine coolant, you know that there are many brand choices on the shelves. Although mixing brands generally doesn't create problems, you may want to consider a few factors before deciding what type of coolant to buy. Read on to learn how to buy the right type of engine coolant.
Difficulty: Moderately Easy Instructions

1. Use ethylene glycol base anti-freeze. It's used in the majority of cars. This is a 50/50 mixture of water and ethylene glycol; it also contains corrosion chemicals. The corrosion inhibitors are the main difference between most coolant brands. Since systems contain various metals, it might be better to go with the brand recommended by your car's manufacturer.
   
2. Look for phosphate-free antifreeze if you drive a European car and it requires this type of coolant. Adding coolant containing phosphates may cause deposits to form in the cooling system. Make sure you follow the manual's directions.
   
3. Consider using recycled antifreeze. One way to do this is to attach a machine directly to the vehicle's cooling system to recycle the coolant. Another option is to recycle the coolant at a recycling plant or on-site. Recycling involves the following procedures: vacuum distillation, filtration, reverse osmosis and ion exchange.
   
4. Visit your auto parts store if you're unsure as to what type of coolant to buy or use.
   

There are two kinds of coolant that can be found in this car. Look to see what color it is, either pink or green. It came stock with Dexcool antifreeze. This is a pink colored antifreeze made for aluminum engines. If it is green DO NOT put pink in there. NEVER mix pink and green coolants together. There is no differences among the green coolants. All will work but some are better than others. Also there are 50/50 ready-to-use coolant gal. containers. This has water already added in the coolant. If you get one that does not have water added you will need to add water. These are usually better for your buck.

Your car originally came with DexCool (the red/orange kind).

If you are topping off, use the same.

However, if you are completely draining/flushing the system, you may want to consider switching over to the green Ethylene Glycol type (but don't mix the two). Many folks have reported premature wear/failure of cooling system components with the DexCool.

Also, you can now buy coolant that is compatible with both (it will say so on the label).

Notice: When adding coolant, use DEX-COOL® coolant. If silicated coolant is added to the system, premature engine, heater core or radiator corrosion may result. In addition, the engine coolant will require change sooner-at 50 000 km (30,000 mi) or 24 months.

on most cars if you dont know want kind of coolant to can buy a 50-50 mix