Coolant type/brand suggestions?

[WGB]

I always make my 50/50 coolant in a bucket or container, before adding it to the engine. The specified capacities are almost always approximate, so if you add the concentrate directly (1/2 the specified capacity) you invariably add too much or too little, distilled water. Thus the ratio will be incorrect; too diluted, or too concentrated. Either way, your engine will suffer....

Sounds good but how do you get rid of what is still in the system eg heater matrix and block ( if you don't remove the block drains ) after the flushing to keep the mixture at 50%.

That is why I do a thorough much repeated flush until everything runs clear and then add 50% coolant volume and top up with the same distilled water I flush with.

It's all going to be approximate unless you use a glycol tester ( I do possess one from a previous life in a cold climate) after you have finished and run it for a while. I am sure in our Oz climate ratios between 30% (the minimum I
have been quoted as protecting against corrosion) and 55% to 60% ( After which glycol starts to go a bit reverse as to temperature characteristics) will not be all that critical in a healthy engine.

Bill

Bill

 

[Oversize]

I've never heard of using Litmus paper. Is the ph likely to be incorrect after changing the coolant?

I don't use distilled water to flush due to the volume that would be required & the inability to pump it at high-ish pressure into & out of, the system. The only way to ensure an exact 50/50 mix would be to remove the old coolant from the block drain plugs as well (which I assume are under there somewhere) & also pour the premix into the disconnected heater core until it comes out coloured, before reconnecting & refilling.

Tony I'll get the details tonight...

 

[John S]

Reading this thread has convinced me to stick with Mercedes coolant in future and take no chances on long term corrosion.

 

[Tony66_au]

Bill for me the issue is not so much cooling characteristics but more maintaining the cooling system and protection against corrosion, Electrolysis and chemical reaction between the different elements in the cooling system which I believe are Aluminium, cast alloy, brass and cast iron so id be looking for a corrosion inhibitor that is Ph neutral as an acid or alkaline solution is likely to cause some of the components to corrode or in an acid solution behave like a wet cell battery creating an electrical charge which then turns the whole thing into a plating bath lol

I had this issue with a Volvo I owned after the service people added red acidic coolant after a repair, this stuff was a GM recommended coolant and it not only ate the alloy radiator core (Which was brand new) but then plated my water pump impeller in the resulting sludge.

Commodores and Saabs also suffer from this phenomenon and it can also play merry hell with engine management systems.

As for flushing?

I have a radiator bung kit that fits the filler and the top/bottom hoses as well as a smaller unit that can be used on heater hoses but im always careful to flush with the normal flow first to clear any old fluids and then do a reverse flush to dislodge any particulate matter and sludge taking care to do the flush a section at a time so you don't end up clogging the heater cores with radiator or block sludge.

Great thread BTW and all your contributions are very informative.

Cheers,
Tony

 

[BenzBoy]

I've never heard of using Litmus paper. Is the ph likely to be incorrect after changing the coolant?

I don't use distilled water to flush due to the volume that would be required & the inability to pump it at high-ish pressure into & out of, the system. The only way to ensure an exact 50/50 mix would be to remove the old coolant from the block drain plugs as well (which I assume are under there somewhere) & also pour the premix into the disconnected heater core until it comes out coloured, before reconnecting & refilling.

Tony I'll get the details tonight...

Yes - and you will find that reputable repairers will test with a oh meter at each service. You need to know the recommended value for your model...usually slightly alkaline to almost neutral.
Regards,
Benz-boy

 

[Styria]

Hi BenzBoy, thanks for finding that excellent website and the information contained in that article. Doesn't it just illustrate that there is just so much more to know about the cooling systems in our cars, but also just how confusing it may be to the uninitated - I am one of those.

Normally, I tend to concentrate on having a clean radiator to start off with by getting it cleaned out and serviced by a radiator specialist, and then refill with fresh normal water with the inhibitor mixed in a bucket prior to the refill. Am I doing something wrong ? I guess the only real way of telling is to use the litmus paper or the ph-tester. Would a Radiator Shop have these facilities ? A somewhat confused, perplexed and daunted Styria.

 

[Oversize]

I think this is just a case of taking the time to ensure the system is clean before refilling with an appropriate coolant. In our hot n cold climate it's important to check your hoses & clamps too. I'd rather put in some effort than have my experience ruined by a breakdown. I shudder at the thought of being stranded on the side of the road, bonnet up, steam everywhere, angry missus (cause I was too lazy to maintain something), while I'm being passed by people driving Hyundais!!!!!!!!!

For those of us that want to dig deeper; is there any way to check your cooling system isn't acting like an electrolyte?? Despite the fact I was a tech at a Mercedes dealer (13 years ago now), I've never even seen a pH tester, let alone used one!!! I have used a coolant tester to check specific gravity (similar to a battery tester), but that's a very different animal.

 

[Oversize]

Tony I use B.E. Products as the source of my distilled water. It's even cheaper if you BYO 20 litre container. They're at 14 Clarice Road, Box Hill South. Ph 9890 2008. I haven't used them in a while & I hope they haven't gone under due to the GFC....

Sytria, don't always assume things will be 'clean' when they're returned from a contactor. Pay particular attention to transmission coolers if they're integrated into the radiator tank/s. Often they're full of water & contaminants which will quickly destroy a transmission.

 

[SEL_69L]

I once used to design water supply systems.

If you are living rural, I have to let you know that tank water may be OK for drinking, but not for car engines.

Wind blown dust can settle on a roof, and this along with dried wind blown dust from dried plant debris and dried cattle dung in trace amounts, can wash into a domestic rainwater catch tank. Normally a first flush diverter is used to avoid much of the micro debris from being washed into the tank. Nevertheless over time some of this type of gunk will settle in the bottom of the tank, and some of it will remain in solution. With the potable water from this source, there is no attempt at pH control, or normally any attempt to remove suspended of dissolved material in the water. As I said, OK for drinking perhaps, but not for car engines.

Water that is used for mixing with coolant concentrate should be reverse osmosis filtered, then pased through ozone treatment and UV treatment, then distilled. Some engines require slightly acidic water to be mixed with the coolant concentrate, and some engines require water that is pH neutral.

Tap water does not have this level of treatment. It us usually sand filtered, slightly chlorinated and flouridated with stannous fluoride, then roughly pH balanced to neutral, all to make it suitable for drinking, and not necessarily for use in car engines.

I used to be employed by the Commonwealth Government and I did quite a bit of water supply design work for experimental farms run by the C.S.I.R.O. and for hospitals.

 

[Tony66_au]

Which is why I don't use Dam or Tank water for my cars, not even to fill the washer bottle and although I have my tanks cleaned every few years as you said its ok to drink but not much else lol.