ok i got a new radiator like 7 months ago and i filled it up with nothing but anti freeze i dont remember if it was half and half or straight. all i kno is that i didnt add any aditional water and it hasnt given me any problems. im kinda worried because i did this 7 months ago and i mean its all there i dont have 2 add water or anything can this damage the engine/radiator in any way?>

 

You will have done no damage to the radiator or cooling system by running straight Anti-freeze. To be effective in the Winter (and Summer), it MUST be mixed in the proper proportions (traditionally 50/50 with water) to achieve correct anti-freezing and anti-boiling protection.
True, in the Los Angeles area, freezing isn't much of a problem (unless you go to places like Lake Tahoe), but without that 50/50 mix; your coolant will boil sooner than it would.
If you want a real shocker: leave a full jug of anti-freeze in your trunk, in freezing weather it solidifys as fast as straight water. Who'd figure?

edited for spelling


Modified by P_Adams at 8:07 PM 8/30/2005

 

thats fucken crazy lol. maybe I'll do that when i go 2 chicago. thansk for the info

 

Actually, you should check it. Using Water only + redline watter wetter will not allow the water to boil over. BMW guys ride around with that setup pretty commonly. If you move to chicago, yes, i would flush the system out with a 50/50 mix of coolant+water, having water wetter in your system only helps the boil over and reduces oxidation of the radiator as well.

 

loosen up radiator plug and let some antifreeze out , measure it and put the same amount of just water back in radiator

 

yup, pretty much what I was alluding to............

 

alright then I'll drain some anti freeze and replace it with water

 

to add,

use distilled water (walmart has good prices for this). your cooling system will last a wee bit longer since it doesn't have sediments(minor abrasives) that tap water has...

 

Agreed with above. 100% antifeeze isnt horrible, but you should fix it. Drain some from the rad and add water. You can use a Hydrometer if you wanted to check the specific gravity of the mixture if you really wanted to. I have one, but I always guess...

Sean
Ramstein, Germany

1994 Accord
1995 Accord
2003 BMW 525i

 

pure water cools better than antifreeze obviously.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JakeD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">pure water cools better than antifreeze obviously.</TD></TR></TABLE>

???????????? ?????????????????

can you explain that statement? back it up w/ some links? I'd like to know...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JakeD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">pure water cools better than antifreeze obviously.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually once that cool water hits any warm part of your cooling system it warms up, so technically coolant + water does the best job.

Water wetter is good but you have to make sure you don't live in a place that has freezing temps, granted you can do radiator flushes but if you are driving 20-30K in 6-8 months you have problems .

 

Ok Jake, I'll bite:

Straight water won't cool anything if the cooling system is heated to anything over the boiling point. It's only because of the pressurization offered by the closed system and radiator cap that it stands any chance at all.
The latent heat of vaporization and the boiling point (the amount of BTU's required to effect a change of state (Liquid to Vapor) are greater by twenty five to thirty degrees highter with an Etheleen glycol/water mix than with straight water.
Truth be known, liquid meters (mercury and liquid sodium) offer far better heat transfer qualities, but aren't used because of both their toxic and other qualities.
And then there's always the bean counters at Honda Corporate. I'm quite sure that if they could save $12.00us on every car sold (worldwide) by using a better product, I'm sure they would do so.

Edited for spelling (don't want to run afoul of the spelling and punctuation *****')

P


Modified by P_Adams at 8:36 PM 9/3/2005