03-06-2018, 01:02 AM
There was a past thread about ANTIFREEZE, what type, how strong, all year round or just for winter etc.
With this in mind, I would like to caution those of you who do not drain their antifreeze from your car when your driving season is over. Antifreeze is meant to be diluted with water by specific amounts to obtain the desired degree of protection from freezing according to the chart on the label to give you the ratio for a particular freezing point. On no account should you fill the cooling system with coolant that is full strength and undiluted particularly if you will be storing the car for a long period.
What brought this to mind was a Classic Mini which had been brought to us at our establishment for "a coolant leak" along with a number of other things after having been exhumed from being stored for over five years without use. They had filled the cooling system with undiluted neat antifreeze before put it away in the belief that this would protect the system against freezing better than the diluted antifreeze. Well the pictures speak for themselves showing severe corrosion of the aluminum components and the build up of gel from the antifreeze which rendered the engine unusable until the water pump and the heater valve were replaced and the entire cooling system was flushed out.
Also note the excessive use of silicone sealant which also stemmed from the "If some is good more is better" philosophy.
P1030352.JPG (Size: 125 KB / Downloads: 396)
P1030353.JPG (Size: 111.8 KB / Downloads: 395)
P1030354.JPG (Size: 91.57 KB / Downloads: 395)
P1030355.JPG (Size: 122.6 KB / Downloads: 394)
P1030356.JPG (Size: 114.58 KB / Downloads: 395)
P1030357.JPG (Size: 93.19 KB / Downloads: 392)
P1030359.JPG (Size: 157.69 KB / Downloads: 394)
In my opinion it would have been better to have drained the coolant so nothing could freeze or corrode and refilled it prior to putting the car back on the road.
So when putting your Austin to bed for the winter might I suggest you drain your cooling system dry and refill when you come to use the car again and save yourself the aggravation of other problems ?
Cheers,
Stephen
With this in mind, I would like to caution those of you who do not drain their antifreeze from your car when your driving season is over. Antifreeze is meant to be diluted with water by specific amounts to obtain the desired degree of protection from freezing according to the chart on the label to give you the ratio for a particular freezing point. On no account should you fill the cooling system with coolant that is full strength and undiluted particularly if you will be storing the car for a long period.
What brought this to mind was a Classic Mini which had been brought to us at our establishment for "a coolant leak" along with a number of other things after having been exhumed from being stored for over five years without use. They had filled the cooling system with undiluted neat antifreeze before put it away in the belief that this would protect the system against freezing better than the diluted antifreeze. Well the pictures speak for themselves showing severe corrosion of the aluminum components and the build up of gel from the antifreeze which rendered the engine unusable until the water pump and the heater valve were replaced and the entire cooling system was flushed out.
Also note the excessive use of silicone sealant which also stemmed from the "If some is good more is better" philosophy.
P1030352.JPG (Size: 125 KB / Downloads: 396)
P1030353.JPG (Size: 111.8 KB / Downloads: 395)
P1030354.JPG (Size: 91.57 KB / Downloads: 395)
P1030355.JPG (Size: 122.6 KB / Downloads: 394)
P1030356.JPG (Size: 114.58 KB / Downloads: 395)
P1030357.JPG (Size: 93.19 KB / Downloads: 392)
P1030359.JPG (Size: 157.69 KB / Downloads: 394)
In my opinion it would have been better to have drained the coolant so nothing could freeze or corrode and refilled it prior to putting the car back on the road.
So when putting your Austin to bed for the winter might I suggest you drain your cooling system dry and refill when you come to use the car again and save yourself the aggravation of other problems ?
Cheers,
Stephen