AndrewGP Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 So, my winter rebuild and refresh is coming to an end and now the engine is back in the car, the thorny issue of refilling the coolant is rapidly approaching. It's a 1.8 K Series and the only fact I know of the previous coolant was that is was green. I have no idea what type it was other than the colour 😔 So, what does the POBC recommend I do now? I've been through the vast amount of threads in the archives and frankly I'm as confused as before. As part of the refresh I've fitted new silicon hoses from SFS which again crops up in the threads as a potential issue. Which coolant should I buy? And would it be a good idea to flush it a few times prior to getting the car back on the road? Many thanks and sorry for yet another coolant thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 27, 2014 Member Share Posted March 27, 2014 I stand by my previously recommended products, although the prices might be out of date. If the old stuff looks evil you might want to flush but not otherwise. IMHO silicone hoses don't make any difference to the recommendation but visual inspection and tightening of connections is a good idea. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stationary M25 Traveller Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Hi Andrew Yes ... flush it through a couple of times. Halfords advanced red/pink stuff. Have you done the coolant circuit mod as per LF Sept 2012 ? .... inc 3mm dia hole in the top of the thermostat internal flange ? Just done all of this today for Stu in Köln. Ian Edited by - SM25T on 27 Mar 2014 23:08:39 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 28, 2014 Member Share Posted March 28, 2014 I'll try and reduce the confusion and increase the agreement: flushing won't do any harm. (With K series engines the issue is the other way round: coolant that looks clean might have lost its anticorrosion properties, so it's important to replace it as recommended.) Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tin duck dave Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I was recomended to use Comma G48 green by Dave Andrews for my K series which would back up your coolant colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewGP Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 Thanks chaps I'm going to give it a quick flush then fill it with the pink Halfords Advanced stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadsport06 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I thought it was G30 for a k series. Could the k guru explain why it should be G48. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesG Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Well, as part of my winter refresh,I refilled my K engine with Evans waterless coolant, so apologies for adding to your confusion! You do need to use their hygroscopic flush to get all the old water/coolant mix out, but I'm hoping for long term improved cooling properties, and anti corrosion protection, not to mention decreased system pressure! 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 29, 2014 Member Share Posted March 29, 2014 Waterless coolant is discussed here and here and here and here. It would be very generous if anyone who uses it could make measurements of the effects in as close to a like-for-like setting as possible. This will take a bit of time, and, preferably, a change back to the other stuff, but it would be very interesting. It would be great bit of crowdsourcing to design the experiment on BC... Thanks Jonathan Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 29 Mar 2014 08:57:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 when you flush I can't see how you would get all the Coolant from the block around the liners ? Edited by - Dave Jackson on 29 Mar 2014 10:48:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted March 29, 2014 Member Share Posted March 29, 2014 *arrowup*That was an interesting typo. Were you thinking of the effect of Aaron the system? ;-) Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaterBram Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Best time to install is with a new engine, however when doing a conversion you drain as much as possible, fill the engine with the flush fluid, run the engine for a period, redrain then fill with evans, unless you have a very large coolant volume within the block and a very small cooling system volume you normally get below the % water content which is recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaterBram Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 PS I can confirm that the pressure at the expansion tank is vertually non existant but also the hoses through the system do not stiffen up due to pressure as the do with normal coolant pressures. So I can only assume that the pressure observed at the expansion tank is similar to that in the hoses. The zetec has a very specific issue in that the recommended oil temp is between 100-110C so is pushing normal coolant in a 7 installation above what is ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now