The weather man said this morning the he is going to talk about some serious cold. Well its -12F now. If we get some serious cold I will have to zip my coat up I guess. Anyway my convertible is in cold storage. Coolant tests to -25F. It might get to -30. Should I worry?
when will the coolant freeze?
- Thread starter jacobsond
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Probably not. Is there any sort of heat source in the storage? If there is then you're probably OK, but even if there isn't takes a bit of time for a large chunk of metal to equalize to the ambient. If you went days at that temperature maybe, but a peak low that will recover once the sun rises is less severe. Since it is in storage, heat transfer is going to be slower than if it were outside.
Also, glycol/water mixtures don't have a well-defined freezing point, they get slushy first.
Also, glycol/water mixtures don't have a well-defined freezing point, they get slushy first.
I ran into a similar situation many years ago. Yes, it gets slushy first and would not do any damage unless it was a several day long freeze and a higher difference between your coolant test and the ambient temp.
However, don't try start the car when it's in the slush mode.
Seeing you are in North Dakota you really should go to 50% or slightly more Antifreeze concentration. Here is my test from my most recent Antifreeze change. Enjoy.
However, don't try start the car when it's in the slush mode.
Seeing you are in North Dakota you really should go to 50% or slightly more Antifreeze concentration. Here is my test from my most recent Antifreeze change. Enjoy.
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![[Linked Image]](http://hellafunctional.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/freezept.gif "[Linked Image]")
It's unlikely to freeze solid, if it tests to -25F and it gets to -25F it will not freeze solid, it will get slushy but that won't cause any damage.
If you live in North Dakota though i would strongly recommend running a 50% concentration.
In some parts of eastern Siberia, where it gets to -60C regularly they run 60% or even 65% concentrations.
If you live in North Dakota though i would strongly recommend running a 50% concentration.
In some parts of eastern Siberia, where it gets to -60C regularly they run 60% or even 65% concentrations.
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You might leave any lights on , in the garage , when it gets that cold . I know that may sound silly , but when I was a kid , on the farm , Dad would leave a 100 watt light bulb in the well house to prevent it from freezing .
Drain 1 gallon of coolant out of the engine and replace it with 1 gallon of 100% coolant . Never have to worry about it freezing , again . And will only cost you around $ 10 - $ 20 .
Drain 1 gallon of coolant out of the engine and replace it with 1 gallon of 100% coolant . Never have to worry about it freezing , again . And will only cost you around $ 10 - $ 20 .
If its going to sit out at -30 for more than a night, then I'd be concerned. If its parked in a garage, even unheated, then I would not.
That being said, you are playing with fire being in North Dakota with substandard antifreeze freezing temps. -30F is nothing for some parts of North Dakota...
That being said, you are playing with fire being in North Dakota with substandard antifreeze freezing temps. -30F is nothing for some parts of North Dakota...
Originally Posted by WyrTwister
You might leave any lights on , in the garage , when it gets that cold . I know that may sound silly , but when I was a kid , on the farm , Dad would leave a 100 watt light bulb in the well house to prevent it from freezing .
Drain 1 gallon of coolant out of the engine and replace it with 1 gallon of 100% coolant . Never have to worry about it freezing , again . And will only cost you around $ 10 - $ 20 .
I would be careful to take into consideration the total volume of the system and the resulting concentration rather than blindly adding that much coolant. You rapidly increase the freezing point after 70% glycol as the chart thescreensavers posted shows (one of my favorite charts).
More coolant is not necessarily better. Not only will you raise the freezing point, you'll also lower the specific heat capacity of the mixture. Most coolants have an upper limit of 70% for these very reasons.
A 60% concentration is what is best for freezing point depression.
You might leave any lights on , in the garage , when it gets that cold . I know that may sound silly , but when I was a kid , on the farm , Dad would leave a 100 watt light bulb in the well house to prevent it from freezing .
Drain 1 gallon of coolant out of the engine and replace it with 1 gallon of 100% coolant . Never have to worry about it freezing , again . And will only cost you around $ 10 - $ 20 .
I would be careful to take into consideration the total volume of the system and the resulting concentration rather than blindly adding that much coolant. You rapidly increase the freezing point after 70% glycol as the chart thescreensavers posted shows (one of my favorite charts).
More coolant is not necessarily better. Not only will you raise the freezing point, you'll also lower the specific heat capacity of the mixture. Most coolants have an upper limit of 70% for these very reasons.
