is volvo coolant the same as antifreeze for winterising a direct cooled engine?

[firstascent2002]

Normally I get antifreeze from Halfords but this year I got some volvo anti freeze on line, only on arrival it is called volvo coolant...is this the same stuff?

J

 

[Tranona]

If you have a seawater cooled engine, there is little value in using any kind of antifreeze. If you are laying up ashore then flush the engine with fresh water and drain. What is not there cannot freeze! If you are afloat in salt water the chances of seawater freezing are very low, and you can always drain by shutting the seacock before you switch off.

The coolant in a freswater cooled engine should be 50/50 water/antifreeze as per the manual instructions. Same as seawater cooled no need to add antifreeze to the seawater circuit.

 

[VicS]

Yes
BUT
There are two main types of antifreeze. The traditional ethylene glycol with a low silicate inhibitor and the more recent advanced, long life ethylene glycol based antifreeze with "organic acid technology" (OAT)
They are not compatible with each other. Do not mix them.

There are two types of Volvo antifreeze: Volvo Coolant and Volvo Coolant VCS.
I assume the latter is the OAT type.

I would choose the traditional one for winterising a directly cooled engine I think but either should be suitable.

Remember ethylene glycol is toxic to many life forms and should not be released into the marine environment !

To be environmentally friendly you should use a propylene glycol based antifreeze.

 

[sailorman]

Normally I get antifreeze from Halfords but this year I got some volvo anti freeze on line, only on arrival it is called volvo coolant...is this the same stuff?

J

yes
volvo make some engines not oil or antifreeze

 

[VicS]

If you have a seawater cooled engine, there is little value in using any kind of antifreeze. If you are laying up ashore then flush the engine with fresh water and drain. What is not there cannot freeze! If you are afloat in salt water the chances of seawater freezing are very low, and you can always drain by shutting the seacock before you switch off.

The coolant in a freswater cooled engine should be 50/50 water/antifreeze as per the manual instructions. Same as seawater cooled no need to add antifreeze to the seawater circuit.

The trouble with flushing and draining is that you then have it wet and full of air. A recipe for rusting. It will rust less full of water than wet and full of air.

Antifreeze contains corrosion inhibitors which will virtually eliminate any corrosion of the cooling system while stored .

At one time Volvo supplied an emulsifying inhibiting oil that you flushed the system with but it is NLA and antifreeze is recommended in its place.

There may or may not be any point in filling the seawater circuit of an indirectly cooled engine with antifreeze. It depends on the design and the materials used. Volvo ones probably not. Some makes maybe advisable.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

In the past I have used the soluble oil that is used as a lubricant in metal working machinery since it includes a corrosion inhibitor.

 

[VicS]

In the past I have used the soluble oil that is used as a lubricant in metal working machinery since it includes a corrosion inhibitor.

I do't know what the Volvo stuff was but it certainly looked and smelled like soluble oil.

 

[bert49uk]

best to flush with fresh water and leave antifreeze in to stop corrosion but only use 'blue' antifreeze.
and yes like all engine manufacturers they dont make oil or antifreeze just buy in from outside and put their name on it

 

[VicS]

but only use 'blue' antifreeze.

Why?

What's wrong with other colours?

.

 

[pete]

I flush out with fresh water at end of season from a bucket filled with a hose pipe, after flushing (when the engine is warm)and when the bucket is almost empty I tip in some antifreeze and wait for the exhaust water to change colour. and then stop the engine, at least then any water lodged in the system is protected.

I was caught out years ago -
I bought second hand raw water diesel engine, and to test it before fitting I connected it to water, diesel, ect and ran in my drive before fitting in my boat. After building engine bed's ect ect we fitted it in the boat around a month later. surprisingly there was still enough residual water left in the engine to freeze and blow out a core plug luckily this was all that happened.

 

[bert49uk]

'red' antifreeze is the new improved type for new car engines and only requires changing after 5 years, BUT it contains Extra chimicals that can damage our older boat engines

 

[Plevier]

'red' antifreeze is the new improved type for new car engines and only requires changing after 5 years, BUT it contains Extra chimicals that can damage our older boat engines

I have also read this, pretty sure it was on an antifreeze manufacturer's website - apparently you should not use the new OAT stuff with copper/brass. All modern car radiators are aluminium/plastic.

 

[VicS]

I flush out with fresh water at end of season from a bucket filled with a hose pipe, after flushing (when the engine is warm)and when the bucket is almost empty I tip in some antifreeze and wait for the exhaust water to change colour. and then stop the engine, at least then any water lodged in the system is protected.

The trouble there is that unless the engine is at full working temperature the thermostat will be closed and all your antifreeze will simply go straight into the exhaust via the bypass. Even if the thermostat is open ( or removed ) it will take some time for the antifreeze mixture to displace all the water in the engine.

Two more effective methods:

1. Rig up a recirculating system to catch the antifreeze leaving the exhaust and return it to the bucket. It could done with a small pump or manually with a couple of buckets.
   
2. Completely drain the system after flushing and refill with antifreeze mixture at the correct concentration

 

[ithet]

I have a direct cooled VP which I have flushed and filled with antifreeze in the past while on the hard. I used a large bucket filled via a hose, allowing the engine to get fully warm. The problem now is that the yard where I lay up does not allow engine running on shore. What is the recommended method in this case?