Coolant viscosity check / quality

[Arfur Dealy 823]

Can anyone recommend a good value tool for checking the above? Cheers 

[Dave2302 387]

2 hours ago, tradex said:

but then just sucked out a pint of coolant from the header tank then added neat antifreeze to the same header tank, then rechecked without running engine at all and, obviously good to go.....proper idiot 

Fuckin' eejit 

[Arfur Dealy 823]

On 25/11/2018 at 8:04 AM, tradex said:

If you just want a quick and dirty method or 'go/no go' gauge for checking strength there plenty about for under a tenner, we use the Bahco one....floating discs that are simply using specific gravity as a measurement. 

Most of our cars use ethylene glycol be it silicate or OAT, but that is simply dependent on additives. 

We also have a refractive tester, £70's worth but that never gets used anymore, pain to use and for what we want no more accurate. 

Always use cold as it can affect the accuracy although ours came woth a compensation table. 

Ohh, the Bahco can also measure old school coolant, so used on my m/cycles, some coolant is not backwards compatible and you can get issues with O rings, w/p seals etc. Worth having a quick swot up on it Arthur, there are a few different types out there, confused by no std colouring. 

173457748756 Ebay Sealey version of our unit by looks of it. 

Avoid the suction ones with the level indicator float and sucky thing on top, no good even for a 'looky see'

Funny story: we used an ex Vauxhall tech for a while, for overspill work until I saw him checking the coolant on a car.  Was under strength, so what did he do? 

Granted he used a refractor but without really knowing how to use it correctly, but then just sucked out a pint of coolant from the header tank then added neat antifreeze to the same header tank, then rechecked without running engine at all and, obviously good to go.....proper idiot 

Thanks Tradex