The Ford Barn

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 05:35 PM

I am almost afraid to ask this question but I have too.
My antifreeze is a mixture of antifreeze and distilled water. Should I drain that and use pure antifreeze for the winter months?

34PKUP · 11-14-2015, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankWest

I am almost afraid to ask this question but I have too.
My antifreeze is a mixture of antifreeze and distilled water. Should I drain that and use pure antifreeze for the winter months?

Depends on which part of Alaska you are in

Phil Gillespie · 11-14-2015, 05:41 PM

The existing mixture is quite ok. As if stored undercover there should be little risk of this mixture freezing.
Phil NZ

51 MERC-CT · 11-14-2015, 05:49 PM

Test the mixture to determine it's protective level. Generally a 50/50 mixture provides adequate protection at your location.

1930marie · 11-14-2015, 05:52 PM

You currently have the ideal mixture. Come spring I would flush and run distilled with only 12-16 oz's of anti-freeze. Here on Oregon people at my age sometimes forget to flush again until its almost too late.

)

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 05:53 PM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 34PKUP

Depends on which part of Alaska you are in

Pennsylvania

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 05:55 PM

When you purchase antifreeze..It seems to come two ways..
One is ready to pour into your car, the other is concentrated that requires you mix.

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

Test the mixture to determine it's protective level. Generally a 50/50 mixture provides adequate protection at your location.

what does
Any undercover storage does not guarantee it will not freeze unless it is heated
mean? Antifreeze can still freeze at temps above zero Fahrenheit

CT AV8 · 11-14-2015, 05:58 PM

The premixed basically ends up costing you twice as much as
the stuff you add your own water to.

petehoovie · 11-14-2015, 06:19 PM

Frank....Does your engine have Babbitt Bearings?

Ethylene-Glycol antifreeze that may leak into your crankcase lubricant can cause sludge,varnish and lubricant breakdown. Ethylene-Glycol can attack Babbitt bearings causing seizure. Use Sierra brand antifreeze if you have Babbitt bearings. It's a propylene glycol product.

51 MERC-CT · 11-14-2015, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankWest

what does
Any undercover storage does not guarantee it will not freeze unless it is heated
mean? Antifreeze can still freeze at temps above zero Fahrenheit

Re-read the quote you posted. It does not say that antifreeze won't freeze.

mrtexas · 11-14-2015, 06:39 PM

50/50 antifreeze has a lower freeze point than 100%.
My grandfather in Montana had his Prestone freeze
in cold winters. Never the 50/50 in his truck.

Old Henry · 11-14-2015, 06:41 PM

Get a simple antifreeze tester such as this one for $3 at AutoZone (here: http://www.autozone.com/heating-and-...er/525881_0_0/) and test it. That's the best way to know what temperature you're protected down to.

In a geographic zone such as where I live in Utah where the temperatures can go for 0 to 100° each year I do a special mix to have the best cooling capability in the summer and still protect to the temperature I need to in the summer. Water transfers heat better than antifreeze. So, ideally, in the summer you would just run water to cool the best. Well, where I live, that's not practical because that would mean changing the coolant twice a year (I did that for a few years but it got old). Also, propylene glycol antifreeze cools better than ethylene glycol does. So, I have found that if I use a mix of two gallons of propylene glycol with three gallons of distilled water I get the maximum cooling I can get without removing the antifreeze and running straight water in the summer, and, that amount of antifreeze protects me down to 10° in the winter which is good enough for me since my car is kept in an insulated garage that rarely gets below 50° in the winter and I just need the protection when I leave it out overnight at a motel during a winter road trip. I've not experienced lower than 17° at any motel in the winter. So, that's an optimal mix for where I live and how I use my car.

BTW, to test propylene glycol antifreeze you have to use the floating ball tester:

$1.50 at Autozone here: http://www.autozone.com/heating-and-...er/529701_0_0/

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petehoovie

Frank....Does your engine have Babbitt Bearings?

Ethylene-Glycol antifreeze that may leak into your crankcase lubricant can cause sludge,varnish and lubricant breakdown. Ethylene-Glycol can attack Babbitt bearings causing seizure. Use Sierra brand antifreeze if you have Babbitt bearings. It's a propylene glycol product.

Fantastic to know...you may have saved my car.
Is that available in most auto supple stores of do i have to order on line?

petehoovie · 11-14-2015, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankWest

Fantastic to know...you may have saved my car.
Is that available in most auto supple stores of do i have to order on line?

Go to this link and click on the 'Store Locator' at top of page....

http://www.peakauto.com/products/ant...motive/sierra/

mrtexas · 11-14-2015, 07:45 PM

100% freezes at 10F.

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petehoovie

Frank....Does your engine have Babbitt Bearings?

Ethylene-Glycol antifreeze that may leak into your crankcase lubricant can cause sludge,varnish and lubricant breakdown. Ethylene-Glycol can attack Babbitt bearings causing seizure. Use Sierra brand antifreeze if you have Babbitt bearings. It's a propylene glycol product.

Does this product really cost 100$ a gallon? that must be for 6 gallons, right?

FrankWest · 11-14-2015, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrtexas

100% freezes at 10F.

wow..So 50 50 is the best way to go.
Thanks

I remember seeing the movie High Sierra with Bogart and the cabin keep was draining all the coolant out of the radiator for night time.

