how much coolant

[kevtherev]

50:50 half & half mix is essential on Wasserboxers (water cooled flat 4 VW's) as this strength is required to protect head studs from corrosion.

Martin

no half measures
or the studs will call half time

[pionte]

personally I think 50/50 mix is overkill, I use 33 % .... safe down to -24 and as Kev says, its also a anti corrosion inhibitor.

Lets hope your 33% mix is preventing your head studs from corroding then!

I hope so too.... I took the the info from Brickwerks website.

""
If you own a wasserboxer (waterboxer i.e.. a water-cooled flat four, 1.9l - 2.1l) then you need quality antifreeze, you need phosphorous free antifreeze, on these engines the cylinder head studs corrode, this is common knowledge but its caused by not changing the coolant at the correct intervals. Antifreeze contains corrosion inhibitors, which as the name suggests inhibits corrosion of the cooling system, the radiator, the heater matrix, the alluminium alloy engine etc., also your cylinder head studs.
If the interval is not adhered to then the cylinder head studs will corrode, and they won't grow back! and get to a point where they snap leaving you with an expensive repair bill for what will probably end up as a new engine as the broken parts are nigh on impossible to remove.
This can be avoided by regular coolant changes, whatever the engine the coolant should be changed every 2 years, although it is more important for WBX owners.
VW's own antifreeze is the one to go for, there used to be 2 types of VW antifreeze, G11 which was blue and G12 which was pink, the pink stuff is what you want but I now hear they have both been discontinued and replaced with G12+ which is compatible with both G11 and G12 and is purple in colour. There are other manufacturers of antifreeze which are slightly cheaper, Comma being a reputable brand and offering a pink phosphorous type.
Please bare in mind that if you have an empty system the entire cooling system takes 16 litres of coolant, if you want a 50% mix then that's 8 litres of antifreeze you need, and a little fact here that neat antifreeze actually freezes at -6°c! its not until its mixed with water that it lowers the freezing point, so be careful, too much antifreeze could end up being the death of you engine. Another fact worth considering is that you want your antifreeze protection at about -35°c, that sounds a lot and even most mechanics will say its never going to get down to that level, but the correct concentration is essential not just for ice protection but for corrosion protection also.
Weak coolant mixture could cause internal corrosion of your engine, giving the fragile nature of the waterboxer engine this is not good! ""


" G12+ Equivalent.



Recommended for use over a wide range of VW models. G12+ has always been the best choice for VW models.

However the high price has made it uneconomical for older vehicles.



Now available at a lower price, its a much more cost effective option.

For a typical T3 cooling system you will need:

50% mix --- 8litres (6 bottles) protection to -36°C

33% mix --- 5.3litres (4 bottles) protection to -24°C"


Upto everyone to make their own minds up as to what quantity to use... for my last 5 years I have had the van I have changed it every 2 years, who knows what has happened to it the previous 24 years....

[Oldiebut goodie]

It says 50% with no mention of 33%:

"Please bare in mind that if you have an empty system the entire cooling system takes 16 litres of coolant, if you want a 50% mix then that's 8 litres of antifreeze you need, and a little fact here that neat antifreeze actually freezes at -6°c! its not until its mixed with water that it lowers the freezing point, so be careful, too much antifreeze could end up being the death of you engine. Another fact worth considering is that you want your antifreeze protection at about -35°c, that sounds a lot and even most mechanics will say its never going to get down to that level, but the correct concentration is essential not just for ice protection but for corrosion protection also.
Weak coolant mixture could cause internal corrosion of your engine, giving the fragile nature of the waterboxer engine this is not good!"

[pionte]

No but it doesnt say that you NEED 50% either,( WANT is used ) just that you need to have the protection and that you must change every 2 years, I took the 33% from the other page http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/index.php/c ... urple.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


It could be that I am miss reading it ? If anyone can point me in the direction of any article that say that you must have 50% then I will obviously read it and probably change my mind, Im not using 33% to be different ! its what I took the required amount to be.

Sometimes everyone goes along with something just because that has always been the case. I am happy to be corrected .

[California Dreamin]

Two things:

1) Petrol engine T25's (wasserboxers) coolant capacity are actually 17.5 litres & not 16 litres (that's Diesels).....as I stated earlier

2) The two year change rule was stipulated when 'old fashioned non organo acid formulas were the norm. However, G12+ and equivalent products are LONG LIFE OAT coolant and last a full 5 years.

Don't get bogged down with brands.....G12+ specification means G12+ performance whatever make it is....and there is one thing for sure, any G12+ product is going to be FAR superior to VW's original requirement for these engines.

