Topping up antifreeze/summer coolant

[springsider]

Can anyone tell me if i can just mix some halfords antifreeze/summer coolant with water and pour straight into bottle behind rear reg plate? Don't know what type of coolant is in there right now but is different color from halfords stuff. In the last few weeks the coolant bottle level has been going down quite fast, could there be another problem causing this? There is a 1.9 diesel engine in my T25. Any advice/help would be much appreciated.

[Nicola&Tony]

Hello and welcome!

Can anyone tell me if i can just mix some halfords antifreeze/summer coolant with water and pour straight into bottle behind rear reg plate?

Can't see any problem with doing that meself, unless your engine is fairly new and has the pink VW G12+ coolant in it, in which case put more of that in because it is better at reducing corrosion apparently.

Don't know what type of coolant is in there right now but is different color from halfords stuff.

What colour is your coolant at the moment? Halfords stuff is blue iirc?

In the last few weeks the coolant bottle level has been going down quite fast, could there be another problem causing this?

Might have a water leak, have you noticed any wet patches on the ground under your van?

Tony

[Red Westie]

There isn't really any problem topping up with another brand (50% mix) but the purists will say it needs to be G12 although not so critical in a 1.9Diesel.
I would be very keen to pinpoint the sudden use of coolant.. check for visable leaks, check engine oil for contamination etc.
Could be anything at this stage but a coolant pressure test may be advisable before any long trips.
Martin

[SkinupCamper]

Yer man. I agree with the above, no problems mixing, coolant is mostly just a inhibitor........good luck with the loss of water dude

[Mocki]

its a diesel, its summer, top it up with water till you have found the leak.....

[Westy.Club.Joker]

Howdy and welcome, if it`s using water then either it`s leaking it or burning it. Hopefully it`s a leak, so check all water pipes, joints etc. If not, then expect the worst unfortunately, head gasket gone as a minimum.

Have a good search for head gasket or cracked head posts, they are quite common.

[Ivor Brownun]

Mocki you speak sense as usual. but have you seen where he lives? could be a hard frost at this time of year

[hightower]

The Halfords stuff i got the other day was pink and the details on the back showed it was equivilent to G12 spec as shown on wiki for Audi and VW

[springsider]

Thank you all for the advice and for my welcome to the club.
I ain't noticed any leaks or wet patches under van. I have been using the T25 everyday over the last 2 months for work, how often would be normal for topping up the coolant bottle with daily use? This is my first camper van and my first diesel engine, so just learning.

A couple of other Things!
The metal running along behind the exhaust vibrates against the exhaust and makes much noise when driving away, has anyone had a similar problem or got any ideas of how i might stop/fix this?

What would the best Haynes manual for me to buy with me having a 1987 T25 with a Seat 1.9 diesel engine?

Thank you much

[Nicola&Tony]

What would the best Haynes manual for me to buy with me having a 1987 T25 with a Seat 1.9 diesel engine?

There are links on this Wiki page to the Haynes petrol manual (which will tell you about lots of your van, other than the engine!) and Just Kamper's diesel manual:

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Sc ... re_Manuals

If you know what sort of Seat your engine came from then I guess it'd probably be worth looking to see if Haynes do a book for that vehicle?

Tony

[Nicola&Tony]

I ain't noticed any leaks or wet patches under van.

Might be worth putting some pieces of cardboard under the engine and radiator, once you've parked up after a journey, just to double-check? Visual check of hoses and clips as well, any white, crusty deposits?

Tony