Author Topic: Antifreeze  (Read 2377 times)

coffeecup

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Antifreeze
« on: October 19, 2021, 11:57:27 AM »
Is there an easy way of checking to see if my antifreeze is up to scratch without going into a garage? Or just bung some more in.

trebor1652

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2021, 12:00:20 PM »
https://www.halfords.com/tools/hand-tools/all-hand-tools/antifreeze-tester---ethylene-glycol-686778.html?istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istFeedId=367c5610-f937-4c81-8609-f84582324cd6&istItemId=rxqxpqqp&istBid=t&_$ja=tsid:|cid:11902546034|agid:113456751337|tid:pla-331014970735|crid:487900199209|nw:u|rnd:14924503313245611590|dvc:m|adp:|mt:|loc:1007201&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpbqI0ajW8wIVpGLmCh0zTAWmEAQYBCABEgL7YfD_BwE

Link to Halfords anti freeze tester.

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coffeecup

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #2 on: October 19, 2021, 12:22:41 PM »
Is too much coolant bad for a car?

Too much coolant can cause significant problems to your vehicle. Overheating, as previously described, corrosion, water pump failure and increased engine wear.

                                                               -------------------

Mmmm, I'd better get it right instead of bunging in a bit more!!!

culzean

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2021, 12:52:34 PM »
Is there an easy way of checking to see if my antifreeze is up to scratch without going into a garage? Or just bung some more in.

The main reason I always get 50/50 mix of coolant is that if you need to drain a bit out and top up, ( which I do every so often when vehicle gets towards 10 years old as another way of refreshing coolant ( mainly the anti-corrosion package ) rather than trying to drain out 100% all in one go ) you are not increasing the concentration of the anti-freeze + anti-corrosion part. 

50/50 is the sweet spot with mixture, above and below that level the effectiveness of anti-freeze bit ( ethylene glycol ) gets worse,  what you are really replacing when you drain and renew coolant is not so much the anti-freeze bit,  you are renewing the anti-corrosion part, which is the bit that gets 'used up' and less effective over time.   I cannot see that too much coolant can cause corrosion as you are just getting more anti-corrosion chemicals into system, overheating in UK temperatures is not really a problem.  Problem is that pure ethylene glycol or propylene glycol have a freezing point not much different to plain water.

The OAT or HOAT description on antifreeze concerns the anti-corrosion bit,  not the anti-freeze bit - which is always Ethylene or Propylene glycol,  and the colour of antifreeze does not make a difference - colour is there to show up any leaks,  as the components of coolant are all colourless.   I got proper Honda 50/50 coolant from cox motors,  mainly because it is the 'right colour' - as I only change a bit at a time it means that coolant stays blue,  if I used another colour it would go some horrible muddy colour,  this is not a problem if you change all the coolant.  Actually Honda stuff cost no more than other coolants.

https://www.coxmotorparts.co.uk/honda-shop/genuine-honda-type-2-coolant-5-litre-pre-mixed/
« Last Edit: October 19, 2021, 12:57:00 PM by culzean »
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fashionphotography

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #4 on: October 19, 2021, 04:30:31 PM »
got to admit ive just done mine.. i bought a simple hydromiter from lidl's some years back .. cheap as chips. although my coolant was very blue looking there was next to no volume in it.. so drained that as much as i could and refilled it with a 50/50 mix of the pink anti-freeze and distilled water.. now before you ask why pink. il tell you.. i spent most my life in the motor trade and used to work at renault garages and garages specialising in rover's etc . so lots of k series engines to work on lol.. it was always drilled into me that it was the red/pink antifreeze that was specific for alloy engines as it contains more rust inhibiters etc etc .. . thats why most alloy engine cars use pink instead of the blue..
anyway try and grab a simple hydromiter to check the volume.. oh i never had any problems with airlocks afterwards

culzean

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2021, 07:09:15 PM »
got to admit ive just done mine.. i bought a simple hydromiter from lidl's some years back .. cheap as chips. although my coolant was very blue looking there was next to no volume in it.. so drained that as much as i could and refilled it with a 50/50 mix of the pink anti-freeze and distilled water.. now before you ask why pink. il tell you.. i spent most my life in the motor trade and used to work at renault garages and garages specialising in rover's etc . so lots of k series engines to work on lol.. it was always drilled into me that it was the red/pink antifreeze that was specific for alloy engines as it contains more rust inhibiters etc etc .. . thats why most alloy engine cars use pink instead of the blue..
anyway try and grab a simple hydromiter to check the volume.. oh i never had any problems with airlocks afterwards

