VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc Removing Water Pump & Radiator

I've drained the cooling system on my 39 Mster Dlx. Collected 13 quarts, which includes half a quart from the heater. Manual says the system holds 14 quarts; 15 with a heater. Do you think it's okay for me to remove the water pump without spilling any coolant? It could be I only had 13 quarts in the system. Both petcocks on the radiator and engine are wide open and nothing more is coming out. Just trying to avoid making a mess.

You need to remove only about 6 Qts to remove the water pump.

Which brings up that same old question in my mind, "What in the world can I do with the old antifreeze?" I know we went thru this a hundred times before but I'm still trying to find a recycler in my area. None of the auto parts take it, there are no city drop off stations in any of the local cities around me. The sanitary district says NO GO on flushing it down the drain. Man O man I wish someone would come up with biodegradable antifreeze.
I spent the literally the entire afternoon yesterday driving around the western suburbs looking for a place to responsibly dispose of a few computers and a few old TVs and a dozen or so boxes of old radio/television parts and this morning they’re still in the back of my pickup truck. I also had a couple hundred bounds of scrap steel, like old rims, a couple of fenders and such, that’re only worth a few bucks and I really didn’t want any money for it, just to get rid of it, but the guy at the salvage yard wanted me to drive all the way back into the yard and dump it on a pile. After putting $1,000 worth of new tires on my truck last fall there is no way I’m gonna drive thru the broken glass, torn off trim pieces, shredded sheet metal and who knows what else covering the drive back into the yard. So……..that’s still in the back of the truck this morning also.
When in the world is our generation going to wake up to the fact that we have screwed up the environment and are still screwing it up and just leaving the mess for our kids to clean up, that is if they can! Some areas, very few that is, make recycling convenient but most make it so dang hard that people like me even though I’m determined to some degree and willing to recycle, end up giving up and having to bury it in the trash going to the landfill on Thursday morning.
DG

Denny Graham
Sandwich IL

AMSOIL ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT IS NEWLY FORMULATED to provide benefits far beyond those found in today's conventional antifreeze and coolant products. This revolutionary formulation provides maximum antifreeze and cooling protection in the most extreme temperatures and operating conditions. And unlike conventional ethylene glycol based products, which are highly toxic and even fatal, AMSOIL Antifreeze & Coolant is formulated with propylene glycol. It is biodegradable and requires no special disposal costs or procedures in most areas. Above all, its low toxicity presents no threat to children, pets or wildlife.

Propylene Glycol antifreeze has been around for many decades. It is more often knows as RV antifreeze. It can be toxic in excessive amounts. The amount varies depending on the additives used to provide corrosion protection. Yes it is biodegradable but in large quantities can deplete oxygen and kill aquatic animals. Ethylene Glycol is similar in to PG but unfortunately is converted to oxyalic acid when ingested by animals. The salts of the acid produce very sharp crystals that incise the liver and kidneys causing painful death if the quantity is large enough. That is what makes it more toxic. It is biodegradable just like PG.

Thanks Gene. I just always seem to make some kind of mess with antifreeze and end up ruining paint inside the engine compartment. I know - need to be more careful. I'm even think of just using plain water and emptying it out in the winter. But then the inside of my engine and radiator would probably just rust up...

In the cars I use for the various tours I use a combination of Prestone Super Anti-Rust and water. If we have a bo-bo it is not too difficult to clean up.

I don't have to worry about freezing in the winter as the cars are kept in a heated building.