Added individually, coolant & water won't mix?

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I've heard that the circulation of a car cooling system isn't anywhere near as robust as the lubrication system. Because of this, coupled with the difference in specific gravity of coolant and water, you should always use premixed coolant and water or, at the very least, premix your own before adding the mixture to your cooling system.

I've heard if you add coolant and then water (or vise-versa), the two liquids may never mix thoroughly, due to differing specific gravity and poor circulation, to provide proper cooing, lubrication, protection from corrosion, etc.?

Further, I've heard that by "flushing" your cooling system with tap water, poor system circulation will mean that some of the minerals of the tap water will stay at rest in the system where corrosion (and then problems, etc.) will begin. You're contaminating a delicate system (heater core, etc.) with minerals, etc., that is was never designed to handle.

In short, the closer you keep your cooling system to OEM...the less failures you're likely going to encounter in the future.

Does this sound accurate?

Thank you,
Ed
 
They mix 100%! I have always added the coolant first, then top off with water. Never, never, have they not mixed thoroughly.

I don't power flush, but I have drained out while refilling with a garden hose. My radiators last the life of the vehicles I have owned. No worries.
 
I've flushed my cooling system with bottles of distilled and I'll never do that again. Next time I'll use a hose T and maybe one last flush with distilled just to try to dilute whatever is in the tap water.
 
If they don't mix in the cooling system, why would they mix in a container beforehand ? Stir or agitate them together will do it but the circulation, turbulence, and so on in the cooling system won't ? I don't believe that at all....

Looking at Prestone and Peak websites, they mention nothing about pre-mixing.
 
You can add separately. If you've been flushing with water, just get most of the water out then know the system capacity and put half of that in as concentrated coolant. Then top up with water. Running the engine once until fully warmed up (with the heater on) will ensure complete mixing.
 
"I've heard, I've heard, I've heard" .................................. Where are you hearing this garbage?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by mk378
You can add separately. If you've been flushing with water, just get most of the water out then know the system capacity and put half of that in as concentrated coolant. Then top up with water. Running the engine once until fully warmed up (with the heater on) will ensure complete mixing.
You would have to know the system capacity, fill it to capacity, then drain it and measure what came out. Then you would mix your concentrate to ratio that would take the remaining water in the system into account.

It's much easier to get an antifreeze tester and a turkey baster/vacuum extractor.
 
Originally Posted by user52165
"I've heard, I've heard, I've heard" .................................. Where are you hearing this garbage?


I was listening to a podcast, but here's the conversation in print: https://bit.ly/2IMQ3UD

Ed
 
Coolant and water mix just fine in the system.

How do I know? I filled my car with 3 gallons of coolant then topped it off with 3 gallons of water.

If ever there was a cooling system where water and coolant wouldn't mix, its mine. The liquid in my coolant bottle went from clear to pink within minutes of starting the car.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Coolant and water mix just fine in the system.

How do I know? I filled my car with 3 gallons of coolant then topped it off with 3 gallons of water.

If ever there was a cooling system where water and coolant wouldn't mix, its mine. The liquid in my coolant bottle went from clear to pink within minutes of starting the car.



Thank you...that's good to hear that you have "first-hand" experience with this issue!

smile.gif


Ed
 
If you flushed the cooling system with water and water is still in the block filling with undiluted anti freeze will push the water out of an open hose or port without mixing to a degree you could see it.
Once you see antifreeze/coolant, reconnect the hose you had removed and continue to fill with 50/50 (you do end up with a slightly stronger mix then a weaker one). Once the engine is running it mixes completely.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
If you flushed the cooling system with water and water is still in the block filling with undiluted anti freeze will push the water out of an open hose or port without mixing to a degree you could see it.
Once you see antifreeze/coolant, reconnect the hose you had removed and continue to fill with 50/50 (you do end up with a slightly stronger mix then a weaker one). Once the engine is running it mixes completely.


Thank you Trav!

smile.gif


Ed
 
I'm pretty sure coolant doesn't take one single path through the block and head(s). Some goes to cylinder 1 and then up, some to cylinder 2 and up, and so forth. I think in some designs there may be some coolant that circulates around the block instead of going right out to the radiator. In other words, multiple paths, all in parallel, with random chance of which way any molecule is going to go. Thus mixing is going to happen.
 
Good ol' well water 50/50 with store brand green is all I ever used on the BMWs. Some of the original hoses were made in W.Germany. Camrys use something pink
grin2.gif
 
Here's how this whole thing worka.:

If I say something completely incorrect and stupid, but spin the whole thing as me being the only one to say this because I know more than others, I can sound smart to people who don't know any better.

He's basically talking coolant conspiracy.

"I'm not wrong. I just know things behind the purple curtain that nobody else does!!!!"

A water pump is about as close to a blender as it gets. It's larger than a blender blade, has more blades, and is powered by a fueled engine. The average engine moves around 70-130 GPM at cruise. Low circulation my behind. Many vehicles have restrictors in the heater core lines to prevent the coolant flow and pressure from blowing out the heater core.

When coolant moves through an engine, it does so at high volume, it is sucked, squished, forced into thin core tubes, heated, cooled, shredded by the water pump, subjected to high centrifugal force, etc.

I can't think of a better system to blend two liquids together.
 
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