For the last 30 years + the number of cars with cast iron engines can be counted on the finger of one finger...  Coolants today will all be universal silicate free ones and the colour is not really important,  as I said I have mixed pink and orange with blue or green before and ended up with a muddy coloured coolant, the only reason I went for proper Blue 50/50 premix Honda stuff lately is that it is actually cheaper than some of the other ones, and is the right colour for the way I now change coolant 'a bit at a time' ( I changed whatever would drain out of a cold engine ( thermostat closed )  easily about 6 months ago, IIRC almost 2 litres came out of the 4.5 litres in there, so probably 35 to 40% at most been refreshed,  next summer I will do the same and maybe same year after until the 5 litres I bought is used up.  I discovered I can just reach the drain tap in bottom of Civic radiator from under the bonnet, without getting under the vehicle, makes it even quicker to drain a bit out.  ;D

You may still need a coolant containing silicates for classic car engines, but need to change it frequently otherwise silicates can damage the waterpump.   

https://www.holtsauto.com/prestone/news/why-is-coolant-different-colours/

https://irontite.com/additives/about-cooling-systems/understanding-the-different-antifreeze-types-for-your-car/
« Last Edit: October 20, 2021, 09:43:25 AM by culzean »
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coffeecup

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2021, 07:39:19 PM »
Better drain and refill mine, never been checked in 11 years!!! along with brake fluid!!! Naughty me.

culzean

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2021, 09:38:45 AM »
Better drain and refill mine, never been checked in 11 years!!! along with brake fluid!!! Naughty me.

Don't panic Mr Mannering,  get some 50/50 Honda coolant from Cox and do the 'incrementall' change like I do - just drain what wants to come out ( measure what comes out into one of those plastic jugs marked in ml and litres ) and refill with same volume - run it for a while and repeat till 5 litres used  :).  I use a mityvac vacuum bleeder to do brakes every couple of years, before you start bleeding just take reservoir cap off and suck old fluid out of reservoir first and refill to very top with fresh fluid  ( otherwise you just suck old fluid into braking system ) do the front brakes first and then rears,  and NEVER let reservoir get too low, if you suck air into an ABS system it gets very complicated and expensive.   On the MK2 you need to pull out a piece of the black scuttle plastic above brake reservoir.

Even cars that have been regularly 'serviced' never get brake, clutch and maybe even coolant changed,  my brothers ma-in-law had a Fiesta that was supposedly serviced every year,  after she stopped driving she donated the car to my brothers daughter as a first car.  Bro and me checked the car over and bottom of brake reservoir was like tar, same with clutch - don't know about coolant but we flushed and changed it anyway and some gunk came out....  I long ago stopped believing that FSH was anything to get excited about when buying a car  :o
« Last Edit: October 20, 2021, 09:45:37 AM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

embee

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Re: Antifreeze
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2021, 05:44:16 PM »
Agree with Culzean. Coolant colour is just a dye, the antifreeze is there in all of them, it's the corrosion inhibitor pack which matters.

I also do the partial change routine. Drain the easy bit, maybe half the circuit or whatever, and do it reasonably regularly and you won't have any real issues.

For the Jazz I'll use the Honda stuff from Cox as and when it comes due. In my other engines I generally use Comma G30 (BASF glysantin 30 base, silicate free) since it suits them all so only need one type on the shelf. I'll put up with the Honda having it's own stuff. It's cheap enough in the big scheme of things, 5L of coolant every few years won't break the bank.

As for FSH, I agree in general. Having said that I've recently bought a 10yr old Yaris with a Toyota dealer FSH and the coolant is sparkly clean and has obviously been changed recently, so credit to them. The brake fluid was clean too, but I've changed it anyway with new discs/pads.

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