i have had to topup my radiator with water...will i need to top up the anti freeze??

Answer 1

I see there are lots of answers here but I will still include mine; As long as the level being low is not due to an actual leak then no you should'nt need to add anti freeze it does'nt boil off like the water does. I personally run pure anti freeze in that it does not cause corosion to the system like water does and it also has lubricant in it for the water pump. Some people will try telling you that if there is no water then it won't cool but they could'nt be more wrong, Ethyl Glycol or antifreeze cools better than water it not only freezes at a lower temp it also boils at a much higher temp so it will protect your engine much better than any water mix ever could!

Answer 2

Its recommended to top up with approx a 70/30 mix, most newer cars come with the coolant protecting to minus -26 degrees plus. so if its a newer vehicle it should be strong enough. check the colour of the coolant in the bottle, newer car use mainly pink fluid now, the stronger pink colour the more antifreeze is in the system.
if your still worried about the possibility of the water freezing you can always go to a local garage or main dealer and they can test it for you.
p.s its not recommended to mix coolants i.e blue and pink together.
also monitor the water level, if it drops again i reckon you will have a leak, you might need to get this checked out. also dont go over the max marker on the header tank.

Answer 3

Yes. By adding neat water you have diluted the anti freeze solution. You must add more anti freeze to maintain the concentration.
Example - if you,ve added a pint of water than you must add about 1/4 pint anti freeze to maintain the winter strength concentration.
Over-doing the anti freeze a bit won't do harm but above 1:2 concentration you'll be wasting money in UK climate.

Answer 4

water dilutes antifreeze and if the mixture falls below 50/50 it can freeze. always try to keep it above 50/50 add some pure tokeep its value. also too much water even in summer does not have the ability to prevent corrosion. then you need a flush. have the prestone tested with a test stripe not a squeese tester that only gives minus value but its ph value

Answer 5

My manual recommends a 50/50 mixture for my 03 F150. If you are in extreme cold environments like well below freezing you should consider 60/40 antifreeze or vice versa in extreme heat conditions (EXTREME!) Always check with a coolant check that shows you what temperature your coolant is rated.

Answer 6

First, you do not just add water, especially if your in a hot or extreme cold climate. There is a mixture that is both water and antifreeze you should be adding. NEVER fill up to the top...or it will overflow into your "overflow" container and fill it up too high. I hope your not in a cold climate, or your looking at a frozen vehicle!

Answer 7

If your consistently topping up with water all the time then yes at some point you would have to put antifreeze in because you would be diluting the mix.

Answer 8

I'm not sure how cold it is where you live, but where we live we mix 1/2 and 1/2 water and antifreeze into the radiator. It's very cold here.

Answer 9

Depends on where you are. If you're in the midewest right now, you'd better put antifreeze in your car FAST. That water will freeze and screw up your radiator.

Answer 10

Yes definitely,when you top up you are diluting the anti-freeze that's already in the tank