Antifreeze

[martauto]

What type and what concentration of anti freeze should be used in my M10 Baur.

Cheers, Mart.

[martauto]

Any thoughts please?

Mart.

[Grrrmachine]

Any of your standard antifreeze in a 50/50 mix. It's not about quality, it's about regularly changing it.

[beemerbird]

I always look for the engine age suggestions on the bottle, and was recently told that you should stick to the existing colour that your antifreeze is (red or blue seems to be the choice and I buy blue), as mixing the different formulations could cause problems.

[martauto]

I always look for the engine age suggestions on the bottle, and was recently told that you should stick to the existing colour that your antifreeze is (red or blue seems to be the choice and I buy blue), as mixing the different formulations could cause problems.

Hi Fi, how the hell are you ?
Now that confused me , simply because I have not bought Antifreeze for longer than I care to say.
I am looking for a bog standard item that will sit in my old M10 and be kind to her.
She is on the road but not every day and being T`up North we do have our "cool" periods so I don't want to leave her unprotected.
Any advise is most welcome

Mart.

[bss325i]

Antifreeze is not just that, it also prevents corrosion of the engine and cooling system internals.

It is vital to change it on a regular basis, no later than every 4 years, two is best.

Blue coolant only, not red/pink stuff and NEVER mix the two.

BMW's own stuff is very good and use it in 50/50 mix.

[gromgsxr]

What about the green stuff????

[bss325i]

Normally used in jap stuff.

[capnmchl]

Comma suggest G48, which is green for the M10. Whether that's correct is up to speculation (and will probably get slammed down), but it's what I've used in mine for 2 years now.

[daimlerman]

Anti freeze does not transfer heat as effectively as water,so I would suggest 30% blue antifreeze with 70% water will be ample.

I steal the kitchen measuring jug and put one litre of coolant to two litres of tap water in,bleed properly,run to running temp and check that the gauge is just under the central marker.

Carefully clean out the kitchen measuring jug and deny any use of it!

[bss325i]

A 50/50 mix will not cause any overheating issues whatsoever and also has a higher boiling point than a 30/70 mix as daimlerman suggests which means it can handle higher cooling system temps than a weaker ratio.

[bss325i]

Also, antifreeze lubricates water pump bearings and seals in the cooling system.

[daimlerman]

A 50/50 mix will not cause any overheating issues whatsoever and also has a higher boiling point than a 30/70 mix as daimlerman suggests which means it can handle higher cooling system temps than a weaker ratio.

May well have a higher boiling point,but it still will not transfer heat!

All that is needed is to stop the system from freezing in cold weather,and 30/70 is just fine in the UK's climate,if you are operating your E30 within the Arctic circle,then yes,a higher concentration may be needed.

[bss325i]

A 50/50 mix will not cause any overheating issues whatsoever and also has a higher boiling point than a 30/70 mix as daimlerman suggests which means it can handle higher cooling system temps than a weaker ratio.

May well have a higher boiling point,but it still will not transfer heat!

All that is needed is to stop the system from freezing in cold weather,and 30/70 is just fine in the UK's climate,if you are operating your E30 within the Arctic circle,then yes,a higher concentration may be needed.

As i said, there are no adverse effects of using a 50/50 mix at all, your engine will not over heat because of the higher concentration.

What will happen is improved anti corrosive properties and lubrication which will prolong the life of various cooling system components and stop your head from corroding and cracking.

[rix313]

Blue coolant only, not red/pink stuff and NEVER mix the two.

Can you expand on the mixing bit? I've read this before on here but no one ever explained it and I've never come across this? What happens if you mix them?

[gromgsxr]

One uses silicates in it as an anti corrosion inhibiter green I believe but has a shorter working life. the other pink uses organic acid technology as a anti corrosion inhibiter lasts for 5 years or so. And blue is a very basic for pre 70's cars. Not sure what hapens if you mix bad things I hear. And I hear that the colour is not always a good indication of the fluid type for instance one company may use a diff colour dye. And there is a 4th hybrid type silicates and oat that mainly newer vag cars use.

[hennared323i]

Mart,

Follow Barry and Daimlermans advice - Blue, buy from BMW (take an empty 5 litre container for them to fill) and a 70/30 - 50/50 mix.