I just replaced the coolant in my 380sl with water by draining the
radiator several times until the coolant was clear. My question now is
how much antifreeze to add, so that it and the water remaining in the
engine and heater will make up the recommended 50-50 mixture.
I understand the system contains about 13 qts. and Tiger just said the
radiator holds 8 qts. So, if i drain the water from the radiator, it
should leave 5 qts of water in the engine and heater core. Can I then
just add 6 qts of antifreeze and 2 quarts of water to make 13 qts?
Any advice on the best way to do this would be appreciated.
Guenter Scholz - 24 Jun 2007 01:02 GMT
>I just replaced the coolant in my 380sl with water by draining the
>radiator several times until the coolant was clear. My question now is
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
>Any advice on the best way to do this would be appreciated.
Rob, drain your system with the water. Then premix your coolant
50/50 and pour it in. I usually buy two jugs of coolant and your system
may well use more than one.... if not, just get an empty container from
somewhere.... not your wife's though.... trouble, speaking from experience
cheers, guenter
Tiger - 24 Jun 2007 04:43 GMT
You can get a antifreeze/coolant gauge that tells you if the ratio is
nearly 50/50. You are allowed +/- 10% so don't worry.
Robert Bly - 24 Jun 2007 17:29 GMT
>You can get a antifreeze/coolant gauge that tells you if the ratio is
>nearly 50/50. You are allowed +/- 10% so don't worry.
Your help on this and many other things are greatly appreciated here,
Tiger :-)
Guenter Scholz - 25 Jun 2007 01:57 GMT
>>You can get a antifreeze/coolant gauge that tells you if the ratio is
>>nearly 50/50. You are allowed +/- 10% so don't worry.
>
>Your help on this and many other things are greatly appreciated here,
>Tiger :-)
Am I missing something here..... you measure the specific gravity to
mix the antifreeze 50/50?
-cheers, guenter
Karl - 25 Jun 2007 05:29 GMT
Yep.... got $100?
http://shamrockchicago.com/duoChekTestr.html
> >>You can get a antifreeze/coolant gauge that tells you if the ratio is
> >>nearly 50/50. You are allowed +/- 10% so don't worry.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> -cheers, guenter
road apple - 25 Jun 2007 23:45 GMT
> Yep.... got $100?
> http://shamrockchicago.com/duoChekTestr.html
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> >
> > -cheers, guenter
On my 1990 I start with a complete drain. Mine holds 8 qts per the
manual. So I add 1 gal of antifreeze and top it off with water. No
measuring.
Bob
heav - 26 Jun 2007 17:37 GMT
There are two ways to improve what you are doing to flush your cooling
system and refresh your coolant.
The best is to locate the drain plug on the engine block and drain all
the coolant. Then you just get the specification from your manual for
total capacity of the system and add appropriate amounts of water and
100% anti freeze to create the ratio of mix you want. Up to 70% gives
benefit for anti freeze and anti boil, but 50% does a better job of
heat transfer because water has what physicists refer to as a higher
"cooefficient of heat." Water transfers heat better.
The other method is open the drain plug on the radiator and with the
motor running, run a hose into the water intake and let water flow
through the system until it runs nearly clear. Then you have all
water (almost) in the system. Shut off the motor, shut off the water,
let it drain. Then, get the capacity specification as in method
one. Close the drain plug. Start filling with anti freeze and if
your system has an 8 liter capacity, and, for example, if you want 50%
solution, add 4 liters of anti freeze and then fill the rest of the
way with water. This method works pretty well, but draining the block
is more certain and takes less time.