Hello everyone,
I have a 2018 Hyundai accent diesel engine 1.6 crdi with a DCT transmission that I use as my daily car.
2 weeks ago and since the weather was starting to get very cold I decided to check my coolant levels and they were perfectly fine. The level was right between the LOW and MAX lines and the engine was cold; so it was perfect. Being the perfectionist person I am I had the urge to fill the resvoir till it reached the MAX line, and I went and bought a blue colored antifreeze that and IAT (in organic antifreeze) which usually is green and I put 0.2 Litres or equivalent to 0.2 quartz in a bottle and then added 0.2 quartz of distilled water on top and mixed them. So in total I had 0.4 quartz/liters of coolant in a bottle and I added them into the coolant resvoir of the car till it reached the max. When I did this I obviously did know what the original coolant that was present in my hyundai was but later on I learned that Hyundai's come with a blue HOAT antifreeze from the factory. Going on the internet I got shocked when I found that mixing different types of coolants can be catastrophic and destroy the engine aswell. I am a bit worried and confused now on what I should do. Since I added the coolant I have driven 400 miles on the car and everything seem to be perfect and as it is. Do you reckon that topping a small amount such as 0.2 liters/quartz of IAT coolant might do any damage to the car?
In the car manual, the recommendation is broad and useless; it just says that we should use any ethylene Glycol based antifreeze without specifying anything else.
My car has 72,000 miles on the clock and I really dont want to flush the system since I feel its still very early for that.
Any advises?
Thanks in advance
First, you only top up the reservoir when the engine is hot. Second, the small amount of coolant you put in (12.8 oz) compared to the minimum 2 gallon system capacity is peanuts.
HAHAHAHAH thank you for your answer, so I understand from what you're saying is that I should drive and have nothing to worry about.
Im curious however, how can you say that a reservoir should be topped when the engine is hot if that poses a huge risk?
A hot engine will have both the radiator cap and reservoir immensely pressurized causing them to blow burning steam when an attempt to open them happens.
Wrong. What risk? If you fill the reservoir when the engine is cold, when it heats up and expands, the radiator cap will open pushing excess coolant into the reservoir and out the overflow tube onto your floor, thus freaking you out. If your fill it hot, after it cools, the coolant will contract a little and be drawn back into the engine and your reservoir will go down a little below the full mark about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
Advice - Always use the 50/50 pre-mixed coolant, not the concentrate.
Makes sense, but I guess at such point a towel will be needed and the cap should be slowly removed.
I wanted to use the 50/0 diluted but it was not avaliable in the shop I was in. Eitherways after this mistake, Im not getting anywhere near my car coolant system again unless its at an professional mechanic workshop
It's not that big of a deal. Don't open the radiator cap when it's hot. Wrap a rag around the radiator neck before opening it. Keep an eye on your temperature gauge and your overflow tank. Be prepared to wipe up stuff, it goes with the territory.
the engine was cold; so it was perfect. Being the perfectionist person I am I had the urge to fill the resvoir till it reached the MAX line,
your "perfectionism" is misguided, because the perfect coolant level is at MINIMUM line when cold.
Anyway, it's too late to do anything now.
Well obviously my ignorance in that sector came in place, eventhough in reality I knew that coolant expands when the car is hot but I still had the urge to add a bit more. Eitherways, so you also think it should cause no problems?
in the worst case it'll create a bit of sludge in the coolant