what happens if you do not put 50/50 in radiator?

Question

I flushed out my radiator today and without thinking I put dex cool anti freeze in it without mixing with water. however I did mix 50/50 in the resevoir. what happpend if did not mix it with the radiator itself

Answer 1

Drain it, catching the coolant in a clean container. Mix 50/50 and refill. it will not mix properly just by adding water to the reservoir.
Anti freeze does 3 things for an engine
1. Lubricates the water pump.
2. Inhibits dissimilar metal corrosion.
3. Lowers the freezing point/raises the boiling point if mixed in the correct proportions.
But water is better at transferring heat, water is a much more efficient conductor of heat, it absorbs it better from the engine block and disperses it to the air from the radiator.
If you do not have the correct mix e.g just coolant your car may overheat.

Answer 2

OK, this is not a big problem you have but you should correct it.
If you search under dexcool on the Internet you will see that a incorrectly maintained cooling system with dexcool is a problem that has been going on for 10 years with many many cars damaged. If you maintain your dexcool system by the book you will have no problems.
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It is the water in your system that does most of the cooling in your engine(not the antifreeze), so when you remove the water it is harder for your engine to stay cool in summer.
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Dexcool is Ethylene Glycol with different additives then they use in the green stuff,and that is why you cant mix them. The lowest freeze point you can obtain with Ethylene Glycol is at 70% after that it goes back up as shown in chart.
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At this point only a few minutes extra work will correct this error and avoid any possible trouble in the future.

Answer 3

what will happen is you will actually not get much cold protection,because the antifreeze ( ethylene glycol) depends on the water for heat absorption,the e/g is only good for holding the heat,longer. as such a high ratio,id figure your running about 95/5 right now,you wont have any benefit. although in cold clime areas like Alaska, a 70/30 mix is not uncommon. your best off draining out the radiator,(about halfway) and refilling with water,and keep the antifreeze ya took out,for replenishment

Answer 4

The two are meant to react chemically with your radiator to give the most cooling without hurting your radiator by having too much of the dex cool.

I don't think it will blow up but it could eat the metal away and you will get leaks.

I don't think I would drain and reuse, it's too hard to know how much water is in the dex cool.

I think you should drain it all out and then just do it again, it will be better for your rad.

Answer 5

The only difference between straight radiator fluid and a mix is the temperature it will protect your car to.

If you go to an auto parts store, you can pick up a radiator fluid tester that will tell you how cold it can be before the fluid in the radiator will freeze.

But, to answer your question simply... Putting straight antifreeze in your radiator won't harm the car at all.

Answer 6

Remember that engine coolant is anti-freeze and anti-boil.
It's significantly thicker than water.
Straight coolant will not cool as well as mix.
Too much water and you lose freeze protection.

I wouldn't buy 50/50 premix, you are getting ripped off. Buy full strength and mix yourself.

It doesn't need to be precisely 50/50. Just make sure for freezing weather that it isn't too thin.

Answer 7

initially, no longer something. besides the undeniable fact that water on my own won't be in a position to cool the vehicle as effectively as water/antifreeze blend so the vehicle will start to overheat. the interior the radiator device will start to rust and burst plus in winter while the temperature gets all the way down to freezing your coolant will freeze interior the pipes. this might burst your radiator, will knacker the water pump, and your vehicle will overheat as there will be no coolant shifting around the device.

Answer 8

50/50 gives the best protection against freezing. You should drain some out and aid water and then test it to see how much protection you have.

Answer 9

you will be finer than frog hairs just add a little water next time its low or a 50 / 50 mix thanks an happy motoring

Answer 10

Dont worry, nothing will happen, you just have a super low freezing point. Other than that, you are fine.