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#1
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Partial antifreeze changes, pros & cons + can`t do the math :(
Any one in the USA done this? interested in a US perspective.
(hello from the UK) Coolant system holds 6 litres. Header tank holds one and a half Litres..(ethelene glycol at 50% as per manufactures spec) I can suck out the header tank in seconds with a vaccuum fluid remover and replace with fresh. The engine bay is a nightmare for access, none from above to coolant hoses (no drain plugs) Even from underneath on ramps, lying on my back removing bottom hose from rad , arm reaching up at full stretch into the engine bay, results in an antifreeze shower down the arm, and only removes two and a half litres. To get more out from the block and heater hoses is even worse. I wondered if anyone else just sucked out the header tank every 3 months or so instead? Never had the pleasure to see under the hood of an American vehicle, but hope you have more room in there , in general for access. I was hopeless since shool in even simple math.... Ok.. even arithmatic But if I sucked out the header tank 3 times a year, can anyone tell me how much percentage of old coolant I would be running with in the system. Any thoughts on this? I`m just retired and trying to save on servicing (labour)costs, but mainly trying to avoid a half day crawling under the car, soaking in coolant. |
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#2
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How about removing the thermostat, removing the hose from the upper rad
tank, the lower rad tank and using a water hose flushing thru the upper hose till the it runs clean, after draining as much coolant out of the block and rad as possible. "Mikail" > wrote in message oups.com... > Any one in the USA done this? interested in a US perspective. > (hello from the UK) > > Coolant system holds 6 litres. Header tank holds one and a half > Litres..(ethelene glycol at 50% as per manufactures spec) > I can suck out the header tank in seconds with a vaccuum fluid remover > and replace with fresh. > The engine bay is a nightmare for access, none from above to coolant > hoses (no drain plugs) > Even from underneath on ramps, lying on my back removing bottom hose > from rad , arm reaching up at full stretch into the engine bay, results > in an antifreeze shower down the arm, and only removes two and a half > litres. > To get more out from the block and heater hoses is even worse. > I wondered if anyone else just sucked out the header tank every 3 > months or so instead? > Never had the pleasure to see under the hood of an American vehicle, > but hope you have more room in there , in general for access. > I was hopeless since shool in even simple math.... Ok.. even > arithmatic > But if I sucked out the header tank 3 times a year, can anyone tell me > how much percentage of old coolant I would be running with in the > system. > Any thoughts on this? > I`m just retired and trying to save on servicing (labour)costs, but > mainly trying to avoid a half day crawling under the car, soaking in > coolant. > > ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#3
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I agree Shep, Thats the logical way to do it.
The thermostat housing though has very poor access and several pipes and sensors coming out of the housing itself, and just below. You can`t even see the bottom housing bolt that fastens it to the block and it looks as though all those pipes on the housing would have to come off to be able to pull the housing away sufficiently to get the thermostat out. Needless to say, those pipes are held on by hose clips that have to be destroyed to get them off. I also have a certain reluctance to deal with the bolts on the thermostat housing that go into the alloy head. If one had a damaged thread it would be an engine out job to get a thread insert fitted... Overcautious perhaps... But I have had 2 experiences over the years where bolts into alloy have been been cross threaded at the factory and power tooled in... Your suggestion is similar to good advice I received on UK forums, and I have just done the job, taking the best part of a day on two cars. Now its fresh antifreeze though. I was wondering whether anyone on the US forums did partial, regular changes, with ethylene glycol (the easy wayand if so what the results are. Thanks anyway for the response. |
#4
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I like your thinking here as a labor saving idea. Remember, if you
continue this program you will always have at least a tiny bit of the original fluid in there. I don't consider that critical though. Assuming the 1.5 liter tank is included in the 6 liter capacity then you are draining 25% and keeping 75%. First change = 75% left of original. Second change = .75X.75 or 56.25% of original. Third change = .75X .5625 or 42.19% of original. So at the end of the year you have less than half the original fluid left. In the case you describe I think it makes sense. Eventually you have almost none of the original. |
#5
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And then to make sure it has the correct mix, you can just buy one of
