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Re-use coolant?

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Baz

Baz

Yoda
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In the process of replacing entire cooling system, Haynes manual says when I drain the system, I should keep the coolant and re-use it?
The stuff looks OK, rust free etc, smells OK, tastes nasty, just wondered what you all thought. The PO never changed the stuff in his 5 years owning, so there's no telling when it was last changed and I'd rather not dump this in the neighbors yard like I did with the.. never mind...
 
Dump it and refill with fresh coolant. During the driving season you only need 20% +/- antifreeze mixture anyway.
 
At $5 a gallon? Nah...dump it!
 
It can be reused, if you're so inclined. And this may be very sensible if its good and you've had to drain the system to replace a thermostat or water pump.

But if you don't know how old it is, you don't know if its still effective.

Assuming of course that it does get replaced on an on-going basis due to leaks.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

You can get a tester to see if its still good. But I'd say you're better off replacing it and then flushing and changing the system periodically....
 
I think the main problem with used coolant is that the corrosion inhibitors & water pump lube eventually get depleted. This may or may not be a problem for your engine. It's more likely to be a problem in engines/cooling systems which contain aluminum.
D
 
It is recommended that the used stuff just be put in the commercial sanatary sewer. Not septec tank.
 
My Dog got a taste of anti freeze one day, a quick call to my vet and i was instructed to immediatly make the dog vomit by giving him about a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide (big dog, big dose) within two minutes he deposited what he had drank back on the ground and all was well. FYI.

mark
 
[ QUOTE ]
My Dog got a taste of anti freeze one day, a quick call to my vet and i was instructed to immediatly make the dog vomit by giving him about a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide (big dog, big dose) within two minutes he deposited what he had drank back on the ground and all was well. FYI.

mark

[/ QUOTE ]The main antidote for consumption of anit-freeze (ethylene glycol) is consumption of hard liquor. Its stops the antifreeze from making oxalic acid in the kidneys and killing you. This works for dogs and horses as well. I read that right off the MSDS of a barrel of the stuff when we used to keep it at work. That old deal about keeping booze around for medicinal purposes was not wrong /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif If you don't know how much an animal has consumed, make them drink a little booze anyways to be safe. Plus its usually funny. If my antifreeze is not too old i will reuse it after straining through a coffee filter to get out any junk.
 
Autozone will accept it as will most recycling centers.

Use fresh stuff, it's worth the $5 insurance.
 
Most towns and cities allow your to dump the used coolant in a standard house drain - not a sewer that drains to open water. Better than dumping it since it is much better for the environment and probably easier as well.
 
Since my dogs are very small, when walking them, I am always on the lookout for it. Probably a few drops could effect them.

Back to the anti-freeze - I used to work for a guy who would strain it, reuse it, and charge the customers he didn't like for new stuff.

IMHO - I would replace it and dispose of the old stuff properly.
 
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