RalphG · 11-14-2015, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankWest

wow..So 50 50 is the best way to go.
Thanks

I remember seeing the movie High Sierra with Bogart and the cabin keep was draining all the coolant out of the radiator for night time.

They were probably running straight water back in those days. Parked in a shed for the winter with 50-50 ethylene glycol I have never seen any frost damage on an engine here in the great white north. The most likely occasion for anti freeze to gel is driving at highway speeds without a winter front covering the radiator.

51 MERC-CT · 11-14-2015, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RalphG

They were probably running straight water back in those days. Parked in a shed for the winter with 50-50 ethylene glycol I have never seen any frost damage on an engine here in the great white north. The most likely occasion for anti freeze to gel is driving at highway speeds without a winter front covering the radiator.

Back in those days Alcohol was the anti-freeze being used if you didn't want to keep draining the system.

11-14-2015, 05:35 PM	#1
FrankWest Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 3,005	antifreeze for winter months I am almost afraid to ask this question but I have too. My antifreeze is a mixture of antifreeze and distilled water. Should I drain that and use pure antifreeze for the winter months?

11-14-2015, 05:41 PM	#3
Phil Gillespie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Christchurch New Zealand Posts: 1,611	Re: antifreeze for winter months The existing mixture is quite ok. As if stored undercover there should be little risk of this mixture freezing. Phil NZ

11-14-2015, 05:49 PM	#4
51 MERC-CT Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: East Hartford, Ct Posts: 5,898	Re: antifreeze for winter months Test the mixture to determine it's protective level. Generally a 50/50 mixture provides adequate protection at your location. __________________ DON'T RECALL DOING SOMETHING FOR MYSELF BASED ON SOMEONE ELSE'S LIKES OR DISLIKES

11-14-2015, 05:52 PM	#5
1930marie Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Oregon Posts: 238	Re: antifreeze for winter months You currently have the ideal mixture. Come spring I would flush and run distilled with only 12-16 oz's of anti-freeze. Here on Oregon people at my age sometimes forget to flush again until its almost too late. )

11-14-2015, 05:55 PM	#7
FrankWest Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 3,005	Re: antifreeze for winter months When you purchase antifreeze..It seems to come two ways.. One is ready to pour into your car, the other is concentrated that requires you mix.

11-14-2015, 05:58 PM	#9
CT AV8 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Cos Cob, CT Posts: 295	Re: antifreeze for winter months The premixed basically ends up costing you twice as much as the stuff you add your own water to.

11-14-2015, 06:19 PM	#10
petehoovie Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 8,151	Re: antifreeze for winter months Frank....Does your engine have Babbitt Bearings? Ethylene-Glycol antifreeze that may leak into your crankcase lubricant can cause sludge,varnish and lubricant breakdown. Ethylene-Glycol can attack Babbitt bearings causing seizure. Use Sierra brand antifreeze if you have Babbitt bearings. It's a propylene glycol product. __________________ The only thing nice about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.... *"Silver rings, your butt! Them's washers!"* "We shot our way out of that town for a dollar's worth of steel holes!" - from 'The Wild Bunch' - 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NReUd2_0u0 Last edited by petehoovie; 11-14-2015 at 06:43 PM.

11-14-2015, 06:39 PM	#12
mrtexas Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sugar Land, TX Posts: 4,395	Re: antifreeze for winter months 50/50 antifreeze has a lower freeze point than 100%. My grandfather in Montana had his Prestone freeze in cold winters. Never the 50/50 in his truck.

11-14-2015, 06:41 PM	#13
Old Henry Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Orem, Utah Posts: 5,762	Re: antifreeze for winter months Get a simple antifreeze tester such as this one for $3 at AutoZone (here: http://www.autozone.com/heating-and-...er/525881_0_0/) and test it. That's the best way to know what temperature you're protected down to. In a geographic zone such as where I live in Utah where the temperatures can go for 0 to 100° each year I do a special mix to have the best cooling capability in the summer and still protect to the temperature I need to in the summer. Water transfers heat better than antifreeze. So, ideally, in the summer you would just run water to cool the best. Well, where I live, that's not practical because that would mean changing the coolant twice a year (I did that for a few years but it got old). Also, propylene glycol antifreeze cools better than ethylene glycol does. So, I have found that if I use a mix of two gallons of propylene glycol with three gallons of distilled water I get the maximum cooling I can get without removing the antifreeze and running straight water in the summer, and, that amount of antifreeze protects me down to 10° in the winter which is good enough for me since my car is kept in an insulated garage that rarely gets below 50° in the winter and I just need the protection when I leave it out overnight at a motel during a winter road trip. I've not experienced lower than 17° at any motel in the winter. So, that's an optimal mix for where I live and how I use my car. BTW, to test propylene glycol antifreeze you have to use the floating ball tester: $1.50 at Autozone here: http://www.autozone.com/heating-and-...er/529701_0_0/ __________________ Prof. Henry (The Roaming Gnome) "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” *Ursula K. Le Guin in The Left Hand of Darkness

11-14-2015, 07:45 PM	#16
mrtexas Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sugar Land, TX Posts: 4,395	Re: antifreeze for winter months 100% freezes at 10F.