those $5.00 antifreeze testers. They suck up some and give you it's strength with a float reading. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Al Bundy wrote: > > I like your thinking here as a labor saving idea. Remember, if you > continue this program you will always have at least a tiny bit of the > original fluid in there. I don't consider that critical though. > Assuming the 1.5 liter tank is included in the 6 liter capacity then > you are draining 25% and keeping 75%. > First change = 75% left of original. > Second change = .75X.75 or 56.25% of original. > Third change = .75X .5625 or 42.19% of original. > So at the end of the year you have less than half the original fluid > left. > In the case you describe I think it makes sense. Eventually you have > almost none of the original. |
#6
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"Mikail" <do
> Any one in the USA done this? interested in a US perspective. > (hello from the UK) > > Coolant system holds 6 litres. Header tank holds one and a half > Litres..(ethelene glycol at 50% as per manufactures spec) > I can suck out the header tank in seconds with a vaccuum fluid remover > and replace with fresh. > The engine bay is a nightmare for access, none from above to coolant > hoses (no drain plugs) can't you get the vacuum tube to go into the radiator (remove cap) you should be able to remove 75% of the fluid that way.. |
#7
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Thanks, Al, Mike & John,
John, the rad does not have its own header tank or cap. Its like a long honeycomb tucked well behind the front grill, about 2 feet wide and about 9 inches deep. and both inlet and outlet hoses are at one end. Unfortunately the end which is totally covered by the air filter and other assorted pipework EGR pipes ect,running down to the turbo intercooler. No access at all from the top of the engine bay , cannot even get one finger to the bottom hose from above. The rad is not down at the bottom of the front grill space, its relatively high up With the turbo intercooler radiator below it. In days gone by, more simple cars, I used to pull the bottom hose when the rad was lower, with a hot engine, thermostat open and most of the coolant came right out. Al, the 1.5 litres is part of the 6. Interested that you consider the remaining old fluid not critical. I had hoped someone would comment on this. Its all ( well mostly) fresh coolant right now so I wondered if a regular partial change plan running from now would be ok. On the plus side I thought the cooling system would be getting a regular infusion of fresh ethylene glycol. I dont know what happens to the dwindling molecules of the old coolant and additive though. Like, does it turn into acid or something? Mike, Good idea re the tester, I will get one. Maybe I am spending for too much time thinking about antifreeze but it was a grueling experience doing our 2 cars the other day. Thanks everyone for commenting on this, |
#8
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Antifreeze does wear out eventually but the partial changes will get the
most of it. For the little left, I really wouldn't worry. My reasoning is I have almost 'never' seen any garage actually open the drains in the engine block when they do a so called flush and fill. This leaves a mess of fluid in the block each time. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Mikail wrote: > > Thanks, Al, Mike & John, > John, the rad does not have its own header tank or cap. Its like a long > honeycomb tucked well behind the front grill, about 2 feet wide and > about 9 inches deep. and both inlet and outlet hoses are at one end. > Unfortunately the end which is totally covered by the air filter and > other assorted pipework EGR pipes ect,running down to the turbo > intercooler. > No access at all from the top of the engine bay , cannot even get one > finger to the bottom hose from above. > The rad is not down at the bottom of the front grill space, its > relatively high up With the turbo intercooler radiator below it. > In days gone by, more simple cars, I used to pull the bottom hose when > the rad was lower, with a hot engine, thermostat open and most of the > coolant came right out. > > Al, the 1.5 litres is part of the 6. Interested that you consider the > remaining old fluid not critical. I had hoped someone would comment on > this. > Its all ( well mostly) fresh coolant right now so I wondered if a > regular partial change plan running from now would be ok. > On the plus side I thought the cooling system would be getting a > regular infusion of fresh ethylene glycol. I dont know what happens to > the dwindling molecules of the old coolant and additive though. Like, > does it turn into acid or something? > Mike, Good idea re the tester, I will get one. > Maybe I am spending for too much time thinking about antifreeze but > it was a grueling experience doing our 2 cars the other day. > Thanks everyone for commenting on this, |
#9
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Same here Mike, Exactly my experience with garages. Thanks
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#10
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Al Bundy wrote: > I like your thinking here as a labor saving idea. Remember, if you > continue this program you will always have at least a tiny bit of the > original fluid in there. I don't consider that critical though. > Assuming the 1.5 liter tank is included in the 6 liter capacity then > you are draining 25% and keeping 75%. > First change = 75% left of original. > Second change = .75X.75 or 56.25% of original. > Third change = .75X .5625 or 42.19% of original. > So at the end of the year you have less than half the original fluid > left. > In the case you describe I think it makes sense. Eventually you have > almost none of the original. True, but when would one consider the fluid that was added in the first and second change "old"? |
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