Antifreeze

[Shortyrock]

I’ve been in Florida the last 35 years but traveling cross country to cold weather . Do I need antifreeze in my radiator during my travels

[Passin_Thru]

Yes you need antifreeze. Go to Caterpillar and get permanent Antifreeze and ask them how to install. Back in the Good Ol Days when they were building the Alaska pipeline I heard of truck drivers from Houston running to AK and having the radiator freeze while running down the road because they didn't use antifreeze.

[waterboy502000]

Oh by the way if you don't buy the pre mixed dilute 50/50 with distilled water. NOT soft or tap. I'd be surprized if your cooling system is not ruined for running it that way. A rusted POS.

[wa8yxm]

ppine wrote:
Is this a serious question?
You need 50/50 anti-freeze and water in your radiator to protect against corrosion and boil over in hot weather. It should be obvious that you need it for any temperature below freezing.

I will second that.

[John_Joey]

Don't forget about your windshield washer fluid. If you're from the south it's only good to 32f. Use your fluid on the drive north. Once you get north buy some of the good stuff and mix it with that southern water stuff.

[wolfe10]

Yup, you need it, but what you are driving determines WHAT KIND of COOLANT you need.

[4x4van]

Shortyrock wrote:
I’ve been in Florida the last 35 years but traveling cross country to cold weather . Do I need antifreeze in my radiator during my travels

It's not "anti-freeze". It's "antifreeze/coolant", and yes, you need it regardless of where you are driving, unless you like overheating your engine.

[vegasfoodguy]

wolfe10 wrote:
OP, you need to tell us WHAT you are driving. Gas? Diesel????????

I don't think he is driving anything mechanical, A unicorn maybe!

[wolfe10]

OP, you need to tell us WHAT you are driving. Gas? Diesel????????

[naturist]

Shortyrock wrote:
I’ve been in Florida the last 35 years but traveling cross country to cold weather . Do I need antifreeze in my radiator during my travels

What they said.

Florida is flat. When the biggest hill you'll ever climb is about 6 feet high, overheating isn't much of a problem. When the coldest it'll ever get is in the high twenties, and then only for a few hours, freezing is no problem. There is no where else in North America where both those conditions apply.

Beyond that, every water-cooled engine I've ever heard of exposes a combination of aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, cast iron, and steel to the cooling system. Without the corrosion inhibiters of any of the anti-freezes, these metals are guaranteed to corrode like crazy. When that happens, it makes those engines very susceptible to overheating, especially, as well as sheer mechanical breakdown. If you've been running straight water for 35 years, I'm curious how many engines and/or radiators and/or water pumps you've had to replace?

[Chum_lee]

EVERY water cooled engine manufacturer I've ever seen specifies a specific antifreeze(s) in their cooling system for good reasons. Just follow what's recommended in your owners manual. Some manufacturers allow less than 50/50 (water/antifreeze) mix for mild climates but most recommend a 50/50 mix for normal use changed at specific intervals unless they specify lifetime coolant. In my experience, "lifetime coolant" means how long your engine will reliably last if you don't change it regularly.

Chum lee

[path1]

Shortyrock wrote:
I’ve been in Florida the last 35 years but traveling cross country to cold weather . Do I need antifreeze in my radiator during my travels

You need it now even if vehicle is sitting and in todays world you need a specific type depending on your engine.

[downtheroad]

I hope you haven't been running straight water in your radiator for the past 35 years......:E

Anyway, welcome to the Forum. Good advice and information from the posters above....and have a good trip on your cross country adventure.

[77rollalong]

antifreeze, is just one part of the mix, it also has anti corrosion additives in it so you don't build up rust and such, as well a waterpump lube as well

[DrewE]

You need antifreeze coolant in your radiator, yes.

You probably have antifreeze coolant already in your radiator. It is standard on all motor vehicles in any climate for many decades. I would not worry about it unless you have specific reason to believe you have something else there--like if you filled the cooling system yourself with water alone.