Practically Classics Forum

i will be draining the cooling system of the singer tomorrow so i can flush the system out, remove and flush the radiator (and repaint it), fit a new thermostat and new hoses throughout.
i need to go buy some antifreeze next week which in itself is no problem, my question is..do i mix it with tap water or do i need deionised/distilled water?
whats the general consensus?

kev

I always use tap water with mine. Largely as I have an unlimited supply of it and it's "free".
I'm sure some people will argue for filtered water to take out the additives the local water supplier add.

Following a roadside repair once, I ended up with a radiator filled with volvic which didn't give the car the "power of volcanos"

we use a water filter so thats one option!

In a car that won't be used every day then I'd tend to use water from the dehumidifier rather than tap water as I've seen what it does to the inside of my kettle. That, with no more than 30% propylene glycol added, will keep it free of corrosion, will avoid freezing at any temperature the UK is likely to suffer and won't kill your local pet population as MEG can if cats & dogs get in about at it.

Also avoid OAT (the "Five year" products that used to be pink but are now, sneakily, being made in traditional blue and fluorescent green to fool the unsuspecting or people who don't look at labels). That stuff eats its way through soldered joints and will form an immovable gel in contact with even the tiniest quantity of anything glycol-based. MEG and Propylene glycol are fully miscible so no need to worry if there's some residue of older coolant in there.

I use distilled water, but then I have a plentiful free supply from my de-humidifier. If you don't have access to distilled, then tap water will be fine enough.

Cheers

I am happy to use our tap water (even if my metered supply has jumped from £18.00 per month to £31.00!), but it is very soft - we took some iron central heating pipes out last month and, after sixty-odd years, they are almost as clean as the day they were fitted. However, where we used to live, the water was somewhat harder and we went through electric kettles on piece - I would use de-ionised (or distilled) if I was still there.

I bought a couple of gallons of old-fashioned stuff earlier in the season - both tractors were overdue and the Landy (Montego diesel engine) looks as if it needs something a little stronger. I asked the lad for some of their cheap stuff (meaning the glycol-type) and he said that both types are much the same price these days. I then said it was for 40 year old machines and he realised I wasn't taking the pith or being tight fisted!

Of course, I found a full and unused can of the stuff in the shed when I got home - and the big tractor never takes it's quoted amount (and doesn't overheat!), so I have plenty of antifreeze left for the Landy!!

im thinking of using some filtered water (we use a water filter for our drinking/boiling water) with a new filter fitted. gonna pop down halfrauds tomorrow to get the antifreeze, they do a classic range apparently

kev

I've been using their "antifreeze for older cars" for years without a problem in the minor so I suspect that it is OK (now I have said that, I will go out tomorrow and find it sitting in a puddle of coolant)

kevin wrote:im thinking of using some filtered water (we use a water filter for our drinking/boiling water) with a new filter fitted. gonna pop down halfrauds tomorrow to get the antifreeze, they do a classic range apparently

kev

Their "Classic" range is Mono Ethylene Glycol (MEG) based, please consider using propylene glycol instead unless it's ridiculously expensive. Last time I bought some it was only a Pound or so more for the 5 litre container than it would have cost for MEG. Also, most sellers of the propylene glycol type will have a copy of the current petition that's doing the rounds in an attempt to get manufacturers to add Bitrex to MEG (which doesn't affect its usefulness but will prevent an estimated 10,000+ pet fatalities each and every year if the industry can be encouraged to use it). Bitrex is already added to most washing up liquids, to fabric conditioner and to descaling products, responsible DIY motorists ought to do anything they can to make sure that the stuff finds its way into MEG-based coolant.

JPB, give me a make/supplier of antifreeze and i will gladly use it (as long as its safe for older cars?)

kev