Mixing different brands of coolant

Tegger wrote in news:XnsA01C7192192EEtegger@208.90.168.18:

Not too much good for me then. I need a mix of around 70/30 or so to get the freezing point down around -70F ....

the combination should lower the boiling point....

Only if you want to wake up alive the next morning and can see... Thanks for the info....DaveD

Dave Dodson wrote in news:XnsA01CF35ABAC66DaveD@209.112.128.246:

Where the hell do you live?

Where I live it's never gotten any colder than -20F, so the -35 stuff works just fine.

There may be a special Honda antifreeze sold in your area. Check with your dealer.

Mine is "Type 2". Honda may have other formulations that may be known as "Type 1", "Type 3", etc.

yup, that's what i do. some aftermarket radiators are pretty cheap and nasty, but they'll usually last 5 years. by which point, all the stones, bugs and other debris that messes them up can be expunged for a fraction of the cost of the oem - which cost dictates you'll struggle on with for as long as possible and their sudden failure becomes a real problem.

usually, they're "too thorough" with the stuff that's easy to fix and ignore the harder stuff. a friend of mine got dinged $450 for a motor mount that was allegedly "cracked". but it was one of the ones where it has a thin rubber web that basically is just to hold the guts in position until it's fitted, then is irrelevant. it takes about 10 minutes to replace - should it actually be necessary - and costs

well done!

A good chunk of the credit should go to Toyota because that factory A/C kit came with such detailed and illustrated step-by-step instructions that they was similar in quality to Heathkit instructions of the time. And I used to be kit builder.

I just stopped by a Honda dealership and checked what kind of antifreeze mix they carry with the Honda label here in the Seattle area. Well, this one has a temp rating of -34 to 268 F. I also checked the makeup of the coolant. Besides the 50% water, it contains ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and 30 ppm bittering agent. Anybody knows what that last ingredient is?

cameo wrote in news:jkdq8u$vtp$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

I know, it's Sea Cucumber!

Oh, wait. Sorry. I thought this was Iron Chef...

Seriously though ... I assumed that Honda's antifreeze would also contain some rust inhibitors or such, not just the two kibds of glycols. Prestone brand also has those two glycols, plus some other ingredients, such as: sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate and sodium neodecanoate. They don't list any bittering agent but perhaps the last two will do the job.

Tegger wrote in news:XnsA01D3576CFCA4tegger@208.90.168.18:

North Pole Alaska...About 15 miles southeast of Fairbanks....The coldest I have seen at my place was -72F...But, at -50F when driving at 60mph the coolant in the radiator can freeze even with the mix set down to -60F. It will freeze at the bottom and be liquid at the top....

cameo wrote in news:jkeftm$udi$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Where are you getting the indgredients? From the MSDS?

You should be aware that proprietary ingredients are usually left off the MSDS and other publicly-published documents for competitive reasons, so you may not be seeing eveything that's in there.

Dave Dodson wrote in news:XnsA01EFED5BFDDaveD@209.112.128.246:

Wow. I've never experienced cold like that, and I hope I never do.

I guess nobody up there has a backyard swimming pool, huh?

Your local dealer has /got/ to sell a Honda-branded mix that's meant for your climate; Type-2 clearly will not do.

It's right on the 1-gallon jug.

On the other hand, there may be a need for the public to know in case some people drink it or in order to dispose of it properly. It's listed under the big WARNING heading. Of course I don't know what other things they left out from disclosure.

the chemical disclosure/safety principles that were envisioned by the msds system have been completely politically eviscerated. they're pretty much meaningless as, just like tegger says, all a manufacturer has to do is say the contents are "proprietary", and they don't have to disclose a damned thing. and what they do disclose can be completely obscured by legally using non-uipac nomenclature, and obscure or even misleading nomenclature at that.

which is completely ridiculous since any facade of "trade secret" is made a mockery by any halfway competent chem lab, so the only "secrecy" is that of deceiving the public, not any industrial competition.

Tegger wrote in news:XnsA01E60DE8B50Ftegger@208.90.168.18:

Believe it or not there are some backyard pools here...They are all the above ground type so they can be drained in the fall... Our average summer temp is about 74F but we have days, not uncommon, with temps up in the 80s and 90s...Low 90s albeit.....To my way of thinking it is a waste of time and money for only several days use a year....But the kids seem to enjoy them....

I have been using my own mix in my 86 Civic and it has done OK...Don't drive it much in the winter for the past several years...I guess maybe I'm babying it too much...Should use it more I reckon... DaveD

A bittering agent is soemthing they add to the coolant to try and keep dogs and other animal (including people I suppose) from drinking the coolant. It is probably Denatonium Benzoate.

See: