Mixing water and anti-freeze

37chief · Dec 8, 2011

I decided to change the anit freeze on my MF 231, since I had most of it drained to repair a hole I put the radiator. I was told to use distilled water years ago when mixing anti-freeze. I have got away from doing that for a few years. Is it worth the extra trouble to use distilled water? Stan

luv2wrench · Dec 8, 2011

you won't get the crud build up. Good to use from when the machine is new. At this point it doesnt' matter. When i fix Vettes at work, the owners always insist to use it. If the system has never had it, don't worry about it. When i put in a new engine at work i use it. each to their own. Depends how hard your water is too...

luv2wrench · Dec 8, 2011

you won't get the crud build up. Good to use from when the machine is new. At this point it doesnt' matter. When i fix Vettes at work, the owners always insist to use it. If the system has never had it, don't worry about it. When i put in a new engine at work i use it. each to their own. Depends how hard your water is too...

Tom-NorthCenTX · Dec 8, 2011

It only oosts about one dollar per gallon. It is just as easy as using tap water. So, why on earth not use it? Tom

Stephen Newell · Dec 8, 2011

I've never used distilled water in a radiator. I've only used it in a battery.

Tony in Mass. · Dec 8, 2011

Well, western well water- where you are- might be a little hard for some jobs,so if not distilled, atleast settled first. Since my local shop doesn't want to work on 'old junk' anymore, which is all I have, I have to do everything possible to maintain mine. Preventing a mineral build up in the core is a good start. Even here in the drowneded northeast, my water ain't what it used to be...

Anonymous-0 · Dec 8, 2011

I save the water from our dehumidifier and mix that with antifreeze.

johndeerefan · Dec 8, 2011

Okay, now someone tell me where you get distilled water? I will be changing anti-freeze in my powerstroke next spring and it says to use distilled water for flushing and for mixing. I haven't seen it for sale anywhere. I usually use tap water in the gas tractors and cars. Those powerstrokes are picky and expensive to fix, so I thought I would do it right.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 8, 2011

Grocery store, if not near the bottled water, try by the laundry
supplies...housekeepers like to use it in clothes irons since it
doesn't cause scaling of mineral deposits

Anonymous-0 · Dec 8, 2011

put a glass dish,not metal, out in the rain, hey presto.My Father used to do that in the 1940's.That should be within the budget.

JDseller · Dec 9, 2011

The reason to use distilled water is that it does not have any calcium or iron in it. If you use tap water and you have high calcium content then you can plug the radiator/heater core faster.

I have been using the premixed Cool guard from John Deere the last few years in all of my diesels. (there are others brands out there but I get a better discount on the Deere stuff) It is not that high and the blocks do seem to stay cleaner. I had to tear into an engine I had rebuilt a few years ago. It did not seem to have as much rust and stuff in the water jacket.

If you don't think it is worth the extra cost then do use distilled water. Rain water will work too.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 9, 2011

Not sure I'm right bout this but I think all you have to do is boil some water.

Two Dogs · Dec 9, 2011

Wal Mart

John M · Dec 9, 2011

The one time I did mine, I just used tap water, BUT Im on city water, and used water that runs through my under house filter. Use tap water until its clear, then use the distilled. WIll save you some money. If youre getting your instructions from TDS, make sure you use Goochs procedure!

showcrop · Dec 9, 2011

It would be very important to not use the tap water if it is acidic. In cities and towns that get there water from reservoirs that are charged with run-off from soft woods forest the water will tend to be acidic. Private shallow wells in sandy soil can tend to be acidic also.

MartyinVa · Dec 9, 2011

Just use the 50/50 stuff if that'll get you to the nonfreeze point you need.

Thats what the rad. shop told me to use after cleaning my rad. I had just put in the 4runner less than 2 yrs ago. It was stopped up with what looked like red mud. I used reg antifreeze and well water.
When I walked in the rad. shop the owner was just going in and held the door for me . 1st thing he said when he saw the neck was, "Do you live in west part of Hanover County? You can't use that well water."
Wanna guess where I live?

Too much Iron in the water.

Not smart enough to understand but they were telling me about the iron and moving electrons destroy everything. Said there was enough elec created to light a lightbulb.

Bob Bancroft · Dec 9, 2011

I have the wife get me distlled water when getting groceries.
I mix a gallon of AF with a gallon of water in a 2.5 gal. herbicide jug, and use that for all refills. That way I never have to worry about freeze ups.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 9, 2011

Do you have a dehumidifier? Run that baby until the tank is full and you've got a tank of very pure water. We throw most of ours out, but it's very good battery water.

LJD · Dec 9, 2011

Not something I worry about anymore. Besides having many radiators to fill, I've got a $3000 battery bank that's hooked to my house's electrical system. I used to buy "distilled" water for all, but gave it up and figure it's not worth the cost.

Think about it. Even if you've got water with high iron and other minerals e.g. copper,lead, arsenic, etc. - the amount of those solids in a few gallons of water isn't enough to choke a baby flea.

Also . . . what irks me a little is that several brands of bottle water sold as "distilled" are not distilled at all. Just filtered. Last time I bought all new batteries for my battery bank ($600 each) I checked around. Finding water sold as "distilled" that was actually distilled turned into a big research project.

In the USA, it is allowed to call water "distilled" when it's not, and just as legal to call motor oil "synthetic" when it's not. Gets to a point where I now suspect near everything.

Radiators in cooling systems probably suffer a lot more from "solder bloom" then the trace minerals in the water used.

Mike M · Dec 9, 2011

Also add a DCA or SCA additive like wixcool,nalcool,NAPA and JD or most truck tractor places sell it. VERY important for wet sleeved engines or those thin blocked Ford diesels.

Eldo case · Dec 9, 2011

The herbicide jug is not a good idea. I seen what Round UP will do to a transmission and hyd system when mistaken for oil. Not a cheap repair!

Tony in Mass. · Dec 9, 2011

Yep, that's what I do in summer. It doesn't run at all in winter, furnace dries the basement- but in July I can get 2-3 gallons a week.

glennster · Dec 9, 2011

most stores will have distilled water in the isle where they have baby supplies.

bobs old iron · Dec 9, 2011

reading the replay's threads,,,what did the grand parents do back then when out in the fields when the rad needed water from working the engine hard all day,,grab it from the water that was running down the row feeding crops, if it worked back then, what the big deal about today's h2o that mixes with anti-freeze today,,,been using same water i been drinking, using in batt, mixing with anti-freeze,,none of us are dead yet,,lol

Bob Bancroft · Dec 9, 2011

Maybe not for you, but it works for me. Anti freeze is green, and the jug is marked.

Bob Bancroft · Dec 9, 2011

I've wondered about that. The "distilled" water we get has to be better than anything I have here, so I'll continue. I also suspect everything. I can't even trust myself anymore!

Butch LeBlanc · Dec 10, 2011

I do believe that distilled water comes from capturing the steam that comes from boiling water.

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