Going on a 400 mile trip: car has a coolant leak? If I need to add coolant, can I add a different kind?

It is okay to add green coolant to green coolant regardless of the brand. Do not put orange coolant with green coolant unless in emergency. If you mix orange with green it will become muddy. Green coolant comes in two types, mixed with water and unmixed. The label will tell you which it is. If the coolant you have is unmixed you should mix it half and half with water. If it is mixed already just pour it in. Hope this helps.

There are three kinds of coolant (which are colorless, they are dyed to distinguish) Methanol, which is the simplest alcohol which was used as coolant for cars in the early 20th century. It is not colored. Ethelyene Glycol is the most common stuff today and is dyed green GM's DEX COOL (also called Orange Acid Technology Antifreeze) which is dyed pink or orange, and is said to last up to 5 years or 150,000 miles, but that depends on how the cooling system components are maintained.

I don't know much about cars but I don't think so it might depend on the type though. I went to get my car checked out and they told me I had low coolant along with a few other things and they told me if I put any color coolant other than purple that it would explode. Then we went on a road trip from phoenix it las vegas and we got our car checked out said it had a small leak in some hose but was fine and would make it and then our car overheated in the middle of the desert. Don't wanna scare you but i would get it fixed first.