Anglefire Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Think I might have been a total cock! Needed some antifreeze for the engine - so popped into my local Halfords and spent some time debating pre-mix and concentrate and went for the concentrate as I was filling from empty, so logically use the required quantity and top up with water. Simples. No problem so far. Then it was choice of AF - I know I don't want OAT so that was well over half the shelf sorted - Halfords own brand - which is advertised as conventional Silicate based or Comma G40. Check the labels and the G40 is Ethylene glycol based antifreeze - and has a blue label rather than the red or pink of the rest - doesn't say anywhere OAT. Puts it in yesterday having noticed that it was pink - but after double checking, its not got OAT on it went ahead and put it in. It does (looking again this morning, have silicates written in the smaller text on the back. - and having checked the Comma website is says it is OAT So, whats the collective opinion - drop it out, flush and put some blue in? In which case which one? 4life from the club shop or Bluecol from wherever? I wouldn't mind but I even commented on another post on here about a) the colour and b ) the OAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Hello Mark. 1. Drain it 2. Flush it out 3. Buy this (excellent) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Granville-Sub-Zero-Blue-Antifreeze-and-Summer-Coolant-5L-Cool-Engine-Stop-Freeze/272842954214?epid=2257218373&hash=item3f86b515e6:g:DQ4AAOSwarNZtppy 4. Get on with your next job !!!! Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Silicated OAT from the comma website. Don't fret too much, but wise to drain, flush, then drain and I would run the car until warm, and re-drain. May even be tempted to flush again... You are welcome to call me paranoid, but I had an engine that kept turning blue antifreeze cloudy until I reflushed it a few times. Anyway, I use blue antifreeze from euro carparts. I usually get it in 1L bottles as often cheaper, and more convenient. ie 2 litres in a car and done... (just remember to use the discount code, whatever it is today) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 If as Clive says, you decide to flush a number of times it will be worth adding a rad flush during one of the early flushing cycles; you have nothing to do by doing that. Unless that is a process you have done prior to this thread ?? I also meant to say, use distilled water (DW) when you finally put the correct AF in - it's cheap as chips from the usual big supermarkets. You can certainly flush using tap water as it will be coming and not staying in the system - but do use DW for your final rad fill. Any neat AF left over can then be diluted to your preference (suggest 33%-40%) with DW; by doing so you will always have the correct AF solution to hand for any top-ups. Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 2 minutes ago, clive said: Silicated OAT from the comma website. Yeah I know now - but not mentioned on the bottle anywhere And the promotion code SAVE33 doesn't apply to it - MID40 does - and saves 40p Might order the Granville stuff - its a couple of quid cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Mark. I have used Granville products for years - never had a problem with any of them; nor are they a fly-by-night company. Well established in the UK for many decades - decent Northern company with excellent customer service: https://www.granvilleoil.com/ My Alpine is alloy head / iron block, the Sub Zero AF has done its job perfectly; as it has for the Vitesse. Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Well, I've ordered it now! Funny, I did a search around the net, and some bottles don't mention being concentrate - but I think they all are if you ready the data sheet! I could have got it from Amazon by tomorrow - but was a couple of quid more - and I'm not that desperate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Good man, it's the way forward !!! Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Quick question. What is the difference between de-ionised and distilled water? i can find the former in Tesco for £1 for 2.5ltrs but can’t find the latter (online). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 effectively (for these purposes) the same stuff. Means virtually all impurities have been removed. But I wouldn't want to drink it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 I sort of assumed that Clive, but wasn't 100% sure! I guess it's just the method of removing said impurities - one by boiling and the other by (filtering?) and de-ionisation - the latter is common in industrial applications as its a cold process Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 indeed, usually passed through am ion-exchange column so much less energy use than distilled. Last school I worked at had/have a distilled water still. It uses 2 kettle elements to boil the water, and the steam is then condensed. Must cost more to make than buying it in.....but then again electricity didn't come out the dept budget... I still believe that water that has been boiled in a kettle, maybe twice, will remove all the temporary hardness and so no scaling up will result. This would change if water could evaporate from the cooling system, but that doesn't happen. And I just use tap water.... (sorry Richard!) but maybe I will swap to boiled water in future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 I used tap water last time (Our water is soft here) - but for a couple of quid, I think I will just get 5ltrs from Tesco. Think the engine holds about 5ltrs (I think its 4.75 with the larger radiator?) so 1/2 a bottle of coolant and a bottle of Tesco's finest (Actually its CarPlan!) should see it about 50/50 and leave me with a spare bottle of water - which I could then add the the remaining coolant for top up (Which should last for years - well a couple when the coolant needs changing again by time!