Changing coolant yearly or lack thereof.

[GeneV]

So, found something interesting today. I changed coolant last year on my GC1710, used this stuff:



I had no intention of changing coolant this year, not as though the tractor is a daily driver or anything. Anyways, today I stumbled on my el cheapo coolant tester, so since it's in my hand, why not. Tested the coolant and found this:



I thought maybe there's a problem with the tester, so tested some of this same coolant leftover in the container, and got 3 balls floating from that (safe to -10 deg). So yeh, this is surprising, and looks like I'm changing coolant this year after all.

 

[mcfarmall]

That's why I don't use "ready to use" coolant. I buy Prestone coolant and mix it myself.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Aside from the jug that you showed compared to the fluid is the wrong color, what are you trying to prove/say?

Myself, I am going with whatever you are testing is not the STP Heavy Duty.

 

[number two]

I only trust a refractometer anymore,not those hydrometers.
For the Kubota's I mix green coolant 50/50 with distilled water.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I have two cars here I drug out of the woods. 1964 Ford galaxies. Thunderbird 390 engines. Last drove in 1972. Antifreeze still good in them.

 

[Cycledude]

I switched to pre mixed coolant about 20 years ago, it’s rated for 5 years or 150,000 miles

 

[LD1]

Why are you only getting -10 out of 50-50 stuff out of the jug?

 

[RandyT]

I have found that the new coolant types don't have the same specific gravity of the old antifreezes and therefore doesn't work well with the older testers. Try it with a new tester designed for the newer coolants.

 

[GeneV]

Aside from the jug that you showed compared to the fluid is the wrong color, what are you trying to prove/say?

Myself, I am going with whatever you are testing is not the STP Heavy Duty.

OMG, you figured it out, my post is a big lie!

 

[GeneV]

Why are you only getting -10 out of 50-50 stuff out of the jug?

I have found that the new coolant types don't have the same specific gravity of the old antifreezes and therefore doesn't work well with the older testers. Try it with a new tester designed for the newer coolants.

These are good points, fellas. Maybe it is the tester too, will pick up a new one at TSC today. In any case, looks like a year in the radiator degraded the coolant, which is strange.

 

[nyone]

Typically the coolant is changed due to corrosion inhibitors breaking down. It's my understanding that the only way to make it less freeze proof is to add water.

I dont use premixed either.

 

[LD1]

These are good points, fellas. Maybe it is the tester too, will pick up a new one at TSC today. In any case, looks like a year in the radiator degraded the coolant, which is strange.

When you changed the coolant the first time, did you warm it up to make sure it all mixed with whatever you didnt get drained out and retested? Have you at any point (or anyone) topped the coolant off with straight water?

The ONLY way I have seen coolant loose freeze protection (especially in as little as a year) is dilution.

But to me, that doesnt warrant a replacement of fluid.

Simple math. Figure the system capacity, what the current mix % is based on freeze point to figure out how many gallons of straight need to be added to get the 50/50 mix. Then only drain that amount and top off with straight.

Never liked the 50/50 stuff. IF it were half price of straight I could see me using it.....but its usually only about 5% less cost than straight. The thought of paying over $10 per gallon of water is something I just couldnt bring my self to do

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Never liked the 50/50 stuff. IF it were half price of straight I could see me using it.....but its usually only about 5% less cost than straight. The thought of paying over $10 per gallon of water is something I just couldnt bring my self to do

50/50 is the only thing my former employers shop uses in their fleet of 100+ vehicles. They buy it in 55 gal drums as well as 1 gal jugs. The well water they have has the wrong Ph and too many dissolved minerals in it. Secondarily, they don't have to worry about drivers using to thin or to rich a mixture when they add coolant.

 

[workinonit]

Pretty much everyone has the perfect water for radiators, you just have to harvest it. The condensate from your AC evaporator unit is perfect water for anything that requires no mineral content. And it's free.

 

[tomplum]

Thanks for the reminder. The wife's car is due. Myself I do a DNR every 3 years on the vehicles. Mainly because one is Dexcool. The LS manual said it wanted a water flush before the coolant replacement which I don't normally do. It's been awhile since I lived in the mid west, but you can't be too far off just to purge a bit and add some full strength of the same grade. Coolant life on that coolant has to be at least 2 years if not 5.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

OMG, you figured it out, my post is a big lie!

That is not what I asked nor implied; the tester image does not show the right color and it also does not register anywhere near the -10 you said you got out of the jug. Even if one did go bad that is too big a variance without adding a huge amount of water.

As far as i can guess your coolant got mixed somewhere, I do not recall seeing that color used for anything aside from RV.

It is not exactly uncommon to have ... stingy gas stations crossmix coolant to get rid of old stock.

 

[GeneV]

When you changed the coolant the first time, did you warm it up to make sure it all mixed with whatever you didnt get drained out and retested? Have you at any point (or anyone) topped the coolant off with straight water?

The ONLY way I have seen coolant loose freeze protection (especially in as little as a year) is dilution.

But to me, that doesnt warrant a replacement of fluid.

Simple math. Figure the system capacity, what the current mix % is based on freeze point to figure out how many gallons of straight need to be added to get the 50/50 mix. Then only drain that amount and top off with straight.

Never liked the 50/50 stuff. IF it were half price of straight I could see me using it.....but its usually only about 5% less cost than straight. The thought of paying over $10 per gallon of water is something I just couldnt bring my self to do

The original coolant was the standard eth glycol green stuff. What I did at the time was drain from the drain tube, flush with distilled water till clear, plugged the drain and then ran the engine to warm with distilled water, then drained that. After that, drained the water, then poured in this STP stuff until red started coming out of the drain tube, plugged the drain tube, topped off the radiator, and drained/flushed/and filled the coolant overflow reservoir.

What I never did do was drain the block (the manual states the drain tube drains both radiator and block), so maybe there was reserve water there which diluted the premix coolant?

 

[4570Man]

When you changed the coolant the first time, did you warm it up to make sure it all mixed with whatever you didnt get drained out and retested? Have you at any point (or anyone) topped the coolant off with straight water?

The ONLY way I have seen coolant loose freeze protection (especially in as little as a year) is dilution.

But to me, that doesnt warrant a replacement of fluid.

Simple math. Figure the system capacity, what the current mix % is based on freeze point to figure out how many gallons of straight need to be added to get the 50/50 mix. Then only drain that amount and top off with straight.

Never liked the 50/50 stuff. IF it were half price of straight I could see me using it.....but its usually only about 5% less cost than straight. The thought of paying over $10 per gallon of water is something I just couldnt bring my self to do

That’s my suspicion that the engine wasn’t sufficiently drained and diluted the coolant. It’s possible that tester doesn’t work right either but the color looks weak so I suspect it’s diluted. I agree with you on the pre mixed stuff. It just takes a minute to mix it with water to save $10 a gallon. I always just use tap water but distilled water is cheap if you want that option.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

What I never did do was drain the block (the manual states the drain tube drains both radiator and block), so maybe there was reserve water there which diluted the premix coolant?

That would only be the case in the other direction, there would not be enough leftover to make the freeze point lower unless it was concentrate.

The meter age is a valid comment, I had forgotten there were two types. When they first came out with the new ones they used to say not to be used with whatever the old coolant type was.


Edit: ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. They have very different gravities.

 

[GeneV]

Hmm, good points. Yesterday, I drained off some via drain tube, and topped off with whatever I had leftover from the gallon container. After that, I was on the tractor all day which should have mixed all that up. I'll check it again today.