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Anti-freeze

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tahoe healey

tahoe healey

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I'm putting the rad back after changing out the front oil seal (which was a breeze with an impact wrench) and went to buy some new anti-freeze. They had,like,12 choices. What do you all use? And the prices! I usually add water-wetter too.
TH
 
If you use water wetter, just use the highest quality longest lasting anti-freeze they have, but just purchase one to two quarts if they have it. Mix it in with distilled water to cut down on scaling. Just be sure to change out your fluid at least once every couple of years, but your car will run very cool. Tahoe doesn't get that cold so a 20% to 30% mix should be plenty to keep it from freezing.
 
yes, but it rarely gets anywhere below 0 for very long. 50/50 mix won't be necessary there. The lake itself never ices over.
 
We can go weeks with temps in the low teens. The lake doesn't freeze cause its 1400 feet deep. Every thing else does. We get snow measuring over 5 feet on my lawn that lasts until May. There are over 40 lakes around the Tahoe area that all freeze. We ice skate on Barron Lake and Sawmill Pond. We are expecting the first snow tomorrow (2 inches at lake level).
I've used water wetter for a couple of years with astonishing good results in the 100+ when traveling through Sacramento.
 
First snow tomorrow? WOW!
 
Antifreeze is usually ethylene glycol with some lubricants and anti-corrosion additives (and fluorescent coloring :wink:. Some is propylene glycol which is supposedly more environmentally friendly and less toxic, but may be somewhat less effective (or maybe just more expensive) than ethylene glycol. Alcohol(s) were used way back when, but I don't think any modern AFs use it.

Since the base (ethylene glycol) is pretty much the same, the differentiators are the additives (as with gas and oil). I can't offer much more, but I use a name brand--i.e. Prestone--because it's a relatively cheap investment. YMMV.

Since you use Water Wetter--which has lubricants for the water pump and anti-corrosion additives--you could theoretically use straight glycol with water, though I don't know where you'd be able to buy it (some chemical supply houses, maybe).

Like Alan said, mix with distilled water. I used to argue with people who were convinced distilled water was "ion hungry"--whatever that is--and would destroy your cooling system, if not dissolve your engine :wink:. That argument's over; pretty much everybody in the know--including "Click and Clack"--now recommend distilled.
 
I have been running with distilled water and ethylene glycol for years. It was a shame to dispose of the old fluid, it looked so clean after 3+years.
Thanks all.
 
Hi Tahoe,

I used one concentrated container of Prestone from Wally World
and filled the rest up with water when I installed my recored radiator . The Prestone was inexpensive.

Ed
 
I just put my radiator back after my vibration damper self-destructed. I got a gallon of Prestone Extended Life and mixed with a gallon of water. It's the perfect volume and the anti-corrosion additives will last quite a while.

I had Prestone in it before and the coolant passages and radiator look great.
 
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