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Mark. I have just drained my rad due to removal of the g/box etc. In the Summer of 2015, I made a 40% solution of Granville Sub-Zero AF and distilled water for the Vitesse cooling system. On checking the drained coolant it was still had the blue / green colour as it did over two years ago; with only minimal evidence of any of the usual brown discoloured coolant mix one normally associates with drained coolant. I firmly believe that had tap water been used, instead of distilled water, the colour of the coolant would have been that usual shade of brown indicating corrosion as a result of impurities contained within the tap water. Clive - I am going to have to take you to one side !!!! Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 On 1/21/2018 at 2:11 PM, clive said: Anyway, I use blue antifreeze from euro carparts. I usually get it in 1L bottles as often cheaper, and more convenient. ie 2 litres in a car and done... (just remember to use the discount code, whatever it is today) Me too, and just change it annually. Never seems to cause any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Got some de-ionsided water from Tesco whilst I was passing - its not carplan, but their own - but is only a £1 for 2.5ltr. Now just got to wait for the antifreeze to arrive - and it to stop raining! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Having expected the antifreeze to arrive today, I got a message from the seller to say it was out of stock and not going to be back in stock for about 6 weeks So, having spent the afternoon flushing the radiator (It was dry outside!) several times - I've now put it back in the garage and will so a final fill tomorrow. I also found a fuel leak - I thought it was coming from the flexible end by the carb on Saturday so re-positioned the clip - but today it was coming from half way up the pipe - and running onto the block. There is a kink in the metal and also a grove where its probably rubbed on the old bracket (No rubber grommet!) - so I replaced it with the one off the old engine and all is good again. (With a grommet!) Sounds much nicer with the carb dash pots full of oil too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 If anyone is interested Paddocks has Evans coolant on sale. 5ltrs about £47. Don’t know why you would be but hey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Well, the fill actually happened this afternoon after the rain stopped! Did a final flush by holding the hose against the top hose that goes to the heater valve - which was open and waited until it filled up the rad and over flowed from the manifold tee that i took it off. I also had the car on ramps as I'd fitted the last three bolts on the bell housing - so my theory was the air would tend to migrate to the top and the radiator and come out easier! Then put in just over 2.5 ltrs of blue antifreeze and about 2 ltrs of de-ionised water - so is a bit "rich" but will be fine. Temperature gauge when it gets warm is now sitting at just under half way - the old engine was always 1/4 at best. I wonder if the thermostat was missing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 25 minutes ago, Anglefire said: Temperature gauge when it gets warm is now sitting at just under half way - the old engine was always 1/4 at best. I wonder if the thermostat was missing! Hello Mark. That is a classic sign of a missing thermostat - the engine never really heats up properly and takes ages before the choke can be cancelled. I had exactly that when I purchased my Vitesse; the thermostat housing was so corroded that it could not form a watertight seal with the thermostat fitted - so the PO just used loads of sealant to make watertight and ran without the thermostat. When I overhauled the head it came to light, so a new housing and thermostat fitted - problem solved and the engine warms up in next to no time with very little choke out time. Why the PO could not do that I have no idea. Regards. Richard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglefire Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Actually, I've noticed the warm up time is very quick - even just sitting on the drive idling. Once I've got the garage back in one piece and properly tidied up and some space recovered, I am going to take the old engine apart - well, sump off and have a look to see how the bottom end is fairing. And the thermostat housing off and have a look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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