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OEM coolant + distilled water?
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01-16-2012, 05:36 PM | #1 |
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OEM coolant + distilled water?
Last night i had a *duh* moment.
i just realized i haven't checked the coolant level in a while. it's been through some auto-x's lol. so i checked it, and it's almost dry in the tank. i'm surprised i don't get low coolant warning. here comes the question. is it ok for me to just top it off with distilled water? i put in 1/3 gallon of distilled water (i had it just laying around to mix with meth). i heard the best coolant is distilled water + water wetter anyway right? but can i mix OEM coolant (premixed in radiator) with more distilled water? is it gonna upset some balance? |
01-17-2012, 03:57 AM | #2 |
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You shouldn't really use distilled water as it may oxidize with the metal parts in the radiator. Rather use the OEM coolant mix.
I would also check out the coolant level sensor if it was almost dry and you didn't get any warning. I had a coolant leak and got a warning with only around 700ml missing. Alpina_B3_Lux
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01-17-2012, 07:57 AM | #4 |
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Not to debate the whole distilled water thing, but we use it exclusively in all our street, track, and race cars. You can mix as little as 25% BMW coolant and maintain freeze protection down to something like 10F. So if you live in a more temperate climate, there is no need for 50/50. The more water you have in the mix, the more efficient the cooling system is.
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01-17-2012, 05:39 PM | #6 | ||
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01-17-2012, 06:00 PM | #7 |
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I was told the same thing about the coolant that distilled water is what your suppose to mix it with. Im in Texas so my service advisor said exactly what the OP said. a 25% OEM coolant and rest distilled water is ok since we dont have temperatures below freezing that often. And for "enthusiast driving" its a better cooling method using the higher concentrated distilled water instead of the 50/50 mix.
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01-18-2012, 02:30 AM | #8 | |
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01-18-2012, 09:32 AM | #9 |
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Regular old tap water and coolant never did me wrong in any vehicle I've ever owned. My .02.
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01-18-2012, 09:43 AM | #10 |
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01-18-2012, 10:20 AM | #11 |
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Some people's tap water is harder than others. I've seen some scum-filled coolant systems where the owner put tap water in. The deposits were soft until they had a chance to dry, but they were very thick and looked like cauliflower.
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11-05-2022, 11:59 AM | #13 |
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so in my e90 328i I had a bad coolant leak and car overheated and turned off bc there was no coolant left. I put in about a gallon of distilled because I didn’t want to waste coolant if the leak was still there. I fixed leak but I still put coolant. I probably have like 30% antifreeze and 70% distilled water I live in San Diego and this winter I was going to be driving up to Big Bear and temps there at night can get to the teens. Is it okay to run my car with the 30/70 mix it is at right now ? I don’t want to have to flush my coolant and buy new to ensure a 50/50 mix because I just had to flush and refill coolant two times in past month. Please let me know if the 30/70 is good I don’t want to get stuck in Big Bear
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11-05-2022, 01:20 PM | #14 | |
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You could get a turkey baster and suck out the coolant from the reservoir and re-fill with undiluted coolant from a dealer. That would get it pretty close to 50/50. You could also pick up some Super Tech and top off for cheap. That's only 50/50, so you would still a bit diluted. But probably 40/60 if not more at that point. |
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