I was having high revving and overheating with my motor and with the help of subford we diagnosed the problem. It was a stuck throttle body. At this point I am now running about 75-80% distilled water and 20-25% antifreeze in my radiator. It is just starting to get cold here fluctuating between 40-60 degrees. Our winters get pretty cold here in Reading PA-it can go below freezing.




My Question is am I okay with what I am running in the radiator? I do not plan on using the van much this winter, it will sit 95% of the time. Should I just let it go or should I flush it and refill it with a better mix? If so what is the easiest method of draining the radiator and refilling for a winter season?

 

You really should shoot for a 50-50 mix. To get it to the proper ratio, just get a cheap tester, the kind with the little colored BBs in it, and get yourself a gallon of straight coolant. Drain a little bit from the petcock at the bottom of the radiator, maybe a quart or so, then top off the radiator with straight coolant. Run the engine for a bit to mix in the new coolant, then test it. Repeat as necessary.

Personally, I don't mess with straight coolant anymore. I just get the 50-50 mix and put that in whenever a radiator needs to be topped off (and is already at 50-50). That way I don't have to mess with testers, distilled water, and measuring. I don't care that it costs me maybe $3 more, my time is worth more than that, and it saves quite a bit of time.

Jason