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Quick coolant question


Terranovation
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My temp gauge takes about 5-6 minutes to start moving from the C mark in the morning. I've been using Tectaloy 90 which is a strong coolant mix with increased protection from heat. There's another one which is Tectaloy 60 and not as concentrated. Then I was thinking should I use 50/50 distilled water and Tectaloy 60. What would be the best way to get it warming up quicker?

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I always dilute any full strength coolant. I doubt that the coolant is causing the slow heating of the engine. If you haven't already, I'd replace your thermostat. It may be stuck open.

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I had the same problem in my Suzuki Sidekick. I was on a trail in low range, 1st and 2nd gear on a very hot day, and cooked my thermostat (had to stop to let things cool down). After that, it always took a long time to come up to temp. When I pulled the thermostat, I found that it would no longer close completely, which lengthened the normal warmup time. Not a big deal in the summer, but a pain in the butt in the winter (windshield fogged up, ice on wipers, etc.).

 

Be aware that there seems to be two types of thermostat produced. Some brands start to open well before rated temp., and that's ok if you are running a 5 or 7 litre engine.

 

Others don't open until almost at rated temp., when they suddenly pop open. Great for 1.6 to 3 litres.

Stant seems to be the brand of choice for the smaller engines, or else you buy oem from the dealer... $$$

 

Remember that low temps aren't just a comfort deal. The engine management computer wants to see a target temperature, and if it doesn't, will run the mixture richer than normal.

That impacts the life of the cat, vehicle mileage, etc.

 

When skiing out of our Sidekick in sub zero temperatures, we completely blocked off the rad with cardboard, and the heater core was big enough to cool the engine.

 

 

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Soooo, the water does the cooling. The anti freeze is a lubricant and it changes both the freezing point and the boiling point when put under pressure. Always mix ad close to 50/50 as you can, and never run straight anti freeze.

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Ok, so I guess Il drain out two litres (about half a gallon) and put distilled water in to dilute with the Tectaloy 90 and Il see how that goes. I don't think it's the thermostat. The water pump doesn't leak and I haven't had any problems with leaks in this since 2005. It's tight as a drum and I change the coolant once a year to stay on the safe side. I know it says something like 3 years/100,000k on the bottle but I don't trust that. Lol

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So looking at their site is THAT what you are currently using and THIS the other option you mentioned?

 

I ask because both of those are listed in the "Ready to use" section and not listed as Concentrated. The 90 Green says it's a 33% mix while the 60 does not specify, but an assumption would be the standard 50/50. There is also a 90 Red that says it's 50%.

 

If your using one of these they come pre-mixed... at least according to their website :shrug:

 

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Correct, the Tectaloy 90 is what I am using. It says 33% concentrated, protects to temperature 125c and -19c cold temps. The Tectaloy 60 is slightly lighter green in colour which suggests the glycol amount is less. So maybe I should just switch to the Tectaloy 60 then so I can warm up faster? I'm just a bit concerned about driving in the cold mornings to work and not warming up the engine fast enough. The temp guage looks about this position __\___ on the cooler end of the scale. Driving in hot weather with air con on it will climb to nearly half way which is normal.

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If it already premixed, no need for further dilution. If your thermostat is stuck open, not closed, nothing will leak as it is open & no pressure builds behind it. It's rather common, and was the case with mine. Took 20 minutes to warm & 30 minutes to have hot air on a cold day. If open, water constantly flushes through the radiator(just like running without a thermostat) & never has the time for the engine to heat it properly.

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The thermostat must be doing it's job, I looked into the top of the radiator with the cap off and I can see the coolant flowing through from the top hose on the left side and it's gushing across to the right so coolant is flowing. Both top and bottom hoses feel warm. Summer is fast approaching here in Oz so I might stay with the higher concentrated stuff, see how that goes and then switch to the lower concentrate to see if the temp rises a bit. The higher concentrate says it's suitable for vehicles that tow caravans and such. Well I'm not towing anything else around except for myself lol.

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