Coolant

[Dodge Doll]

Like everyone else, I run antifreeze in my cooling system every winter.

Someone told me that you need to get that out of there before the Summer heat and run just plain water, and I could've choked on my laughter. Yes, diluting the concentration is something I do if it's really hot, but taking it out completely?

Nope.

 

[chillen]

I am not sure that really seems wise and I almost think it would do more harm than good. I caught something last night on the show how stuff works and they were talking about how coolants help when you are trying to build an outdoor ice rink, pretty interesting episode.

 

[Midnight Tech]

No no NO!
Modern vehicles are designed to run with a mix of coolant and water - preferably around a 50-50 ratio. Running a modern vehicle with plain water (or coolant) will result in it quickly overheating and seriously damaging the engine.

 

[HANG]

Agreed with midnight.. do not do that. That's something we had to do with older cars, but nowadays not at all. The best advice I can give you right now is don't go and do these things to your cars without checking first. Sometimes what some guy at the bar/restaurant says is not correct.

 

[sharky]

Yeah, I have never taken my coolant out and I wouldn't suggest it either. You might want to let whoever told you that know that't is a really bad idea.

 

[silverfox]

Sometimes my AC blows out cold air and other times it does not. I live in Florida so it gets very hot. Could this be from the car sitting in a hot garage or outside for long periods? I know the obvious would be to check the antifreeze but I am trying to avoid paying. Just wondering if this could be something normal.