Frozen anti-freeze!!!

[hotkarl]

Yup. I was about to go on a little trip this morning, about 90 miles, and was doing the routine check under the hood and found my anti-freeze was a solid block in the bottle, and clumpy in the radiator. Nice.
My bad. I put the cheapo stuff in it over the summer, the pre-mix.

Off to the auto parts store I go...For the good stuff. 100 proof straight up.
Ha.

 

[marragtop]

Make sure you get everything (block, rad, heater core) thawed out before trying to start it.

 

[corkey]

premix,, sounds like it had too much water in it,, or was just colored water,,

make sure you thaw it all out before you start the engine as that will be in the block, and the water pump too, and will damage both if left

best way to make sure the antifreeze is exactly that anti---freeze is to get a hydrometer tester for antifreeze and check it,,

and you will find that using it 100 % with no water is just as bad as using just water , it has to be mixed for it to work right, and there is a percentage to use, read the jug, it will tell you how much , ,

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, use only enough to be safe for the lowest temperatures that you see. Try to also buy and add Water Weter as well, it helps with cooling, lubrication, and resistance to freezing.

 

[Premier]

the only antifreeze you can use 100% of is G12, and i dont think you can run that in the x

 

[Four0Sport]

yeah you want a good 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. premixed antifreeze is already mixed half and half but isnt the price of half a gallon of straight. i always buy straight and mix it myself.

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Minimum 50/50 to a maximum of 60/40 coolant/water. Use distilled water as most tap water has a ton of minerals in it.

I second the recommendation to get a tester. You should be testing at the begining of winter and summer. I flush the coolant in my vehicles every year - one gets flushed for winter and one for summer. It is a cheap way to save money in the long run, kind of like changing your oil on a regular basis. Go with Prestone or a reputable brand.

I hope you didn't do too much damage to your motor.

 

[CDW6212R]

With antifreeze costing over $12 a gallon, it should not be discarded every year. That's bad for the environment, and extremely wasteful.

There is no required mixture, all climates are different. Anyone that never hits freezing should not run 50% antifreeze. That's a waste also, plus the coolant doesn't work as well.

Antifreeze does not transfer heat as well as water. It is very common to have a hot running engine in a hot Summer, from too much antifreeze. Water Weter cools better than water, plus it adds to boil over and freeze resistance. It also has lubricants to prolong the life of the water pump.

Think about your decisions before you follow some dumb book or an absolute statement from anyone. Be smarter than the book, use your mind. Regards,

 

[hotkarl]

Everything seems ok. I bought a gallon of the good stuff and topped it off.
Thankfully, there appears to be no damage.