A warning about Antifreeze

[Steve Bryant]

There was a past thread about ANTIFREEZE, what type, how strong, all year round or just for winter etc.


With this in mind, I would like to caution those of you who do not drain their antifreeze from your car when  your driving season is over. Antifreeze is meant to be diluted with water by specific amounts to obtain the desired degree of protection from freezing according to the chart on the label to give you the ratio for a particular freezing point. On no account should you fill the cooling system with coolant that is full strength and undiluted particularly if you will be storing the car for a long period.

What brought this to mind was a Classic Mini which had been brought to us at our establishment for "a coolant leak" along with a number of other things after having been exhumed from being stored for over five years without use. They had filled the cooling system with undiluted neat antifreeze before put it away in the belief that this would protect the system against freezing better than the diluted antifreeze. Well the pictures speak for themselves showing severe corrosion of the aluminum components and the build up of gel from the antifreeze which rendered the engine unusable until the water pump and the heater valve were replaced and the entire cooling system was flushed out.

Also note the excessive use of silicone sealant which also stemmed from the "If some is good more is better" philosophy.


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In my opinion it would have been better to have drained the coolant so nothing could freeze or corrode and refilled it prior to putting the car back on the road.

So when putting your Austin to bed for the winter might I suggest you drain your cooling system dry and refill when you come to use the car again and save yourself the aggravation of other problems ?


Cheers,
Stephen

[Zetomagneto]

Use Fernox Alphi 11 central heating fluid, been in my car for over 5 years, no problems

[bob46320]

I don't use it, but drain down for the winter, and re-fill with the same water if I use it in the winter. But then, I don't use the Austin much in winter. (and the 2CV is air-cooled !)

[Phil Kingdom]

I have never heard of anyone using 100% anti freeze, you live and learn! There are different grades of anti freeze available some have a corrosion inhibitor additive and are suitable for aluminium engines and some should not be used with aluminium engines at all, looks like a case of the wrong type anti freeze being used, what ever the case seems like a very expensive way to try to protect an engine, much better and cheaper just to drain it.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Fernox and 2CV for me too!

[Steve kay]

There seem to be a few of us! For me it's also Renox for the Ruby, and in the winter, muff on the 2CV.

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Damn keyboards: Fernox, that's F E R N O X  now write it a hundred times.