Anti-freeze...

[thedelbwa]

Am I supposed to put this in where my engine coolant usually goes? i.e. next to the radiator. As you can tell, I am totally clueless when it comes to cars. How much is it, and will any do?

[almcd007]

Yes but you have to make sure that you dont add too much antifreeze to water as there's a proper ratio.

If you go to a local Kwik Fit they usually check it for free with a Hydrometer

[dannywells]

engine coolent contains anti freeze - im a little concerned that you dont get mixed up

what is the anti freeze for? the window washers? or the engine coolent?

you shouldnt need to put antifreeze in the car coolent that should have been done when the coolent was replaced.

as the above posted suggested halfords can check if the correct ratio in your collent is correct.

if its for your windscreen washers then the propper windscreen washer fluid will contain anti freeze

what im trying to say is you shouldnt need to put anti freeze in your car unless, for example its leaked and you only replaced the coolent with straight water or if the last time the coolent was changed they didnt add anti freeze.

[thedelbwa]

Yeah, sorry folks, I didn't really make myself clear. It's not for the windscreen wipers, but for the engine coolant. It's just been topped up with straight water, so I'm beginning to think that it may need some anti-freeze in it. It sounds as though I'd be better off going to Kwik Fit / Halfords for them to check it. What are the consequences of not having it in my car (anti-freeze) and would it help my car run better in the cold (it's a '95 Punto, quite old, but runs OK generally, touch wood!)..??

[dannywells]

what would happen..well fairly obvious really the coolent would freeze, which could damage the water pump, potentially crack the head or cause overheating before it thaws

im sure kwik fit or halfords do this check for free or certainly a very small charge

thing is you may not be able to 'top it up' as the system may already be full of water, in which case you would need to bleed some off, the way to do this would be different for each car

[dannywells]

it wont make it run any better though

[thedelbwa]

Thanks - best get meself to Halford / Kwik Fit then I reckon.

[dzug]

If it had antifreeze in to begin with and only a small amount of water has been added to top up then no great harm has been done - it will have just raised the temperature at which the coolant will freeze (well below normal water freezing point) a degree or two.

Still safest to get it checked though

[furrycheeky]

Definately get it checked by someone in the know. Mixing two incompatible antifreezes has disasterous consequences.

[Big Bri]

if it dident have antifreeze in you would know about it by now 08/02/2007