Life of Anti-freeze

F-Dean

Well-known Member
How long will anti-freeze remain effective?
I am draining all my old tractors in preparation for Winter. Am I wasting good anti-freeze?
 
modern antifreeze can last 10+ years, as long as the system is clean and mixed with distilled water you should not have any problems. if you go to most auto parts stores you can pick up coolant test strips, it will check the Glycol % and the Nitrate levels (PH). They give you the state and condition of the coolant better then a hydrometer or refractometer.
 
My 1965 Ford 1 ton has not had the anti freeze touched in over 10 years and it has never froze over the winter. All I ever do is top off al the cooling system this time of year as I put the machine in the shed for the winter
 
Antifreeze does not really lose cooling nor freeze protection, it does lose corrosion and anti cavitation value.

So just because it tests well on freezing does not make it good.
 
My tractors may have 20+ years on the anti freeze . But I do add a can of rust inhibitor ever couple years too. Gas, not diesel.
 
(quoted from post at 09:20:23 10/21/19) How long will anti-freeze remain effective?
I am draining all my old tractors in preparation for Winter. Am I wasting good anti-freeze?

When was the last time the anti-freeze was changed? If you have no idea, then change it. The typical life span of glycol based anti-freeze is maximum 5 years, due to the glycol breaking down and becoming acidic.

As others have indicated, you can purchase test strips for that but what's the cost of the coolant versus an engine rebuild?

When mixing the coolant, only use distilled water. It will be free of any other chemicals that might interfere with the coolant chemistry. A low cost source is a drug store, where a 1 gallon jug is somewhere between $0.99 and $1.50.
 

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