Car coolant

[becks]

I'm really blonde about stuff like this so please bear with me. My golf (mk 4, 1.6) is bleeping and it's the coolant (managed to read book), have bought some but it's saying all this weird stuff about temperatures and percentages on the back, i know where to put it but do i need to dilute it first or should i put it in neat? Thanks in advance.

[Clanad]

Most manufacturers recommend a 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol antifreeze to water. The antifreeze depresses the freezing point and elevates (increases)the boiling point of plain water so one achieves a great operating range. You should probably drain all the remaining mixture in the engine and start with fresh mixture. You can purchase an inexpensive device at auto parts stores to test the mixture once it's installed

[zgma]

I used to have a car that had a coolant leak, and I needed to add coolant every few months. I remember having to dilute it 50/50 with water, but the instructions were definitely on the bottle of coolant.

[tigga]

It can be diluted or used neat, neat is probably more effective to prevent freezing over the next few months (in this damn country !). The main thing is to check its the right stuff for your car- they are colour coded RED or GREEN, this is because some cars have aluminium engines and some dont- using the wrong one can corrode the engine parts. post again if u get stuck or confused

[New Forester]

Becks -- I wonder why your coolant is low? Could it be leaking or boiling away? Check for whitish staining where it is leaking, on hoses, where hoses connect, or round the radiator. Not just the big hoses to the rad, but also the thinner ones to the heater and carburettor (if you have one), and to the header tank. Also round the pressure and filler caps (if separate). Do you notice a trace of steam as you pull up from a run, especially on a cool day? This could be water leaking from the rad, which could be dry by the time you get the bonnet open. Any steaming drips under the engine? Alternatively, is it running too hot (once topped up)? Faulty thermostat or water pump, blocked rad element (inside or out), blocked hose etc etc. In this case it will be leaking through the pressure cap. A possibility which can be very tricky to find is a crack or leak above the air-space in the rad. This can leak clear steam when under load, but not water, and perhaps not on tickover at all. The pressure in the coolant is too low, so the engine boils inside, constantly losing steam. The coolant could of course just have run low, but it needs checking out, perhaps with a pressure test.

[Jay70]

Be carefull - some manufactures fit an antifreeze/coolant that is designed to last the life of the car (Ford has been doing it for years) NOT like the antifreezes you buy at places such as Halfords which generally need replacing approx every 2 yr. Best to check in your VW handbook to see if it is one of these types as you dont want to mix them as it will effect its efficiency after two years plus may not even be compatible. If it is a standard type of ethylene glycol antifreeze then a 50/50 top up mix is normally recomended. But more importatntly you need to see if your car is loosing water from somewere as New Forester has mentioned as a water system in good condition doesn't need topping up much, very often at all.