Refilling The Cooling System

[Austin-Rover]

Can anyone tell me the correct Anti-Freeze/Water mixture to put back in the cooling system after i cleaned it out today.

The Haynes manual seems to have failed me as i cannot find the answer in there anywhere!

:p

[D87 SMW]

I'm not sure - I usually just put some in full stop! :laugh:

I'm sure someone will know...

[H48HPE]

the recomended dose according to the rover spec is a max of 50/50.

i use the 50/50 mix and its ok, id recomend the unipart antifreeze it seems good.

andy

[H48HPE]

p.s

never mix the unipart stuff which is yellow with any of the blue antifreezes cos they dont mix and end up causing hot spots in the engine

andy

[Austin-Rover]

Thanks Andy, so a 50-50 mix with any kind of antifreeze will be okay?

In that case then, i off to buy some as i stupidly forgot to check i had some in the garage before i emptied it all out of the car!!!

[Beaker]

Well there is no rush, somehow I dont see the weather getting below freezing temperatures in the next week :)

[D87 SMW]

Oh! I hope my Maestys have Anti-freeze it them, I haven't checked!

P.S: How do you check? :laugh: :rolleyes:

[Beaker]

Antifreeze normally colours the water so you know its in there, it also stinks.

[E_T_V]

If the water in the expansion tank is red/blue/green/yellow then it has some in. If it is rust coloured like mine you just change it every 2 years, (I use 1/3rd antifreeze 2/3rds water) It doesn't get colder than -10°C in the UK for long!

[D87 SMW]

I was going to say a 1/3 in my first post on this thread, but I thought it was being silly! :laugh: :laugh: :rolleyes: :banghead:

[Austin-Rover]

Well, mine was a murky brown so i thought i had best change it!, which gives me something to do this afternoon!

[E_T_V]

Remember to flush it plenty with clean water both ways particularly the heater matrix as that often gets blocked with sludge..

[Austin-Rover]

Dont worry, i flushed it all long enough for the water to come out clear and as clean as it went in. I dont have to worry about the heater matrix as it isnt connected anymore because of the broken pipes i had last month! Refilled it with an antifreeze/water mixture of roughly 50/50 and its all fine.

:cool:

[H48HPE]

what people forget is that antifreeze not only prevents freezing but its also a corrosion inhibitor, which is one of the reasons why i like to use 50/50 dilution. after two years the corrosion inhibitors are becoming less effective so you need to change the fluid. using normal water would cause the internals to corode leading to rusty water blocking up radiators and obviously it would eat at the radiator and matrix waterways. my dad has a peugeot 405 and the cooling system on that has been a nightmare, blown heater matrix and an alloy casting actually corroded through! all because the previous owner didnt change antifreeze i presume.

my own car had really rusty water in it when i got it, i changed it and flushed it etc, filled it up again (with blue antifreeze, carplan i think) and within a couple of months it was brown again. the next time i changed it i used a flushing fluid, then I flushed it out using a hose pipe. i filled it up with normal water and ran the engine with it all connected up and that water emptied brown, i filled it up and ran it 3 more times before the water was clear then i filled it up for the last time with unipart antifreeze which is fluorescent yellow and 3 months (ish) down the line its as clean as the day it went in.

andy

[Austin-Rover]

Knowing the last owner of my car, today was probbably the first time in years that the coolant was changed, so i am wondering how long the new stuff will keep its lime green colour!

[D87 SMW]

A tenner on one week. :laugh: :laugh: ;)

[Austin-Rover]

Originally posted by F170 GGT
A tenner on one week. :laugh: :laugh: ;)

Taking bets now are we?

[D87 SMW]

Place your bets...

How long will A615 NFV stay outside without being vandalised?

A= 1 more week
B= 2 more weeks
C= 3 more weeks
D= A month

[Austin-Rover]

Living in Salford.....hmmmm......oh wait - there is no option for 'less than 1 week'

:laugh:

[D87 SMW]

No sorry, it already happened - well, some little s*d has had their hands all over the bonnet. :rage: :mad: :banghead:

[hornmeister2000]

I usually look on the side of the bottle for a recommendation - it doesn't really matter what the car manufacturer says - the antifreeze manufacturer's the best person to know what temperature you're protected to! Incidentally, be careful if you mix brands. Look on the bottle and it will tell you what the antifreeze is actually made of - as long as you use the same type, it's OK to use different brands, but don't use different types of antifreeze.

Regarding the corosion in the cooling system, I use 2 products from Halfords to keep it running smoothly. They do a cooling system conditioner and a water pump lubricant. Put these in as well and the water stays much cleaner for much longer. They're about £3 each.

[Katana550]

Okie Dokie then,

On the whole subject of changing the coolant fluid I have some questions (yes, I know I may have said that before!!):

I obviously need to drain the system - Where do I do this exactly? At the bottom of the radiator?

How do I flush the system exactly? - Just stick a hose in and turn it on? If so where do I stick it (:laugh: )?

What do I do with the waste efluent from the system? Is it safe to go down the drain??

Thanks

Tim
P.S. Any particular differences between my VdP and 1600 MG??

[H48HPE]

the vdp engine is the S series because you said its a 1986 one, but the MG 1600 could have the R or the S series engine depending how old it is?, if the blocks and heads look the same they are obviously S serieses but if the MG looks different its an R series

to drain the coolant out of either just take the botom hose off the radiator, then the water runs out. you shouldnt really put it down the drain but i dare say it happens, i find it good as a weed killer though, worked a treat on the drive.

to flush rover say that you just put a hose into the expansion tank and run water through but id do as ive already said above (fill it up and run it then drain again) also get some flushing fluid and put that through (directions on the pack!)

refilling(according to the manuals):

for the s series apparantly you fill the expansion tank to the max marker then run the engine for half a minute and stop the engine, compress the top hose a number of times check the coolant in the expansion tank is at the correct level and refit the cap.

for the R series it says you should fill the expansion tank half full run the engine for half a minute and stop it, compress the top hose a number of times check the level is correct and refit the cap

I dont know why theres a slight difference between the two but there you go

hope its of some use

andy