how much anti-freeze ?
 

OK I know I could ask my local car guy that works on my modern piece of C@%$#. but I figured I would throw it out to my friends on the barn. Last winter I started a thread about keeping my truck warm in its outside ,unheated , Sanford an Son garage ,,heat lamps under the block /radiator . . .SO what do you cold weather guys do for anti-freeze . It made it thru last year no problem . I,ve drivin it a couple times this year ,around the nieborhood, and I know I added some water to it ,, maybe a gallon . should I drain it and start fresh ? . My worst fear is havin it freeze an crack. I have nightmares about this AHH really I DO ! don,t yell at me about the dangers of heatlamps ,an fire I,M GOOD THERE .I don,t have the money to store it some place ,so this is where I,m at thanks Mike in mass

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

Either buy a tester and use it when the engine is hot. Or, have someone test it for you. In Iowa I use half and half and it will test -25 below.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

I agree with JT. I would not use the 50/50 mix that is available. Only it use to top off the radiator, if needed later.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

I buy straight Prestone and mix it 50/50. Never had a problem with any of my cars in 50+ years of doing so and it gets fairly cold here in Upstate New York .

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

50/50will give you all the protection you require.

R

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

buy a gallon of straight anti freeze, drain out a gallon of water from the rad, add the gallon of anti freeze, save what you have and use it to top off the rad, you might be a little heavy on the anti freeze but its good insurance

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

I agree with Tagman living in Upstate NY we see -25 F sometimes, (seems like yesterday) and I have always used prestone one gallon mixed with one gallon of water (50/50) never had a problem in 50 years

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

Mike:
As above , Get a tester, and straight green antifreeze , if you are not sure of what is in it. I would dump it even if it tested close to good & for less then $ 40.00 you have peace of mind, Then put her to bed and shut the lamps off & the savings will pay for the antifreeze change.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

As many have said, do nothing with the antifreeze until you test it. It may be just fine just as it is.

Here's a $2.99 tester at AutoZone. It's the one I use on Ethylene Glycol antifreeze (Propylene Glycol needs the floating ball kind to test it.)

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znet...KFOAB/image/4/

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

For reasons only chemists understand, 50/50 offers more protection than straight antifreeze which is why they sell premix antifreeze.

Like others have said, get a tester. Forget the heat lamps, they're more trouble than they're worth.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

Read on
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...t-fundamentals

R

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

I agree with the others about using a 50/50 mix. Either premix prestone or mix your own if you have good water.


If I lived a bit further south I would consider mixing to 30 or 40% antifreeze. That amount would be plenty of protection from cold and provide the desired additives but the savings isn't much.


Note that even a weak mixture of glycol will provide burst protection which is all you would need if the vehicle is just sitting (you don't need freeze protection if you're not running it).

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

For me, I have to balance between getting enough freeze protection in the winter and maximizing cooling capacity in the summer since I drive all year 'round in both extremes. They actually conflict with each other since water transfers heat better than antifreeze. So, for summer straight water would cool best (but be bad for other reasons) whereas in the winter there needs to be some antifreeze if in freezing temperatures. The compromise I've stricken is to use two gallons of polypropylene glycol antifreeze (which transfers heat better than ethylene glycol) with three gallons of water. So, a 40-60 mix. That maximizes my cooling capacity for summer and gives me freeze protection down to 5 degrees in the winter - lower than I've ever left the car outside at a motel on a winter road trip (it's otherwise kept in an insulated garage).

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

THANKS for all the replies I knew I could count on you guys for the correct skinny on this . I,ll take care of it this weekend . ,It,s supposed to be upper 50,s on Sunday !. I,ll pull it out and test it . and do the 50/50 mix , let it run to let it go thru the motor. On another matter ,,,The ol man has offerd a spot at the farm "for one month" this winter to Finish the truck and be able to drive it this spring" legal beagle" :D, Its only been 27 years since I started !:eek: Mike

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

If it's been a while or you have been running mostly water. Drain it out good and flush it, then refill with 50/50. Which is also (theoretically) the best freeze protection. Straight antifreeze will get slushy before the 50/50 does. And, like the guys said, a tester is cheap. Anyone who lives where it freezes should own one.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

I have a couple of antifreeze testers (both kinds), but this fall I ordered a bottle of 50 antifreeze test strips online (about $15.00 with shipping). While these only give an approximation of the protection level, they more importantly give you an indication of the ph level of your coolant. I tested all of my cars, and while most of them were in the OK zone, one read in the range that indicated the coolant was becoming corrosive and should be changed. I think it's good insurance.

There was another thread on here about a coolant additive that is supposed to restore old coolant to the proper ph and other qualities. I think I am going to order some of this and add it to one of my other cars and then test it with one of these strips.. This way I will be able to make a judgment about the efficacy of both products. (I already think I know which is going to win.)

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

Good info. Most people ignore or are ignorant about the ph. It becomes more important when you have dis-similar metals. I've seen a lot of gaskets just ate up-gone on iron/aluminum mating due to electrolysis. I always just test with a volt meter. Black to a good ground and dip the red probe into the radiator coolant without touching metal. I think the standard max is .250 volt dc but I always recommend a flush at anything over about .160 or so.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

I use 100% antifreeze mixed 1 to 1 with distilled water in all my toys. Then you are certain that you have the purity, and there is no need to test anything.
It is always a good idea to periodically replace your coolant anyway, even in a modern vehicle it picks up contaminants within the system.
I would drain the whole system, and replace it with new 50/50 coolant. That will give you all the protection you need for all extremes, and no need for heat lamps and such.

Re: how much anti-freeze ?
 

Yep, drain it all out and start fresh with a 50/50 mix of new coolant/anti-freeze and distilled water.