340 1.7 anti freeze ?

Volvo 340 1.7 in the UK

Does anyone happen to know:
A - The total volume of water in the cooling system.
B - the percentage of antifreeze needed to fully protect the coolant from
freezing up. The car is in the UK and I would guess it would need
protecting to somewhere betwee -20C and -25C (to allow for wind chill
factor).
C - when draining coolant before replacing with antifreeze should one have
the heater set to cold (car has no air con) so as not to drain water from
the heater matrix and help reduce the possibility of getting an airlock in
the pipes.

Thanks
Andy

 

I would worry about it that much, stick in 1-2 litres, it should do the job.
You don't need to protect to -25 in the UK (Not yet anyway). Wind chill
only affects warm bodies and water will not freeze any more easily in windy
conditions. Although it will cool faster to the temperature of the air once
the engine is switched off.

I have left a car (to be scrapped) with no anti freeze in the water over one
winter. It took a really sustained cold spell before it eventually froze
over, it did wreak the engine.

You'd be better to drain the heater asmuch as possible, it will bleed itself
eventually without much problem. Just keep topping it up with the engine
running.

 

For some reason I'm not seeing the original post, so I'll reply to
this one.

Don't know what the capacity is, but the can of antifreeze will
probably tell you the proportion of antifreeze to water. I usually go
for around 50/50 for UK weather - it's cheap enough and will last you
for a couple of years. I don't think wind chill is a factor.

I would never leave a car for long without antifreeze in, even during
the summer. Thing is, the name 'antifreeze' is only half the story -
it also provides corrosion inhibition and lubricates the water pump.

In my experience, it doesn't take much sub zero weather to freeze the
water pump solid, which will make the car unstartable, even if you are
lucky enough for further damage not to have occurred.
--

Stewart Hargrave


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Thanks Tony - 2 Litres it is.

Andy