nick8086 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 antifreeze question:How often do I need to flush my old car.. Should I use ethylene glycol antifreeze?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Nick / Chris. The ethylene glycol is the cheapest for sure and will do the job just fine. Quite often on sale at Walmart ! There are 3 types and you can google the Prestone site to read about them. They make one concoxion that will not kill animals if they drink it if that is an issue. I use the 50 / 50 premix for convenience. Yes it costs more that was but no fuss no mess. They all have rust inhibitor and water pump lubricant in them. Hope that helps.Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 For my modern vehicles, I follow the recommended mileage intervals for flushing, unless there is an indication of something wrong with the coolant.With my collector vehicles, I flush the system and change the coolant whenever the coolant begins to look "muddy". Fresh anti-freeze water mix is translucent whereas "tired" coolant has the "muddy" look and is opaque. If working on an engine cooling system requires draining all of the coolant, I'll usually also flush the system at that time (unless I've flushed it in the last year or so).I hope that my somewhat imprecise response is of help.Stay cool,Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I looked into this a while ago and posted on a thread somewhere here. There is some good info on the web about the stability of antifreeze and anticorrosion chemicals. Antifreeze breaks down over time. After 2 years or so, some of the chemicals are starting to become harmful to the engine as well as lose their antifreeze effectiveness, so one should change antifreeze every 2 to 3 years. It is also extremely important that you put in anti-corrosives, which also break down over time. So change every 2 to 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 The thing that nobody has mentioned is the use of modern solution anti-freeze in the old vehicles. There has been considerable discussion about this before in other forum threads. The safe thing to do is use the Zerex 50/50 'Original Formula' mix. The old vehicles used radiators that had their tanks soldered onto the core. The modern mixes will attack the soldered joints and wreak havoc with the cooling system. Play it safe and use the old, original, Green Zerex formula and you will not have any problems. This mix can be used in any vehicle that uses anti-freeze with no problems whatsoever.Terry WiegandSouth Hutchinson, Kansas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 How do you know modern anticorrosive antifreezes attack solder? Is there documentary evidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Wikipedia says this:"When ethylene glycol is used in a system, it may [emphasis added] become oxidized to five organic acids (formic, oxalic, glycolic, glyoxalic and acetic acid). Inhibited ethylene glycol antifreeze mixes are available, with additives that buffer the pH and reserve alkalinity of the solution to prevent oxidation of ethylene glycol and formation of these acids."Propylene glycol is replacing ethylene glycol as antifreeze because it is less toxic. However,"Propylene glycol oxidizes when exposed to air and heat, forming lactic acid.[8][9] If not properly inhibited, this fluid can be very corrosive,[citation needed] so pH buffering agents such as dipotassium phosphate, Protodin and potassium bicarbonate are often added to propylene glycol, to prevent acidic corrosion of metal components. Pre-inhibited propylene glycol solutions like Dowfrost (manufactured by Dow Chemicals, US) and Tonofrost (manufactured by Chemtex Speciality Ltd, India) can also be used instead of pure propylene glycol to prevent corrosion."For maintenance, Wikipedia says:"In the absence of leaks, antifreeze chemicals such as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol may [emphasis added] retain their basic properties indefinitely. By contrast, corrosion inhibitors are gradually used up, and must be replenished from time to time."Wynn's say on their website http://www.wynns.co.nz/show-wynns-news.php?id=22"As the inhibitors deplete, the formulation loses its balance, and chemicals that once protected certain metals can now attack other metals. Solder bloom is a common result of inhibitor depletion."They also say that a flush is a good idea during coolant changes to remove all of the depleted coolant from the block etc..Thus, a good anticorrosive antifreeze additive at 50:50 is about the best you can do, flushed and changed at 2 yearly intervals. Make sure the label says something about the metals it protects. You are mad if you don't include corrosion inhibitors to prevent acidic and galvanic corrosion in your system.Oh, one more thing. Don't be fooled by colour. Wikipedia again:Most include "a colored dye (commonly a green, red, orange, yellow, or blue fluorescent) for identification." In my opinion, if you are unusually lucky, all makers of "the green stuff" subscribe to the same convention about what that colour indicates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Zerex "original green" is said to be an old formula. Hmmm - it can be interpreted that just the colour is "original". It also says it is a 50-50 mix with demineralised water, i.e. you use only this stuff with no dilution. The demineralised water is a good plan, it means there are no unknown contaminants in their coolant, except what is in your engine. Remember to change it every two or three years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 One of these is always good to have in the garage: Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franklin-Madman Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I continually flush my cooling system with a non-proprietary mixture that contains 20% elemental oxygen. It works great and no corrosion or freezing problems.Could not resist.... the devil made me do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Franklin-Madman, that was downright awful!! The Devil mighta made you do that, BUT, God is gonna getcha for that one! LMAO!Terry WiegandSouth Hutchinson, Kansas DOO DAH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Braverman Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I continually flush my cooling system with a non-proprietary mixture that contains 20% elemental oxygen. It works great and no corrosion or freezing problems.Could not resist.... the devil made me do it.I use the Waterless Coolant that everyone has been talking about. No leaks, no corrosion, no freezing, and it's free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 I guess the antifreeze companies can provide information for the appropriate product. They say the "Extended Life"-type antifreeze is for cars built after 2000 (see this Forum thread). Further, the waterless-type antifreeze is not recommended by the manufacturer (Evans) for non-pressurized coolant systems. Here is a link to that. It seems the basic ethylene glycol product is the best, though I know collectors who use everything, including water only, and seem happy.Here is an AACA article that contains links to various writings on this subject.Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Maine Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Ouch, I guess I better get the anti-freeze changed in my cars. I've had my '71 Buick since my uncle gave it to me in 2000 and I've never changed the coolant. I've had my '72 LTD since 2005. I had the system drained and flushed then but haven't since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted sweet Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I use ph strips, change when indicated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I was using distilled water with Carquest green anti freeze and had no issues. A few years ago I decided to use regular tap water with antifreeze, slowly but surely, my freeze plugs kept rusting away.. I changed the freeze plugs and now use nothing but distilled water...Did you ever change the coolant? Your core plugs were probably well on the way before you changed. With just water you will have galvanic corrosion where-ever you have disimilar metals. e.g. around the thermostat, water pump shaft, core plugs, radiator, and so on. The distilled water will be disolved-oxygen free for a while but will absorb oxygen at the free surface in the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymouthcranbrook Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I was using distilled water with Carquest green anti freeze and had no issues. A few years ago I decided to use regular tap water with antifreeze, slowly but surely, my freeze plugs kept rusting away.. I changed the freeze plugs and now use nothing but distilled water...My mechanic told me to never use the orange anti freeze in anything, old or new....Your mechanic is very wise. I have seen that stuff turn to jelly in cars where the owners fail to change it with any regularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick8086 Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 Should I Flush Twice? The car is 60 years old... Change it and run the car for the summer and change it again... antifreeze question: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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