engine and drivetrain Bleeding coolant system - sound reasonable?

[zane]

Or just use 100% water with Water Wetter for corrosion resistance. I guess that's more like 99% water, but you get the gist.

[robspeed]

I just did this on my car. The "burp" method of squeezing the hoses seemed to work for me.

BTW - I'm trying out the Prestone pre-mixed coolant.

i use prestone, about 60-40 coolant to D.I. water. it's good to squeeze the hoses, but i go the extra mile and actually get the car up on ramps in the front to get the radiator cap to be the highest point in the cooling system to let all the gases escape.

in SF's climate there is no reason to use so much coolant to water. In fact you can use less. Water is what provides the thermal transfer from hot engine to radiator/air. If you lived in an area where the temps dropped past -34degrees, then a 60/40 mix might make sense. Otherwise you are just wasting coolant and/or limiting your thermal transfer capacity. Racers will often just run pure distilled water or maybe 15/85 coolant to di water for this very reason...

i drive out of the city every day for work, there are a lot of microclimates around here. it was 32F the other night in Walnut Creek - 15 miles east of Berkeley

a 50/50 mix of coolant is good for MINUS 34 degrees F.

[robspeed]

...and the water pump on our car needs some "slickery" to stay functioning longer.

we don't need a lot of coolant in warmer climates...but we need some.

like i said, 50/50.

[golf73]

I just did this on my car. The "burp" method of squeezing the hoses seemed to work for me.

BTW - I'm trying out the Prestone pre-mixed coolant.

i use prestone, about 60-40 coolant to D.I. water. it's good to squeeze the hoses, but i go the extra mile and actually get the car up on ramps in the front to get the radiator cap to be the highest point in the cooling system to let all the gases escape.

in SF's climate there is no reason to use so much coolant to water. In fact you can use less. Water is what provides the thermal transfer from hot engine to radiator/air. If you lived in an area where the temps dropped past -34degrees, then a 60/40 mix might make sense. Otherwise you are just wasting coolant and/or limiting your thermal transfer capacity. Racers will often just run pure distilled water or maybe 15/85 coolant to di water for this very reason...

i drive out of the city every day for work, there are a lot of microclimates around here. it was 32F the other night in Walnut Creek - 15 miles east of Berkeley

a 50/50 mix of coolant is good for MINUS 34 degrees F.

OK sir

[robspeed]

Or just use 100% water with Water Wetter for corrosion resistance. I guess that's more like 99% water, but you get the gist.

this is the racer's ultimate setup with the natural heat transfer of water enhanced with the surface-tension reduction of water wetter. racers are used to constantly rebuilding their engines so tossing in a new water pump every/other time is no big deal. in a street car, just 50/50 with di water and coolant is just a no-brainer. I used to use water wetter in my jettas but VWs are famous for running HOT. My 02 never needed it even in disgusting alabama summer heat and humidity. water wetter can also be used as a stopgap to extend corrosion resistance in a car you dont have time to flush with new coolant at the appropriate interval as it has a whole suite of inhibitors as was mentioned.