Martin

[itchyfeet]

At £30 for 10 L why would you do 33% not worth the risk imo

[pandp38]

Just reading my original VW transporter instruction manual and they recommend 40% coolant , 60% water. It also says they are filled for life. Bet they didn't expect they would still be running 25+ years on.

[pionte]

Just reading my original VW transporter instruction manual and they recommend 40% coolant , 60% water. It also says they are filled for life. Bet they didn't expect they would still be running 25+ years on.

Haynes quote the same.

ItchyFeet, indeed if I had of seen it for sale at £3 a litre then perhaps I would of gone to 50% .Maybe you could provide a link that can be put in the wiki for future reference?
I still feel that the information I have personally read is a little ambiguous as to what strength is required for the corrosion protection, as Martin has pointed out these more modern coolant mixtures are far superior to those around 35years ago when the WB was developed.

I am all for taking the best possible care of my cars, but I also dont have the luxury of money to waste unnecessarily, I find it strange when people do oil changes every 2,000 miles ,( these are hardly highly strung racing engines ) then dont bother with weight rated tyres . I spend my money where I think it is needed, as said if someone can point me to where it says that 50% is the minimum/optimum then I will take a view as what to do in the future.

[Oldiebut goodie]

Owner's handbook:



"At least 40%"

[pionte]

thank you for taking the trouble to post OBG, but that was the old spec G11 coolant, and down to -25 , the new G12 + can do that at 33% . Is it just that with time and the advances in technology the same level of protection can be gained from less quantity ?? quality over quantity ! Same with oil, brake linings ,brake fluid , tyre compounds etc etc.

[Oldiebut goodie]

All you keep on about is the anti-freeze properties - it is the anti-corrosion properties that you should be concerning yourself with, I certainly would if I had one of those engines. There has been no equivalent advance in the anti-corrosion properties of the liquids that I have seen publicized.

[California Dreamin]

Your manual doesn't say it should be 40% it actually says 'Should be at least 40%'

No offence pionte but why people insist on 'documented evidence' when there is a world of experience on this forum telling you that 50% is required.

If you want I will make this official and say: I am/was VW factory trained, Grade 1 Motor Vehicle Technician and now Senior Grade Lecturer in Motor Vehicle Technology delivering Institute Of Motor Industries (IMI) qualifications.
So that makes me as qualified as any Haynes manual author. So if I write a statement..

A 50:50 (50%) coolant/water mix is highly recommended in Type 2 T3 Transporter water cooled petrol engines (engine codes: DF, DG, GW, MV, DJ, SS, EY, SP, DH & SR known collectively as Wasserboxers) as it has been found that in VW's quest to extract more power from the design, their implementation of additional water jackets created a flaw by exposing the engines head studs directly to the coolant/anti corrosion inhibitor mixture. This has made the studs potentially prone to excess corrosion over long periods of time, if a sufficiently strong coolant mix is not used, and/or, coolant change intervals are not strictly adhered to.
These findings are based upon the collective knowledge and wisdom collated by myself and gleaned from the many dozens of experienced members on this and other sites.

OK

Martin

[ladybird]

im going 50 50......thanks

[Oldiebut goodie]

Owner's handbook:

"At least 40%"

[pionte]

Your manual doesn't say it should be 40% it actually says 'Should be at least 40%'

No offence pionte but why people insist on 'documented evidence' when there is a world of experience on this forum telling you that 50% is required.

If you want I will make this official and say: I am/was VW factory trained, Grade 1 Motor Vehicle Technician and now Senior Grade Lecturer in Motor Vehicle Technology delivering Institute Of Motor Industries (IMI) qualifications.
So that makes me as qualified as any Haynes manual author. Now it's written below it must be fact just like everything else you read.

50:50 (50%) coolant mix is highly recommended in Type 2 T3 Transporter water cooled petrol engines (engine codes: DF, DG, GW, MV, DJ, SS, EY, SP, DH & SR known collectively as Wasserboxers) as it has been found that in VW's quest to extract more power from the design, their implementation of additional water jackets created a flaw by exposing the engines head studs directly to the coolant mixture, has made them potentially prone to excess corrosion over time, if a sufficiently strong coolant mix is not used and coolant change intervals are not strictly adhered to.
This findings are based upon the collective knowledge and wisdom collated by myself and gleaned from the many dozens of experienced members on this and other sites.

OK

Martin

no offence taken ! I am aware of you qualifications and respect your opinions... I am also a Factory trained and time served mechanic, I am not doubting that the information given by everyone in this and other threads is offered in good faith , but I dont always agree with what is written, .

I wonder how many people use tap water to make up there other 60% of mixture, strictly speaking the PH and mineral content will adversely effect the coolant system.


"Now it's written below it must be fact just like everything else you read. "

no need to patronise.