General Anti-freeze and water question

[donovan2123]

Ok first just want to say hello as this is first post.


Ok now i have just changed my sensor on my radiator and my thermostat as i had heating problems i have filled car up with 100% water I just wanted to know how i should go about adding anti freeze i mean i dont want to re bleed the whole car again could i just bang the anti in and open 1 bleed screw if so which screw????

 

[jug]

hi and welcome :wave:

its important that you get the correct mix of antifreeze in your coolant. frozen fluid = overheating on a cold morning. and thats not good at all.

really you should always premix the antifreeze with water before adding it to your system. its a bit late for you to do that so you have 2 tools to ensure you can get the right amount in easy and reliably.

firstly the maths:
if you want a 50:50 mix, you need to drain exactly half the water out and then add the same amount of coolant into the system. the total capacity will be written in your haynes manual. to measure the amount of water you have drained out you need a suitable container, such as a bucket with a mark made to show when the correct amount has been drained.
once drained you can add the antifreeze and bleed the system.

then the hydrometer:
because you didnt premix the coolant you really need to check the strength of your mix after you've aded the antifreeze. do this after the coolant has had time to sufficiently mix (after at least an hour of driving). use the hydrometer to see what temperature your coolant will freeze at. you want this to be much colder than is required, because taking risks will cost you a lot of money if the coolant freezes and you end up warping the head and popping the head gasket.

if it was my car i would fully drain the system and refill with premixed coolant. but either way its a very easy job. and either way you should always bleed the system fully to remove any air.

 

[donovan2123]

ok could you tell me how much water car can have ??

 

[donovan2123]

this will help me when making the 50/50 mixture

 

[donovan2123]

Reason im asking is i dont have a haynes manual yet its on my to buy list,lol

 

[jug]

which engine size?

 

[donovan2123]

also when i was reading i see somthing about 2litres being about half so 4 litres is what car can take am i right. How about if i let water out so i can put anti-freeze in?? and i could just make sure 2 litres go in

 

[donovan2123]

fiat brava 1.4sx 12v

 

[jug]

total coolant capacity of the 1.4 is 6 litres. so if you want to do it the quick and easy way you could just drain off water as you add coolant and once you've added 3 litres of coolant you stop draining. then get it up to temperature and bleed using the highest bleed screw only. thats the easiest and quickest way.

if you add coolant as you drain water you shouldn't suffer any major air blockages.

 

[donovan2123]

thats what i was going to do which bleed screw should i use to do it

 

[donovan2123]

My car has 3 bleeders

 

[jug]

the highest one you can. you dont need to use the one on the rad as the coolant level will never drop that low. you need to use the one on the coolant hose near the heater matrix. it is a small black bleed screw on a relatively thin hose. bleed it with the engine running and up to temperature. then bleed it again after a couple of minutes just to double check.