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If you don't house your vehicles inside or plug in block heaters make sure you check your anti freeze for temp tolerance to prevent freeze plug blowouts or cracked blocks.

Right. It just happened to me on Friday night with a very reliable Chevy pick-up. Driving along with the temperature rising right to the limit. Luckily I was able to park for the night and get a ride back for another truck. Opening the radiator fill in the AM (still about 8 degrees) showed many ice crystals. The slow addition of 3/4 of a gallon of pure anti-freeze coupled with running of the engine cured the problem and all is back to normal. Upon reflection, the failure mode was quite obvious: Over the years when coolant was low it was topped up with plain water. This so diluted the desired 50/50 mix so that for the first time in years when we were exposed to near zero temperatures ice formed in the cooling system and blocked the normal flow. The reminder is simple - not only is the volume of coolant enough, you must also maintain the required fluid balance (much like the human body).

What most people don't realize is, that even though the engine is hot, once that cold air strts rolling over the radiator, especially at 60, the wind chill will freeze the radiator right up.

Tony Meola wrote:What most people don't realize is, that even though the engine is hot, once that cold air strts rolling over the radiator, especially at 60, the wind chill will freeze the radiator right up.

Tony,

This is a common myth that will probably never die, but wind chill only relates to those mammals that have sweat glands and due to evaporation of the surface molecules of moisture on the skin. Even then, it's only a perception of the temperature being colder. (This is also true for heat index.)

Inanimate objects, including water, are not affected by wind chill. Wind Chill does not impact inanimate objects like car radiators and exposed water pipes, because these objects cannot cool below the actual air temperature. Moving water freezes considerably slower than standing water. The main reason running water freezes slower is that it picks up heat from parts of it surroundings at the same time it loses heat to other parts.

Water circulating between a running engine and radiator will not freeze, even if the water isn't treated with an anti-freeze...

It's true that wind chill has no bearing on inanimate objects. If it is 20 degrees outside with a wind chill down to 10, inanimate object can not get colder then 20 degrees..... BUT.... Wind, wind chill or air going thru radiator ( what ever you want to call it) WILL cause inanimate object to reach ambient temperature that much quicker. Evidenced by pipes freezing on north or windward side of building and radiators freezing up etc. like said....it can't get colder then ambient....just reaches ambient faster.

Ray

Wind, wind chill or air going thru radiator ( what ever you want to call it) WILL cause inanimate object to reach ambient temperature that much quicker

LOL... But not when 180º water is flowing through it.

Please remember also about coolant of today- some you don't mix with water like Toyota's super long life(SLL). If you add water you've destroyed the antifreeze and lubricity of the coolant. READ your coolant's instructions carefully.

Rocky,

Can the SSL be used in other modern cooling systems? Ford, Chevy, Mahindra, etc?

Capt I do not know about other brands mixing with it, but I do know if used with older coolants not completely flushed out to treat the system's interval like the older coolant's specs.
Otherwise I do not see any harm done if you flush and start from SLL. It has neat characteristics were if there is a small seep or leak in system it coagulates and forms a small crust on outside. (Water pumps in particular the ceramic plate to seal).

I was going to ask about that, Rocky, as I think most of the auto parts departments around me all only carry 50 50 mix (even the name brand stuff) -- so definitely pay attention to what the label says before you pour it in - as my brother-in-law always says "RTFM"

Tom

Capt. Pat

Live and learn. Pretty interesting.