Coolant

For years I have purchased full strength anti freeze by the gallon and pre mixed it with a gallon of distilled water from the
grocery store. That's what I add to radiators. I never add water alone, so I don't check radiators. I've been buying the gold/yellow
add to any color coolant lately and mixing it the same. I happened to check the mix today. The best I can get is between minus
10 and 20. The old green mix tests minus 34 just like the jug says. Pink coolant in my pickup as it came from the factory tests
just like the yellow mixture. Do we need a different tester for this newer stuff? And I tested the neighbors' purchased pre
diluted coolant, and get the same minus 10 to 20 reading.

Are you purchasing premix Gold/yellow coolant now?

You might get another hydrometer. I have two and one reads 25 above zero and the other reads 25 below zero. Before it gets really cold I'm going to get another one and see which one is bad.

(quoted from post at 13:29:15 11/08/22) You might get another hydrometer. I have two and one reads 25 above zero and the other reads 25 below zero. Before it gets really cold I'm going to get another one and see which one is bad.

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ike the man with two clocks!

Wow, thats quite a delta. Just out of curiosity, what do they read in straight water? I'd like to know if they read the same and then diverge.

(quoted from post at 11:51:28 11/08/22) For years I have purchased full strength anti freeze by the gallon and pre mixed it with a gallon of distilled water from the
grocery store. That's what I add to radiators. I never add water alone, so I don't check radiators. I've been buying the gold/yellow
add to any color coolant lately and mixing it the same. I happened to check the mix today. The best I can get is between minus
10 and 20. The old green mix tests minus 34 just like the jug says. Pink coolant in my pickup as it came from the factory tests
just like the yellow mixture. Do we need a different tester for this newer stuff? And I tested the neighbors' purchased pre
diluted coolant, and get the same minus 10 to 20 reading.

Click to expand...

You might be right. I tested my two fords that I have not added water to since last winter and they both tested weak.
Going to get a new tester very soon.

Not sure what you have since I'm not reading the container. But I am sure green etheylene glycol and PROPELENY GLYCOL as in Bobcat equipment premixed require different testers, as you said that was like 40 below and 10 above. It's been a few years since I used equipment using the different types.

I know spelling, I didn't proof read. Leroy

I never thought to put them in water. Neither of the hydrometers would register anything in plain water. I started checking them because I changed a radiator hose on a tractor and when I mixed the antifreeze it looked strange like I took a pre-diluted antifreeze and mixed it 50/50. I started thinking someone had bought the antifreeze, drained most of it out and then put a new seal on the top and took it back to the store for a refund. The new hydrometer showed the mixed solution to be minus 25. I'm still going to get a third opinion from another hydrometer.

Different testers for each type of coolant. Some will read 2 types but have the scale for each on the tube. The refractometer will read all four coolants
Tester.

(quoted from post at 14:29:15 11/08/22) You might get another hydrometer. I have two and one reads 25 above zero and the other reads 25 below zero. Before it gets really cold I'm going to get another one and see which one is bad.

Click to expand...

Put a cup of the antifreeze mix in your freezer.
Along with a thermometer.
I bet your freezer runs at below 25, close to zero.
If the cup don't freeze at zero, well then the one hydrometer is wrong.

Try the strips for diesels from Baldwin or other places. They have them for different colors of antifreeze. I have been using the ones from Wix and Baldwin.

If you're using non-toxic propylene glycol antifreeze, then a hydrometer intended for ethylene glycol won't work. But I doubt you're buying propylene glycol antifreeze; it will be labeled as such. And I don't know of any OEM who use propylene glycol as their factory fill. So I'd say you aren't getting an accurate reading from your hydrometer.

Does your hydrometer have little balls or a dial? In my opinion, the ball-type is inherently accurate: If the -10 ball floats and the -20 ball doesn't, is it good down to -10 or is it good down to -19? There's no way to tell. I pitched my cheap ball hydrometer and bought a dial one; it indicates my antifreeze mix is good to a lower temperature than the old hydrometer. If I had to check a lot of vehicles, I'd probably buy a refractometer like the one Reslls linked to.

Note that the 'straight' antifreeze you're buying now is probably not quite as strong as the old stuff. Antifreeze from the jug is never straight ethylene glycol; it is always slightly diluted, because straight ethylene glycol won't pour in very cold temperatures. I suspect manufacturers are adding a bit more water to the mix than they used to because water is cheap and glycol isn't. Also, it's possible the newer organic additive packages affect the viscosity in a way the old inorganic packages did not. (This is pure speculation on my part.)