Blue Antifreeze

[Guest janis]

So putting my thermostat back in witch was removed at summer and i had only water in radiator then..now i have blue antifreeze in garage from ages ago can i use it or better go to halfords and buy some red?i heard blue is not that good and lasts only year or something..

[tractor]

Got orange in my van?????

[Guest 2b cruising]

Nothing wrong with blue.

Depends on its make up as to how long it will last.

At least two years.

If your water looks rusty colour, flush your engine out before putting in.

Fresh water, warm up drain, if still rusty colour do again.

Pinto won't hurt much as both block and head are steel castings.

If anti freeze is used or already diluted use strait from container.

If undiluted, use 50/50 mixed with water.

Should be on container if diluted or concentrated.

Only some red or arranges are lifetime lasting.

[Guest janis]

Its concantrate so shoud be fine then..thanks..

[Guest janis]

Gasket on housing is away too and halfords did not have one..can i just use gasket sealant or shoud get paper gasket..i know when i was a kid my grandpa cut them out from careal boxes on tractor :D how woud that work?its not like i cant buy gasket but just wanted finish all up today...dont want to wait three days for gaket to come from ebay..

[maccavvy]

use the proper gasket. I got mine from the ford dealers was very cheap and I ordered a few as they were so cheap.

[cb750]

I always use blue in the older engines and change it every 2 years to maintain its anti- corrosion properties. I believe some of the modern antifreezes aren't compatible with some of the materials used in the older engines. Always run with antifreeze in during the summer as it protects the block and alloy radiators from corroding

[Guest 2b cruising]

You can buy proper gasket paper in sheets.

It is impregnated with something to stop them breaking up.

Use the housing as a template in some kind of clamp.

Put the paper over the top of it and use a tapping hammer on the edges to cut it out.

Tap a ball bearing or a 10mm bolt over the holes to cut the right size bolt holes.

Easy peasy and lots of paper left that is ideal for the old Pinto's.

Edited November 15, 2015 by 2b cruising

[Guest janis]

Yea thats what i done..order gasket and then find some of that paper too.. ordered bought..i know i shoud use antifreeze but at that time it was only option..

[megadodo]

Blue, green, orange or pink with spots, its irrelevant! Check the specifications are what you need for your engine. The colour does NOT guarantee a damn thing, I've seen too many "exceptions" just to go by the colour. Don't worry about the water content either, don't waste money using distilled (unless you can get it free from your de-humidifier) it makes bugger all difference.

[Longboarder]

Don't think of it as just antifreeze. It is also and probably more importantly a corrosion inhibitor. (Certainly for me 'darn sarf' where motorists only need antifreeze once every five years). Modern engines have a big mix of metals and electrolytic corrosion is a big problem. An old pinto has a different mix of metals but still likes to have anti-corrosion cooling.

About 98% of antifreeze brands use either ethylene glycol (very poisonous)(specially to cats) or propylene glycol (not so poisonous) to lower the freeze point and incidently raise the boiling point of your coolant (a good thing). Both work fine.

 

Problems come with the anti-corrosion/acid buffering additives.

Old/trad style uses phosphates and silicates mostly to do the job. They only last two years at best before degrading or being used up. This is Inorganic Anti-corrosion technology, IAT. Traditionally blue or green. Good for iron, copper, brass, solder.

Newer stuff uses Organic compounds for the job. Hence Organic Anti-corrosion Technology, OAT. Often orange or pink. Supposed to last five years.

There is also Hybrid OAT which chucks in some phosphates or silicates and removes the 2-EHA (which eats some gasket materials) from OAT. Good for modern metals, aluminium. Not good for copper/brass/lead solder.

But each antifreeze manufacturer uses variations in the inhibitors they use and in the colours they make so you can't choose by colour and each engine maker specifies different formulae for permitted inhibitors.

Mixing the different types is also unclear. Some OATs and HOATs get along OK, some don't. Most IATs mix with other IATs. Most OATs and IATs probably don't mix.

 

So that leaves you with recourse to the handbook for your tintop. Use what the manufacturer says! With the pinto use IAT. With a aluminium rad you might be OK with an OAT or not.

There, that's much clearer. So what have you got in the bottle? Don't know? How old is it? Don't know? Go buy some new IAT antifreeze and mix it 50/50 with soft or distilled water if you live in a very hard water area.

 

Nigel

Edited November 17, 2015 by Longboarder

[tractor]

Phew that was a lot of reading

[kevin the chicken]

Plenty of gasket paper on eBay. You can get gasket punches very cheaply too, they make a neat job of bolt holes especially on cork gasket material.

[Guest lotusPaul]

Interesting read.

 

In military we use a 50/50 mix protects to -36.

To make a gasket we use card. Cut it so it's managable and big enough to cover what you need to make. Smear it with a bit of grease and place it over where it needs to go. Gently 'tap' the card with a ring spanner and the card will be cut to shape. With a little practise a good gasket can be made.

[Guest 2b cruising]

Don't anyone think that -36 is over doing it.

If ambient temp is at anywhere near 0.

Travel speed would soon see that figure reached going through your radiator fins.