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Re-use slightly contaminated coolant? Or am I being a cheapskate

Tim Chavez

Tim Chavez

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Normally yes I wouldn’t even question reusing coolant, the problem is i wasn’t paying attention and drained into my oil bucket instead of the coolant bucket. The oil bucket was “empty” but still had enough to leave an oily film at the surface of the coolant. Below it looks green and normal... so what do you think? Reuse?
 
How old was the coolant in the first place? I did this before and said screw it and replaced it.
 
You're being cheap....but antifreeze isn't cheap. Honestly, you can use that coolant without a problem, just try to minimize the oil you get back into your motor. The oil won't hurt anything, but it doesn't belong in the cooling system, but no big deal.
 
If you want to remove oil, put something tall and the smallest diameter as possible. Let it sit until oil come to the surface and carefully vacuum surface oil with a shop vacuum. Dispose the shop vacuum contents properly.
 
Fran Blacker said:
If you want to remove oil, put something tall and the smallest diameter as possible. Let it sit until oil come to the surface and carefully vacuum surface oil with a shop vacuum. Dispose the shop vacuum contents properly.
Click to expand...
Or siphon the clean coolant off the bottom.
 
I'll vote new coolant. Low cost piece of mind.
 
A trace of oil won't hurt the system. Place a blue shop towel over the surface of the anti-freeze and let it absorb the oily film.
 
Fran Blacker said:
If you want to remove oil, put something tall and the smallest diameter as possible. Let it sit until oil come to the surface and carefully vacuum surface oil with a shop vacuum. Dispose the shop vacuum contents properly.
Click to expand...

Or us some paper towels to soak up the floating oil....but

Dennis H said:
Cheap. I wouldn’t sleep.
Click to expand...

I would take the loss and start new. If not you will always have oil in your cooling system. Not for me.
 
You guys are brave. If I see lint on the dipstick I worry. One time the cheap chrome dipstick was flaking, and I changed the oil right then.
 
Fran Blacker said:
If you want to remove oil, put something tall and the smallest diameter as possible. Let it sit until oil come to the surface and carefully vacuum surface oil with a shop vacuum. Dispose the shop vacuum contents properly.
Click to expand...
Or put it in a clean five gallon pail. Let it sit overnite to be sure all the oil has floated to the top. Put a syphon hose to the bottom and syphon the clean coolant from the bottom up.
 
I take paint strainers and place them in a large funnel to separate out junk and debris. In your case, the thick blue paper shop towels inside the paint strainer would help.
Rick Ehrenberg says that anti-freeze does not break down but the corrosion protection does. I reuse the stuff all the time!
 
Kern Dog said:
I take paint strainers and place them in a large funnel to separate out junk and debris. In your case, the thick blue paper shop towels inside the paint strainer would help.
Rick Ehrenberg says that anti-freeze does not break down but the corrosion protection does. I reuse the stuff all the time!
Click to expand...
And add cooling system conditioner to renew the anti corrosive chemicals and water pump lube.
 
I reuse mine all the time. Never had an issue.
Doug
 
When I read posts about antifreeze/coolants my first question is: Did you use distilled or demineralized
water when you diluted your coolant? I can't believe how many people use tap water! All of the
minerals and chlorine in tap water really screw up a cooling system. So, before I tell you that it's
O.K. to re-use your coolant IF you get all of the oil out of it, I ask that.
 
Unless you are putting a for sale sign on it
And kicking it down the road
You are being a cheapskate :p :bananaweed:
 
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