gamezone07 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 My friend has just put water in my car radiator, it is between min and max, I have read that putting water in the radiator without a coolant mix is problematic, any views? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtkate Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I thought so, radiators on cars often get well over 100 degrees so without the coolant it will boil. The coolant changes the boiling point so stops it boiling out, rough science. However, if you are desperate then water is better than no coolant, but you should look to add coolant ASAP really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANGELFIRE1 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Never heard of "coolant" to be honest. I put a recommended anti freeze at the required amount to stop the radiator/engine from freezing in the winter. Angel1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEC176 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Hi, I was always told that the coolant in a car should always be a set percentage of anti-freeze and water according to the manufactures spec, modern day anti-freeze can now be use all year round as they also have cleaning agents in the mix to stop furring around the thermostat a lot of overheating problems were caused by the thermostat furring up and staying closed, back in the sixties you use to drop half the water out and top up the rest with anti-freeze giving a 50/50 mix. Never over fill the coolant system you need to allow for expansion always top up when the car is cold same with oil never top up when the engine is hot let the car stand on level ground so the oil can run down into the sump I'm sure others will have their views on this. Coolant old fashion name use for water / anti-freeze. Edited February 16, 2017 by MEC176 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamezone07 Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 Will i be ok adding anti-freeze to the max of the gauge, for now, it is in the middle at present. or would i have to drain it first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biotechpete Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 You can top them up with distilled water, but you need some coolant/antifreeze (it's the same thing) in there. It's often sold as a concentrate you can mix in an appropriate ratio depending on the conditions you are likely to encounter. Depends how much coolant you had in there to start with, but you might want to add a drop of concentrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Firslty why is he topping up? If you haven't addressed this problem then you need to look at it first - has the leak been sorted? You need coolant in the system for many reasons, some of which are not obvious. Antifreeze properties. This is usually obvious in winter Antiboiling - it also lets the coolant work up to much higher temperatures. With a pressure cap as much as 120C can be reached before there is significant boiling. Both the above assume that you have between about 25% coolant and 60% coolant by volume to work - this is the usual range that cars run in. Most manufacturers will probably specify a correct range though which is more typically 50:50 coolant and water. If you let it get very low, or just run on water only then you also will run into problems with the waterpump as this relies on additivs in the coolant to lube the wet side of the bearing and seals. You will also on a diesel run inot cavitation problems where the cylinders corrode through from the cooling jacket to the bore. So adding a small amount of just water isn't a problem really -its when you keep doing so and keep diluting the coolant when you end up hitting one of the problems above. Best bet is to cure the leak, dump and flush the entire system and then refill with new coolant and water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamezone07 Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 Does the fact it needed topping up mean there is a leak? can i just add a bit of anti-freeze to the max of the guage? update, just been advised, it has mostly been anti-freeze-distilled water mix, but today just water top up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEC176 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Will i be ok adding anti-freeze to the max of the gauge, for now, it is in the middle at present. Never fill the coolant to the max on the header tank you need to allow for expansion as the coolant get's hot, if you think you are capable take the bottom hose of the radiator so the radiator drains, do this on the level on the road as the water will be very dirty, mix water and anti-freeze in a watering can 50/50 put the bottom hose back on fill the radiator from the top, if you can, if not remove cap from header tank and fill from there on sealed systems, run the car so the water pump fills the engine and radiator when the lever stabilisers in the header tank or the water bubbles from the top of the radiator it's full, but check after a run to top it up. I'm sure some one will have other advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Does the fact it needed topping up mean there is a leak? can i just add a bit of anti-freeze to the max of the guage? update, just been advised, it has mostly been anti-freeze-distilled water mix, but today just water top up. Yes. The coolant loop (should) be a closed system so if it's dropped in levels there is a steam or liquid leak somewhere. Top up you need to use the same type and concentration of coolant and water. Not all coolant types are the same and they cannot necessarily be mixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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