Featured Technical Antifreeze

Here in the south of England we have had are first couple of frosts of the winter . Can some one recommend the type of antifreeze I should be using in my flathead v8 ? Can I use a standard type ?
Temps drop to about minus 6 here .
Many thanks Simon

 

I'm under the belief to not over think things, so keep that in mind.
I have/had several flatheads, and have always used generic anti-freeze, never with an issue.

 

In addition to lowering the freezing point of water, anti-freeze contains anti-rust agents. I would use it if I lived in the desert.

 

Thanks all
I have never run such an old engine so just want to do the best I can for it

 

A 50/50 mixture of water and classic green glycol coolant provides freeze protection to -34° F. below zero, and the standard level of anti-corrosion inhibitors as well. The freeze protection doesn't wear out, but the corrosion inhibitors do, so it should be changed out approximately every two years.

 

50/50 parts store anti-freeze for your car and a fifth of the best you afford for you .

 

I use parts stores brands, usually a few bucks less than the big names.

 

Islay malt! Seaweed & Iodine. Whiskey Before Breakfast.

 

Lots of the modern antifreezes have corrosion inhibitors that work good with multi metal engines. If you have aluminum heads on the flatty, the modern antifreeze will probably do a better job than the old stuff used to.

I have pre-48 water pumps on my flathead so I add a bottle of water pump lube to help the bushings survive. I don't know if it is working well, but they haven't worn out in the dozen years since I rebuilt them. Cheap insurance.

 

Nitrite free anti-freeze is what's recommended for engines with aluminum components. This is the good stuff, 2nd generation OAT, long life type antifreeze, good for all cooling systems. Even if there is no aluminum, it's still the best to use.

 

Even though it costs a bit more, I always use the pet-friendly brands.

 

Did someone say Whiskey Before Breakfast?

 

something to consider, I started buying the pre-diluted antifreeze, because the water here has a higher than normal acid content.
I use islay as a door stop. "has notes of old wet cardboard in a moldy basement"

 

Thanks,

 

Most modern antifreezes are compatible with aluminum and iron. The current issue seems to be the water used to get to the 50/50 mix. Always use distilled water for this and all will be right with the world. Or there abouts.

 

Agreed 100% on distilled water to mix with the concentrated antifreeze. That will keep the chances of scale down from putting in hard water. I'm not sure of the proper UK term for hard water but here it has minerals in it that leave deposits in your home water heater and scale in a pot that you boiled water on the stove in. It leaves those same deposits in an engine.
If you have aluminum heads antifreeze specifically designed for engines with aluminum parts would be a plus.

 

I use Evans coolant. No electrolysis, no freezing, and no boiling but you should keep your engine at a reasonable temp.

 

In 16 quart system, roughly half or 8 quarts of course will be water.

Unless you live someplace called Alkali Flat and the water is undrinkable anyway, how "hard", how much mineral deposits can a couple gallons contain?? I think it's more important to change out the coolant every couple years than using boutique reverse-osmosis triple distilled unicorn piss.

Ten bucks says the premix antifreeze uses municipal water. Remember "Evian" spelled backwards is "Naive".

 

who ever came up with pre diluted ready to use should be shot .as well as the people who buy it! another consumer ripoff! like stated above ,how much calcium is in a gallon .and in a sealed system you don't add till you replace . pet friendly and extended life -good ready to use -stupid. 50 -50 =rocket scienceist ??

 

mix 50/50 with distilled water to get protection to -34 f straight antifreeze with no water will freeze at +11 f

 

Get the pure antifreeze and mix it yourself. Heaven only knows what kind of water they used to make it 50/50... You want to run 50% anti freeze, 50% clean tap or distilled water..

 

Here's the deal, aka the "science". If you use hard water, those minerals don't remain in suspension, they cake the hot spots, where you need heat transfer the most, and settle in the block making your own, private fossils. A flush gets some of the loose stuff out but not all of it. Then if you keep doing it that way every couple of years you're just adding insult to injury. If you can see any sediment at all when you drain or flush, it's because you put it there.
When I was a kid growing up, we didn't have water softeners. I saw what heat and hard water did to coffee pots and steam irons, and why those appliances were often thrown away. Do some of you have to be hit on the head with a stalactite to recognize what is so evident?
Distilled water costs a dollar a gallon. Big deal. It's cheap insurance.

*My editorial comments are meant as rough kidding and humor, and not as a spit in the eye of other opinions.
Keyboards and cyber distance can dry up the friendliest of intent.

 

Oh ya

 

Maybe if radiators had to be refilled every day you might have a point.

 

Thats funny right there.

 

The pet safe antifreeze is propylene glycol. The standard antifreeze is ethylene glycol based. You will find that the propylene glycol antifreeze is slightly more expensive, but it has the added advantage that if you get coolant into the oil, it won't wreck your bearings.
Both types are offered by manufacturers that are designed for use in aluminum engines. Basically, the antifreeze for mixed aluminum and iron engines is just a matter of the additive package.
Bob

 

I had a fleet of trucks and used to flush and fill every year. I learned the hard way that water pump bearings don't like running on city tap water so I quit flushing. Antifreeze/coolant is slippery and lubes the bearing. I also found that city tap water mixed 50/50 left a crud ring around the radiator tubes. Now I just drain and fill with a slightly stronger mix than 50/50 premix. I have heard or read that distilled water can actually leach metals because deionized or something like that. I don't know if that's true.

 

what is islay . am I missing out on a good mixer or do you drink it straight up

 

De-ionized water is not the same as distilled water, and depending on the source of the de-ionized water, the chemicals remaining in the water can cause corrosion.
Your suspicion is correct that tap water can be corrosive. The most corrosive damage that I have seen from using tap water, is the aluminum components corrode because of the alkalinity of the coolant.
If it was necessary to use tap water, The alkalinity can be checked by the use of litmus paper, or phenolphthalein solution. If a person really wanted to neutralize the ph of the tap water, they could probably purchase a ph kit at a plant nursery, swimming pool center, or a place where aquarium supplies are sold.
Our local water is neutral to slightly acidic, so it isn't a problem using it as a mix to dilute the antifreeze. I also have a high quality activated carbon filter for the drinking water, which removes most chemicals and metals.
For aluminum, a slightly acidic solution, at or below 9 on the acidity scale, is safe. I would want it to be as close to neutral as possible.
I just drink beer or wine, and when necessary, I have the lab measure the ph after the fluid has been filtered through the kidneys.
Bob

 

Islay is a region where many a good Whisky has been made for a long time. Don't try to pronounce any of it, but if you can get a holt of some, it's real fine stuff.