I can't figure this out please help.....?

Question

Why will my car hold coolant but not water?

Answer 1

if youre mixing coolant and water 50/50, it should work just fine, but if for some reason the water is leaving the system but the coolant is still there, its possible you have a small leak somewhere, possibly in the radiator cap, thats letting steam out when the system warms up, but it doesnt get hot enough to vaporize the coolant. a new cap may be a starting point.

Answer 2

The word coolant can refer to 100% water or water plus any percentage of antifreeze. In the reference to a street driven car the word coolant is specified in your owners manual in your glove box. A mixture of antifreeze and ( distilled) water is the best medicine for any car. Distilled water has no oxides of iron, salt, chlorine and many other harmful deposits that accelerate build up or scaling inside your cooling system. It's always to your advantage to do this. To days cars call for extended drain intervals in cooling systems. This is a double edged sword. People don't check or forget to have the systems serviced regularly and the nasty build up begins. It's in your best interest to always have enough antifreeze mixed with distilled water to keep your system clean. Antifreeze has numerous additives in it to combat rust build up in your engine. Always blend your mixture to a minimum of 15 degrees below your coldest expected temperature. Nextell Cars you see on television use water plus chemical's to make water wetter, so as to keep the motors as cool as possible. When they get home the systems ore all drained (including coolant). They may or may not ever use the engine block again depending upon bore condition. The cylinder heads are most likely used again.

Answer 3

As a diesel mechanic, I only use pure coolant. Water does not do the trick.

Answer 4

Our modern day engines run pretty hot, with straight water the steam evaporates from the expansion tank leaving your cooling system low. Always run a 50/50 mix, anti freeze and water.

Answer 5

If you are reffering to anti freeze as coolant how do you know what it is holding and what it is not ??? This is a rather confusing ??