navvet

I had to remove my rad from my 64- 88 to replace the fan. Any thoughts on the type of anti-freeze and associated fluids I should put in rad??
I live in MN and temps run -20 to 104 degrees during a typical year. The car is stored in a unheated garage. Rad is only two years old and I was using a 50/50 mix. This is the perfect time to use something different (better).
Thanks for any ideas.

MDchanic

I don't know of anything better.

- Eric

jaunty75

Agreed. Don't fix what ain't broken. 50/50 mix of the green coolant and distilled water. It's what was called for then, and it's what should be used now.

droldsmorland

X2 on the 50/50 mix of a high quality coolant. I buy the premixed. You shouldn’t use regular tap water when diluting, thus it’s easier to buy the premixed. Flush her out real good sense the systems open. Pay close attention to the block and heater core. Remove the core hoses and force the clean water through it. That’s where the crud builds up and the water pump sometimes doesn’t have enough umph to get it out when flushing. It can’t hurt to dump in some additive either upon refill for added pump lube and rust inhibitor, especially for a car that sits.
Before refilling do your best to remove all the flush water. Remove the lower hose or whatever it takes to get all the water out. Once the systems filled, check the specific gravity with a coolant hydrometer just to double check its 50/50 (-34*F).

oldcutlass

I also add 1 bottle of water wetter.

jaunty75

I would, too, but it bugs me that the stuff is almost the same price as the undiluted, but it's half water! I buy the concentrated and dilute it myself.

jaunty75

This is a gimmick. Save your money. Yes, it might increase the "wettability" of water, but water does a pretty good job of wetting things all by itself.

It goes back to the same answer every time. What did the manufacturer call for? Put in a good quality coolant with distilled water, change it as often as the manufacturer says, and you'll be fine.

Lady72nRob71

Me neither!

Amen to that!

It is very interesting to know that at Otterzone and Oreillys in my area, they ONLY sell the premixed stuff!
To get the straight coolant, I have to go to Walmart. What is worse is that it is less per jug, too!!

jaunty75

People complain about Walmart all the time, but when you need a gallon of milk and a drill bit, where you gonna go? Ace Hardware? Safeway?

MDchanic

I just walk down the street to the general-store/cafe and the hardware store a few doors down from them.

- Eric

jaunty75

That's still TWO stores you have to visit, and not all of us live withing walking distance of either type of store, let alone both!

rocketraider

Of course. More profit selling water than there is selling glycol. I've noticed a lot of big-name antifreeze brands are leaning more and more toward premixed too.

So, since yez iz in Wallyworld alreddy, yez can git yer straight EG anitfreeze and then toddle over to groc'rys and buy yez a few gallons of distilled water to mix widdit.


Or just do like I do and sneak a gallon of demineralized water out of the plant every so often

Ozzie

You've received a lot of good suggestions. Here are a couple more. I agree with avoiding tap water. It varies throughout the world, but most of it is not good for the cooling system. Distilled is preferable. If you are on a tight budget, you can substitute filtered rain water unless you are in a high acid rain area. While on acidity, it's good to check the acidity level of the antifreeze/coolant. All are not created equal. Some are acidic enough to make a low voltage battery. This becomes particularly important if your vehicle has any aluminum components. My tests indicate that Peak is one of the lower acidic ones that are widely available.

Nasty455

Full strength green antifreeze and distilled water.
Buying the premix is a waste of good money.

AZ455

Agreed. Always use distilled water, it's usually under $2/gallon around here, and worth it. We have very hard water here though...

66-3X2 442

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras...nt/index.shtml

oldcutlass

This stuff does work, it dropped my overall running temps down 10 degrees.

rocketraider

Unusual- since GM put out a tech bulletin in early 60s specifically stating not to use Peak in the 215 due to corrosion issues it was creating in those engines.

Faced with a GM tech bulletin, Peak may have reformulated their coolant. It's never been readily available here so I've never used it and have no experience with it.

MDchanic

Not to be a wise guy, but it's a pretty good bet that Peak (and everyone else) has reformulated their antifreeze numerous times since then.

- Eric

bccan

I use water from the dehumidifier as it is largely distilled, free & going down the drain anyway.

jaunty75

But you're making the assumption that this is a good thing. It's just as bad for your engine to run too cool as it is to run too hot. Stick with what the manufacturer recommends, and you can't go wrong. No manufacturer ever recommended "water wetter."

I'm not saying it won't make an iota of improvement to use it. What I AM saying is that it won't hurt your engine at all not to use it, and you won't be spending the money to buy it.

jaunty75

It's not "largely" distilled, it IS distilled!

But I've found that that water often has dust in it as it sticks to the wet coils and falls into the reservoir as the water drips off. It might be a good idea to try to filter it.

oldcutlass

The difference between your assumption and my statement is fact.

The manufacturers all recommended different products over the years, granted this one was not around. We can disagree, my system likes it. Your right it's my money.

navvet

All great ideas. I do plan on dumping any fluid left in the heater hoses. I will be replacing both hoses on rad.
I will add a lubricant along with a basic 50/50 mix. The heater hoses were replaced two years ago ( in fact every hose on the car was replaced two years ago) Hate to say it but the heater core is original..$%^ I DID IT!!! It will blow soon. I wonder if the years of crud is keeping the heater core in one piece.
I have used the 'water wetter' but only before long trips.
I appreciate all the tips.

Nasty455

Heat is horsepower.
Running under 200 degrees reduces your horsepower a few percent.
According to my favorite engineer,the late Smokey Yunick.
Love his book..building Horsepower...a great read.

Lady72nRob71

Coolant already contains lube so you do not need any more. The only time I add it is when I go past 4 years without changing it. It usually contains extra corrosion inhibitors so it buys me another year or two without changing.

My original 156k mile heater core looked cherry when I replaced it. I only had to change it because some numbnut crushed the nipples with the clamps.
The new cores are 1/3 the weight of the old ones. Guess how long those will last??

navvet

I can only imagine how long a reproduction heater coil will last. The bottom line is to do things right the first time. I have the radiator and hoses off and want to do it right.
Thanks

rustyroger

Or soda, we have been buying bottled water for years, in the UK tap water is purer than the bottled stuff.

Coca cola made a huge marketing blunder when it slipped out that their "Dansani" bottled water was simply tap water from south east London that had been filtered again after quite likely passing through plenty of human kidneys first.
And it wasn't any purer than tap water either.

Roger.

MDchanic

Don't even get me started on this one.

Around here, a couple of years ago, there was a ballot item regarding whether the local water authority should be allowed to sell a certain number of million gallons if water a year to the Poland Spring water company (it was rejected).

"Poland Spring" bottled water, in essence [pun intended], comes right out of our taps, and yet people here insist on buying bottled water (often Poland Spring) at the supermarket.

It's mind-bending.

- Eric

nightshiftbbs

I use the water from my basement dehumidifier when I need "distilled" water.