A 60% concentration is what is best for freezing point depression.
My Dad would put that 100 watt light bulb under the hood, overnight, in the space between the radiator and engine with the car in the driveway. That really does the trick. It keeps it warm enough by a wide margin.
I have run 100% coolant for at least 20 years with no problem . Can not rust if there is no water .
But , I do not live in North Dakota . I live in Texas & our lows rarely , if ever , reach -15F . And no overheating problems .
I realize it is not recommended , but has worked for me . You do what works for you .
But , I do not live in North Dakota . I live in Texas & our lows rarely , if ever , reach -15F . And no overheating problems .
I realize it is not recommended , but has worked for me . You do what works for you .
Kestas
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Originally Posted by IndyFan
My Dad would put that 100 watt light bulb under the hood, overnight, in the space between the radiator and engine with the car in the driveway. That really does the trick. It keeps it warm enough by a wide margin.
My dad did the same thing. I believe only 5% of the energy used by the light bulb is converted to light; the rest is heat.
My Dad would put that 100 watt light bulb under the hood, overnight, in the space between the radiator and engine with the car in the driveway. That really does the trick. It keeps it warm enough by a wide margin.
My dad did the same thing. I believe only 5% of the energy used by the light bulb is converted to light; the rest is heat.
The freezing point of 100% glycol is about +9 degrees F, plus degraded heat capacity.
I do a 55/45 mix here. If I were you Id do a 60/40 mix to be safe. Here in Montreal (im actually a bit south of Montreal) and my understanding is most here run 55/45 and we dont usually see -30F. Usually -4 to -13F.
Originally Posted by WyrTwister
I have run 100% coolant for at least 20 years with no problem . Can not rust if there is no water .
But , I do not live in North Dakota . I live in Texas & our lows rarely , if ever , reach -15F . And no overheating problems .
I realize it is not recommended , but has worked for me . You do what works for you .
I'm surprised you never experienced over-heating issues on hot summer days. 100% glycol and no water is not that good at removing engine heat. 100% water removes the most heat....which is one reason they run that in drag cars. I would never go above the 60-65% glycol level in the continental USA as there's no real benefit. If you don't have oxygen in your coolant system, it won't rust with undepleted coolant (ie beneficial chemicals not all used up).
I have run 100% coolant for at least 20 years with no problem . Can not rust if there is no water .
But , I do not live in North Dakota . I live in Texas & our lows rarely , if ever , reach -15F . And no overheating problems .
I realize it is not recommended , but has worked for me . You do what works for you .
I'm surprised you never experienced over-heating issues on hot summer days. 100% glycol and no water is not that good at removing engine heat. 100% water removes the most heat....which is one reason they run that in drag cars. I would never go above the 60-65% glycol level in the continental USA as there's no real benefit. If you don't have oxygen in your coolant system, it won't rust with undepleted coolant (ie beneficial chemicals not all used up).
Originally Posted by IndyFan
My Dad would put that 100 watt light bulb under the hood, overnight, in the space between the radiator and engine with the car in the driveway. That really does the trick. It keeps it warm enough by a wide margin.
🤬right and it works like a charm with a bit of due care. Gee I remember when some brain dead politician wanted to ban those. Seriously all it takes is the tiniest bit of heat. When I'm up for some late season boating I just put one setting right against the block under the doghouse.
My Dad would put that 100 watt light bulb under the hood, overnight, in the space between the radiator and engine with the car in the driveway. That really does the trick. It keeps it warm enough by a wide margin.
🤬right and it works like a charm with a bit of due care. Gee I remember when some brain dead politician wanted to ban those. Seriously all it takes is the tiniest bit of heat. When I'm up for some late season boating I just put one setting right against the block under the doghouse.
Engine block heater? I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I remember when my dad leased a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D-Turbo. The owner's manual included a coupon for a free installation of a block heater, which my dad eventually used. I suppose we didn't really need it in our climate, and I'm not sure where we would plug it in if we were going up into the mountains. I believe it was primarily a free item because of the possibility of diesel fuel gelling. Not quite sure what it was supposed to help with given it won't heat the fuel tank, but I suppose it can keep some of the fuel warm.
I bought a new tester just to be sure. This one all the balls float. The old one one didn't float indicated good to -25. I think I'll be ok. Normally I mix on the heavy side for coolant. We bought this convertible last summer. I didn't change the coolant out.
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