Stupid question: what should I top up the coolant with?

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dont know how many engines ive stripped but a lot and an engine run on coolant/antifreeze are generally clean,there is an issue with just using water as you can see with corrosion and silting up of block between cylinders ,your car would be long scrapped before tap water and coolant became an issue
 
im running an ex utility td5 110 though, so has had a hard life + i have no idea what they've done to it before hand so anything i can do to prolong parts life!

i use a 50/50 mix of AL39 -pussers coolant / distilled water (or boiled if at home) -same as the wolf, + i can still see the calciate if i spill some on the pipes + once the engine heat has boiled off the liquid.
its not the al39 chemicals left behind either -thats concentrated dark blue when reduced.
 
what you see is dried coolant ,not saying you shouldnt ,its just unecessary ,changing oils /fluids regulary will help more ,its surprising how many only change engine oil
 
deaftonewonder said:
im running an ex utility td5 110 though, so has had a hard life + i have no idea what they've done to it before hand so anything i can do to prolong parts life!

i use a 50/50 mix of AL39 -pussers coolant / distilled water (or boiled if at home) -same as the wolf, + i can still see the calciate if i spill some on the pipes + once the engine heat has boiled off the liquid.
its not the al39 chemicals left behind either -thats concentrated dark blue when reduced.
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Boiling it still does not make it distilled , I understand your point and agree distilled water would be better, but boiling the water does not make it distilled ! If it makes u happy boil it, waste of electric though
 
Chrisfrain2007 said:
Boiling it still does not make it distilled , I understand your point and agree distilled water would be better, but boiling the water does not make it distilled ! If it makes u happy boil it, waste of electric though
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lol cheers chris, + again, i realise boiling isnt the same as distilling but i dont keep destilled water at home so i boil it as my kettle has a substrate filter + exposing it to a surface hot enough to vapourise it (before it passes through the engines heat exchange) helps to catch what little mineral content might be left.

thats why a kettle element calcs up btw.

Your right though, we're talking micrograms but at the rate i top up my wagon, its gonna be worth it.....

Luckily im quite keen on a cuppa as i work so a boiled kettle's never wasted! ;)

James, the Al39 substrate is dark blue so i can see the difference in the water tide mark left on my pipes /engine cover when i spill any -the chalky white around the dark blue patch is where the water evaps first....
lol i kinda spill alot since most of the time im at home + i cant get a jug to the reservoir -fitted bonnet gas lifts which are handy but restrict acess!
 
deaftonewonder said:
well if youv got a still handy...... i dont, therefore i boil!

oh yeah, if filling from a hose pipe just dont forget to whack in a calgon tablet -apparently good for washing machines too.... :cool:
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Regarding the calgon tablet: would you recommend I add it whilst flushing, or add it after everything is connected up and sealed? Not being a calgon expert I'm worried that leaving a tablet in there might be detrimental to the system over time?
 
all that concern over water were no one i knows has ever found an issue ,how has everyone managed up to now ,youll be old and gone before that shows as a problem ,sometimes on here theres the upmost to cure non existent issues ,but who checks clean wheel bearings ,changes their brake fluid etc
 
Leave it in...1. Empty and flush system 2. Fill with correct amount of coolant/anti-freeze/water mix 3. Add about half a pint of boiling water with a dissolved calgon tablet in it. 4. Repeat twice a year.
 
When it says to remove air gaps in the system by activating the heater, do they mean to have the engine running with the heater knob on hot and the heater turned on, or just the heater knob on hot and the heater turned off? Reason I ask is because I've just watched a YouTube vid where the mechanic (who was working on a Honda Accord) said that he only turned the heater knob to hot and left the heater turned off.
 
TheKeymeister said:
I've ****ed in a generators coolant tank to keep it going before, my **** (and my mates) is probably still in it now!
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I once tried that with a mini but I was very young and stupid at the time, (now I'm old and stupid), and I had not let the engine/rad cool down and as I ****ed in the top of rad I got a face full of superheated ****. Not very nice but a good lesson!
 
Just to confirm:

Looking at the radiator from the front, I have 4 pipes connected running down the left hand side of the rad. From top to bottom:

1. Small diameter rubber pipe (secured using jubilee clip)
2. Metal pipe
3. Metal pipe
4. Large diameter rubber pipe (secured using jubilee clip)

When flushing the system, Do I disconnect the top and bottom rubber pipes (1 and 4) only? Unfortunately, the Haynes manual doesn't provide a pic to illustrate which pipes to disconnect.
 
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