I just changed the antifreeze in my JD2210 with the Cool Guard 50/50 pre-mix. Since my radiator only holds about 3 qts., I have enough left over to do about 4 or 5 more changes. Since my manual says to change every 2 years (antifreeze label says it's good for 5 years), it will be sitting a while. How long will the unused antifreeze last before going "bad"?
Shelf life of antifreeze
- Thread starter jim2210
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tomd999
Platinum Member
Hiya,
I would wager that the label says it's good for 5 years of freeze protection w/ the anti rust additives depleted far before that. Sitting in a sealed container on the shelf, I would say it's good for at least the 5 and most likely far longer.
I hope the latter is the case as I'm still working off the 10 cases I bought at an auto parts auction in the 80's, seems to work just fine after almost 30 years.
Tom
I would wager that the label says it's good for 5 years of freeze protection w/ the anti rust additives depleted far before that. Sitting in a sealed container on the shelf, I would say it's good for at least the 5 and most likely far longer.
I hope the latter is the case as I'm still working off the 10 cases I bought at an auto parts auction in the 80's, seems to work just fine after almost 30 years.
Tom
tomd999 said:
Actually, the antifreeze never wears out (or loses its antifreeze capabilities). They have a special inhibitor pack that does last five years, plus the long life antifreezes don't have silicates, which is one of the main reasons to change ordinary antifreezes. If you don't change ordinary antifreezes, the silicates start to drop out, and this can really plug things up. At least that's my understanding of it.