Coolant in Series 1 engines

[Mooloolah-Paul]

My engine is the 2 litre the car was built with (1955) which has been rebored and rebuilt. I am fitting a new water pump as the old one is shot. Back in the 1950's in England you put ethylene glycol antifreeze in for winter and then replaced it with plain water in the spring. Which I imagine is one of the reasons why the block and radiator has accessible drain cocks.

Should I be just using water? Rainwater is slightly acid of course. Would I be better using a modern coolant? Anybody got any advice or experience? The car won't be run every day, just occasionally, but I expect to do a bit of work on the property like hauling logs.

Cheers, Paul

[slug_burner]

Stick some coolant in it. Anything with an inhibitor to prevent the dissimilar metals from setting up electrolysis and eating your alloy bits

[numpty]

Stick some coolant in it. Anything with an inhibitor to prevent the dissimilar metals from setting up electrolysis and eating your alloy bits

What he said.

[Grockle]

I would use a 20:1 mix, this being quite a reasonable ratio

[JDNSW]

For your climate the specified coolant was soft water. Rainwater is quite suitable.

However, coolant will reduce corrosion and probably has no downsides.

John

[Scallops]

Thanks for posting this question - and thanks for the learned replies - I was about to ask the same for mine!

So is a pure coolant OK, or do I (we) need to mix a ratio such as Grockle's suggested 20:1?

[numpty]

Thanks for posting this question - and thanks for the learned replies - I was about to ask the same for mine!

So is a pure coolant OK, or do I (we) need to mix a ratio such as Grockle's suggested 20:1?

Depends what you buy Dan, concentrate or pre-mix. I use concentrate and I think I mixed it at 3 or 4 to 1. This is a complete treatment ie coolant and inhibitors. To my mind 20 to 1 would be about as good as the old school soluble oil, good in its day, but there are better products around.

[gromit]

If the temperature where you are doesn't drop below zero then you could just add a corrosion inhibitor. Small bottles of concentrate are available from most auto shops, KMart etc.
I have 'anti-freeze' in my Defender & Series 1 but It's not needed unless I head up to the High Country in winter. My Series 2 (parts car, but still regularly run) has just corrosion inhibitor.

Have always used the concentrated anti-freeze, less bulky to purchase and you don't end up paying a high price for water. Just check the system capacity to work out how much is needed. Most I've used suggest minimum 33% anti-freeze although this is more to control the temperature at which the mixture will freeze.

The other trick in the UK was to just run water all year. At night, in the cold weather, drain the water from the radiator & block. In the morning fill the system with warm/hot water. You just had to remember to shut the drain taps once the water had stopped flowing, otherwise if there was some left in the tap it froze overnight and you couldn't shut the tap in the morning !

It meant getting up a little earlier (we had more time on our hands in the old days) but I knew people who did this, then they stopped fitting drain taps to radiators & blocks.......

Colin

[chazza]

All good advice!

Check out this link to see what happens inside the block and head if you don't use corrosion inhibitor of some description,

Trans Tasman Land Rover Series 1 Register Forum • View topic - Sixpence

Cheers Charlie

[Grockle]

Depends what you buy Dan, concentrate or pre-mix. I use concentrate and I think I mixed it at 3 or 4 to 1. This is a complete treatment ie coolant and inhibitors. To my mind 20 to 1 would be about as good as the old school soluble oil, good in its day, but there are better products around.

The weak mix is if the anti freeze is not in there for frost reasons the anti corrosion inhibitor will keep furring of the water jacket etc at bay.