Replacing coolant

[Kiadaw]

Attached a simple economical ethylene glycol coolant tester

Cool stuff. I will look out for this when I moved to Europe. I got wiper fluid fozen before when I was in Europe, & its not fun. Looks like an idiot to have to stop every 30 mins to de-ice the windscreen.

[Yeobh]

Most pre-mix coolant ( that is glycol + distilled water) from temperate countries are mixes at 50/50 ratio so as to get the lowest possible freeze temp.

For hot climate we should go for 70% glycol / 30% distilled water so that the boiling temp will at at the highest possible.

[Yeobh]

You will have to test the reading with a coolant tester to determine whether you should add glycol or distilled water.

[Yeobh]

It is no fun having a freeze up cooling system with all the coolant gallary plug popping out

[Chucky2007]

change coolent once every 1.5 years should be safe?

[Mikail5858]

 

An Interesting article on How to Maintain a Car Cooling System

 

 

From the water pump to the head gasket and radiator, the cooling system of the car is the heart of the engine. It should be inspected and maintained on a regular basis. By keeping all components of the cooling system running optimally, you can extend the life of the pistons, cylinders, valves and the entire engine block.

 

 

 

1

 

Have the radiator flushed according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations. This is done by draining the anti-freeze or coolant from the bottom of the radiator, flushing the core out with cold water from a garden hose and refilling the radiator with the proper fluid. A radiator flush prevents engine deposits and debris from gathering inside the radiator, which can cause overheating.

2

 

Inspect all radiator hoses whenever you maintain the cooling system of a car. Hoses can leak when they become brittle, cracked or spongy when worn, or when bumps or bulges develop in the lining. It makes sense to carry a spare set of radiator hoses in your garage, since it's relatively easy to change the hoses throughout the cooling system.

3

 

Check the water pump periodically for water stains on the pump housing or looseness in the shaft pulley. Water pumps usually fail by either developing cracks in the seals or by the bearings going bad, and you can prevent pump failure by inspecting these two features on a regular basis.

4

 

Look inside the engine compartment, crankcase and radiator for a foamy beige residue or fluid. This fluid is caused by a mixture of oil and engine coolant, and may indicate a worn or cracked head gasket. The head gasket provides a seal between the crankcase and the engine block, and when damaged can cause the engine to heat up to the point where the pistons, valves and cylinders actually melt.

5

 

Examine the entire cooling system of your car for any types of leaks. It's usually easy to spot brightly colored fluids such as anti-freeze and coolant, especially when they are bubbling, spraying or dripping onto your driveway.

 

 

 

Look for excessive rust when you maintain the cooling system on your car. While rust-colored water stains may be fairly common on the bottom of radiators or on the housing of water pumps, you want to keep an eye out for rusty metal flakes or chips that may indicate serious corrosion.

 

 

Read more: How to Maintain a Car Cooling System | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2248039_maintain-c...l#ixzz1NQp8YufK

 

[Mikail5858]

change coolent once every 1.5 years should be safe?

Some manufacturers say the fluid provided with the car is lifetime...The cooling characteristics usually take about 5 years to really degrade

BUT

Experience says it becomes contaminated after a couple years... You want to flush and refill the system every 2-3 years to reduce the buildup of contaminates that restrict flow and reduce cooling characteristics within the radiator.

Always flush a radiator when u change the fluid

[Ag123]

hi all, instead of changing coolant, does it make sense to top up with some corrosion inhibiting additives?

my coolant tank look like still have quite a lot of green stuff, recently bought a pack of johnson universal ph test papers (http://www.kaagat.com/pH%20Indicator%20Papers.html, from guardian, about ~ $15), got a ph reading somewhere around 7 (plain water! )

 

any recommendation for corrosion inhibiting additive ? i'm looking at the expensive redline water wetter as 1.

the rest i saw at petrol stations and ntuc are basically coolants like rad cool etc, yet to check out autobacs

 

normally what is an ok price for coolant flush and change @ mechanics lets say i buy own coolant?

 

after doing quite a bit of research on web it turns out that more antifreeze does not make engine cooler

cos antifreeze only reduce the specific heat capacity of the coolant mixture and the coolant pump needs to work harder

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ethylene-glycol-d_146.html

so perhaps i thot i'd use less coolant but a bit more corrosion inhibitors? & perhaps that'd increase the ph a bit?

Edited May 30, 2011 by Ag123

[Keen]

Just change my coolant to mitsuibishi super long life coolant, any idea how long can this coolant last?

[Dafansu]

my coolant is reaching the low level soon, if i buy those big bottle and top up, the leftover still can keep for how long ?

[Yeobh]

As a stop gap action , before the next total system flush,just add in distill water.

[Dafansu]

As a stop gap action , before the next total system flush,just add in distill water.

What's the difference between adding distill water and topping up with coolant

[Yeobh]

First you have to determine the type of coolant ( glycol + distilled water) in the car cooling system.Mixing PG and EG coolant should be avoided. Also you need to test the coolant in the cooling system the mixture ratio. Over here having excess distilled water in the coolant is not very serious except the system coolant will boil at a lower temp.

[5936]

Super long is really long

2-3 years.

[Keen]

Super long is really long

2-3 years.

 

 

haha, I thought super long can at least last 4 years? hmmm...

[Genie47]

haha, I thought super long can at least last 4 years? hmmm...

 

Until your next belt change if you need to change it. Usually the coolant is dumped at the belt changed which also necessitates the coolant pump change.

[5936]

There are 2 cooling sys in my car. For engine and electric motor.

Both looked the same reddish, and had been replaced less than 1 year ago.

Put in ph paper.....results..

ph value for engine coolant is 8

Ph value for electric motor coolant is 10.

 

Thinking if I should flush and replace the engine coolant.

 

So it is not the how many years llc declare to last.

Look can be deceiving.

best is to test ph value.

Replace coolant before it turn acidic and attack the rubbers and seals at hoses and pumps

[Kwanheng]

There are 2 cooling sys in my car. For engine and electric motor.

Both looked the same reddish, and had been replaced less than 1 year ago.

Put in ph paper.....results..

ph value for engine coolant is 8

Ph value for electric motor coolant is 10.

 

Thinking if I should flush and replace the engine coolant.

 

So it is not the how many years llc declare to last.

Look can be deceiving.

best is to test ph value.

Replace coolant before it turn acidic and attack the rubbers and seals at hoses and pumps

don't mind me asking, what does ph got to do with coolent? i only know my gold fish ph level