anti freeze

[dreadnought]

hi all, can anyone tell me if its ok to mix two colours  of anti freeze,ive got green in my bmc nb engine,would it be ok to top up with blue coloured anti freeze, many thanks

[Robbo]

41 minutes ago, dreadnought said:

hi all, can anyone tell me if its ok to mix two colours  of anti freeze,ive got green in my bmc nb engine,would it be ok to top up with blue coloured anti freeze, many thanks

Blue and green were the older type technology using inorganic additives so should be okay although you can’t tell now as differently manufacturers use different colours.   The anti freeze will still work no matter what different mix it is tho, it’s the anti corrosion additives effectiveness that will be reduced and the old “blue/green” stuff only lasts around 2 years anyhow.

[mross]

There is a risk of sludge forming.  you would need to know what each coloured anti-freeze comprised, chemically.  So, I would say not worth the risk.

[Tony Brooks]

But that sludge would find it far easier to block a car's radiator, intercooler or heater matrix than a skin tanks and calorifier.

[Dave Bebb]

I changed mine and put red antifreeze in mine it last for 5 years 

[cuthound]

The Ford Super Plus Premium antifreeze lasts for up to 10 years, making a tedious job an infrequent event.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Ford-Super-Plus-Premium-Longlife-Anti-freeze-Coolant-5-Litres-1931961-/322747303600?hash=item4b253d06b0:g:PI4AAOxygLxSZjcL

[jddevel]

I was told that YOU SHOULD NOT mix the two colours. They are, as I was told they may not be compatible and could form a gel.

[Dave Bebb]

empty all old blue or green antifreeze out, and fill with new red, don't mix blue or green with red antifreeze.

[cuthound]

10 hours ago, Dave Bebb said:

empty all old blue or green antifreeze out, and fill with new red, don't mix blue or green with red antifreeze.

Don't forget to flush the system out with clean water before adding the new coolant mixture.

[pearley]

13 hours ago, cuthound said:

The Ford Super Plus Premium antifreeze lasts for up to 10 years, making a tedious job an infrequent event.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Ford-Super-Plus-Premium-Longlife-Anti-freeze-Coolant-5-Litres-1931961-/322747303600?hash=item4b253d06b0:g:PI4AAOxygLxSZjcL

And it's no more expensive. 

[Boat&Bikes]

I use Prestone antifreeze. Ten year protection and no worries about mixing with other colours/types.

Ian.

[Machpoint005]

I know it's not an exact science, but what is the consensus on the capacity of a typical keel cooling system? I can estimate how much there is in the skin tank and pipework, but what about the engine block itself? I realise this will vary by engine, but the figure for a 4-cylinder 1.5 li - 2.0 li modern diesel must be reasonably constant?

[mross]

The cooling passages in an engine do not add up to a large volume.  A few pints at most.  The pipework and skin tank will be far more.  I take it you mean a skin tank.  Keel cooling really refers to external pipes on the sides of the keel and narrowboats don't have keels.

Someone will probably come along to prove me wrong!  Anyway, it's much better to mix anti-freeze than to have none in the system if we have a hard winter.  I reckon it pretty rare for narrowboat engines to freeze because the engine is not exposed to hard frosts and icy winds.  Even when canals freeze over, the water below the ice is always a bit warmer.

[cuthound]

When I changed the coolant on my 60 foot Beta 43 engined narrowboat I measured the capacity as I refilled it.

Circa 40 litres. 

I also changed the antifreeze in the heating system (Webasto Thermotop C towel rail and 3 x double radiators). That was circa 25 litres.