antifreeze

[briggie]

very occasionally i have to top up my coolant level , about a litre or so , so i was thinking that with the temperatures weve been having , about putting neat antifreeze in , can i do that ? , surely it will mix with the rest of the coolant and provide better protection , or will it fluff the rad etc up ?

 

[BigBlack]

putting neat antifreeze in?

I would say definatly... as you add each litre your watering it down!!!
Just before the cold snap I dumped probably half of the water out of mine by removing the pipe and filled it back up with neat anti-freeze... it prob at 60-odd percent now. Better safe then sorry!!! :thumb2

 

[Peasgood]

At 60% and more the freezing point will be rising quite quickly.
What I mean is, do not put too much in as it doesn't work like that. 70% antifreeze actually has less protection than 50%.

 

[Adz]

As i said in another anti freeze thread...

Run all my motors on 100% & i've had no problems to date :thumbs

Also mixed the pink / blue ones when i couldnt get the 1 i wanted :thumbs

 

[briggie]

As i said in another anti freeze thread...

Run all my motors on 100% & i've had no problems to date :thumbs

Also mixed the pink / blue ones when i couldnt get the 1 i wanted :thumbs

pink / blue ????? omg which one should i use ? .... or doesnt it matter ? :nenau

 

[ssteve]

At 60% and more the freezing point will be rising quite quickly.
What I mean is, do not put too much in as it doesn't work like that. 70% antifreeze actually has less protection than 50%.

so on that theory 100%proof vodka is weaker than 70%
uuuuuummmmmmmmmmm

ssteve

 

[zippy656]

so on that theory 100%proof vodka is weaker than 70%
uuuuuummmmmmmmmmm

ssteve

:clap:clap

 

[BigBlack]

At 60% and more the freezing point will be rising quite quickly.
What I mean is, do not put too much in as it doesn't work like that. 70% antifreeze actually has less protection than 50%.

Ah well, all I know is that down to -14 car has fired and run fine every day :thumbs

60% is an estimate anyway as I managed to drop and smash the tester!! Opps!!!! :lol

My point was as Briggie adds each litre he is watering his anti-freeze down each time... eventually he'll wake up to a slushly/frozen rad!!!!!

 

[briggie]

Ah well, all I know is that down to -14 car has fired and run fine every day :thumbs

60% is an estimate anyway as I managed to drop and smash the tester!! Opps!!!! :lol

My point was as Briggie adds each litre he is watering his anti-freeze down each time... eventually he'll wake up to a slushly/frozen rad!!!!!

so , is it better to just add water then ? :nenau

 

[BigBlack]

Run all my motors on 100% & i've had no problems to date :thumbs

Father-in-law runs his agricultural vehicles with 100% too.

 

[lacroupade]

First couple of times stick neat in, then a mix of 50/50.

But a litre of water gone is leaving your rad half empty at least, thats a fairly serious leak?

 

[lacroupade]

and by the way, its only about expense. At ratios higher than about 70/30 antifreeze has no further effect so its just needless expense if you're on a tight budget.

But the raised boiling point of higher ratio mixes also help in summer. :thumb2

 

[clivvy]

this is what happened to me, most of my water went part frozen/slushy due to a bad mixture. I simplye emptied the rad (changed the thermostat whilst i was at it) and filled up with neat anti freeze. No idea what mix i have, i dont care, because im positive its a better mix now, than it was before! I used blue by the way, because thats what was already in. I did this about two weeks ago, so weve had -10 since a few times, and its started first time, heated up nice and quick (for these cars) and runs brill.

one thing though Pete, i have NEVER had to top up my coolant, not in any car ive ever owned. im not saying panic, but id have it checked, because that coolant is going somewhere!

 

[ssteve]

Coolant and heat transfer agent
The major use of ethylene glycol is as a medium for convective heat transfer in, for example, automobiles and liquid cooled computers. Ethylene glycol is also commonly used in chilled water air conditioning systems that place either the chiller or air handlers outside, or systems that must cool below the freezing temperature of water. In geothermal heating/cooling systems, ethylene glycol is the fluid that transports heat through the use of a geothermal heat pump. The ethylene glycol either gains energy from the source (lake, ocean, water well) or dissipates heat to the source, depending if the system is being used for heating or cooling.

Pure ethylene glycol has a specific heat capacity about one half that of water. So, while providing freeze protection and an increased boiling point, ethylene glycol lowers the specific heat capacity of water mixtures relative to pure water. A 50/50 mix by mass has a specific heat capacity of about 0.75 BTU/lb F, thus requiring increased flow rates in same system comparisons with water. Additionally, the increase in boiling point over pure water inhibits nucleate boiling on heat transfer surfaces thus reducing heat transfer efficiency in some cases, such as gasoline engine cylinder walls. Therefore, pure ethylene glycol should not be used as an engine coolant in most cases.

peasgood has a point!
all bow to peasgood!

ssteve

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

after all that info Pete, I still think you ought to stick some anti freeze in, and them get the leak investigated in the new year! it might jst be a jubilee clip needing a tweak after having the new engine fitted. :thumb2

 

[Deleted account DD]

very occasionally i have to top up my coolant level , about a litre or so , so i was thinking that with the temperatures weve been having , about putting neat antifreeze in , can i do that ? , surely it will mix with the rest of the coolant and provide better protection , or will it fluff the rad etc up ?

Thats a fixable leak not routine top up :thumb2

If you look on a couple of the antifreeze manf sites they recommend ethylene glycol mix contains at least 30% water. No idea why, just something I picked up the other week when I was wondering which one to buy

Should add Ive ran on 100% many times with no apparent problems

 

[rustic]

Use 50% mix and top up with 50% mix of the same type. Then you know you are ok to -39C.

Don't first fill with premix, as you can never empty the whole system, so you are diluting it.

 

[briggie]

First couple of times stick neat in, then a mix of 50/50.

But a litre of water gone is leaving your rad half empty at least, thats a fairly serious leak?

if i get time today i will try and investigate to see if ive got a leak , but i cant get to the underneath of the car ,perhaps i may spot something obvious from the top tho ?:nenau

 

[clivvy]

if there is a leak, it might only happen when you drive

 

[macabethiel]

anti-freeze

A bit of science is needed here and might help.

If you add any imurity to any pure liquid it will elevate the boiling point and depress the freezing point. So adding water to neat anti-freeze has this effect on anti-freeze and likewise adding anti-freeze to neat water.

At around the 50 % mix of any two liquids the effect is maximised. There is some weighting towards the liquid with the lower freezing point if it also has a higher boiling point. For ethelyene glycol it somwhere around the 70-60 % point depending on complicating factors.

The thermal capacity of ethelyne glycol is also lower than water so the liquids ability to disipate heat is reduced. If you run on neat anti-freeze in the summer you could find overheating an issue.

Hope this helps !