OK, my dad and I have an ongoing argument regarding the type of coolant to put in the overflow tank.

His side is, since the tank says "Engine Coolant Only", that that must mean only antifreeze in the overflow tank, but a normal water/antifreeze mixture in the radiator itself.

My argument is that "Engine Coolant" does not mean "antifreeze", but rather a mix of antifreeze/water.

It's a dumb question, I know...but someone please end this argument :P

-Anthony Helton

 

Hey, nice Cali special there, don't see those too often!

I'm with you, engine coolant is a mixture of antifreeze and water. I think it says that on there to keep people from putting washer fluid in, as the tank on the other side says washer fluid only. I can imagine there are a few not-so-bright folks out there who put oil, tranny fluid, and what not in there as well. I bet any seasoned mechanic can tell you horror stories about wrong fluid in the wrong places......:lala:

Something else to consider. Say you fill the "engine coolant only" tank to the full cold line with pure antifreeze. Drive it for a while and get it nice and hot and pressurized, and park it and take the lid off the container and look inside. What you will see travelling thru the overflow hose from the radiator and into the coolant recovery tank is ............................. water and antifreeze.........................

 

It means coolant and antifreeze mix. Charlie's 100% correct. And yes, I've seen washer fluid in the coolant jug and crankcases full of water.

 

lol, thanks guys. I'll pass the info along. (good point about the coolant going from the radiator back into the overflow btw - didn't think of that)

-Anthony Helton

 

yeah i put the same 50/50 water/antifreeze mix in the overflow tank as well as the radiator.