coolant emergency

**jettman** · 06-05-2008 07:29 AM

Im in the Dominican republic and my car is consuming coolant and the coolant warning light is on..all they have at the shop is prestone 50/50 red coolant. can i use it....ahhhhhh

**jettman** · 06-05-2008 07:29 AM

just till i get buy and order some g12 online

**jettman** · 06-05-2008 07:35 AM

and if i do use it. do i need to do a flush

**Mikef5000** · 06-05-2008 07:36 AM

Yes.

**jettman** · 06-05-2008 07:45 AM

is that yes to all?

**wolfdog** · 06-05-2008 08:23 AM

you're in a pretty warm climate. I wonder if you can get away with just straight distilled water. I think you mix the G12 50/50 with water to prevent freezing in the winter. Since you don't have that problem you might not even need it. Then again, I am just theorizing here.

BTW, you might want to check your rear coolant flange, where the engine coolant temperatures sensor plugs in. That's where mine is leaking and I just got the part yesterday from genuineaudiparts.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84054

**lookaught** · 06-05-2008 09:05 AM

I would just add distilled water. There will be plenty of lubricant from the remaining coolant that is still in the system so there will be no need to add water wetter. You can mix it up to 70% water/30% G12 IIRC.

The more important thing to do is to find out why your car is consuming coolant in the first place, as that could be a simple fix or a catastrophy waiting to happen, and if it is indeed something serious you should not be driving your car at all!

By the way, coolants that are ethylene glycol based (such as G12 and nearly all others) are EXTREMELY poisonous. If you car is dripping coolant and you have any type of pet or neighborhood cats/dogs it can kill them very, very easily and it is not a pleasant way to die. The chemicals cause renal failure, and it has a near 100% fatality rate. Unfortunately, coolant is sweet tasting/smelling so the animals seek it out and drink it if they find it, so be careful and clean up any spills! Even a tablespoon is enough to kill a large size dog.

**vdubstreets** · 06-05-2008 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by lookaught

I would just add distilled water. There will be plenty of lubricant from the remaining coolant that is still in the system so there will be no need to add water wetter. You can mix it up to 70% water/30% G12 IIRC.

the other reason you use coolant is not because of the low freezing point is because the high boiling point (along with lubricant and other properties). I think 70/30 should be ok just make sure you have some coolant left.

**CO AVANT** · 06-05-2008 09:41 AM

Water has better cooling properties over coolant. You only need enough coolant to lubricate the seals. I have run as low as a 90% water 10% coolant mix. If it's not for very long you can just run water, it will be okay... You can even not run any coolant and run straight water and watter wetter or purple ice. It says right on that little bottle that it is enough to lubricate the seals up to 20L. I have been running the 90/10 ratio for the last couple days now as my coolant reservior is no longer holding max temp/pressure and leaking. I usually run a 75/25 ratio. Even in Colorado in the winter months.

**Capt. Obvious** · 06-05-2008 11:00 AM

I've been running the Prestone stuff that is "compatible with all coolant types" for several months now mixed with the g12 with no issues (I have a very small leak in my radiator that requires to top it off about once a month).