Posted On: Saturday - February 21st 2026 7:27PM MST
In Topics: Music Cars Curmudgeonry Inflation Scams
Was that title overly dramatic? Yeah, because a) It’s been going on since well before the turn of the century, at least since I’ve had a car to take care of and b) It’s not anything like the BIGGEST scam of this century - that’d obviously be the “Greatest con-job ever perpetrated on the world” as President Trump unexaggeratedly dubbed the Climate Crisis!
“50/50” You’ll see plastic gallon bottles of 50% water and 50% glycol (or whatever the exact formula) when you shop for vehicle antifreeze. That’s not the exact ratio specified by some vehicle owners’ manuals. For this newer of the fleet in question today, the manual says down to 35% antifreeze is actually the best for normal ambient temperatures and it’s pretty adamant about no more than 60%.* However, 50/50 is easy to remember and easy to mix…
… if you will spend just a modicum of effort. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings here - probably a bit late for that after 3456 posts - but that mix is for lazy people or spendthrifts. What’s it take? Pour in a gallon of the full stuff, then fill up that very same bottle with water and pour THAT in. (I know, distilled water - I think she’ll be OK.) Last time I stocked up, I would see a $2 price difference, $9 to $11, going from the 50/50 to the “concentrate”.
Even if you’re a girl, so you don’t want to get your hands dirty and don’t know where the radiator is, I bet.. well, depending on what you’re wearing, the guys at the auto parts store will do this for you.
For this routine flush and refill, I tried to get the “good stuff”, specifically recommended for “Asian Vehicles”.** I’ll leave my stocked-up Prestone bottles in the garage. However, at this point all of the bottles of the name brands at the store were 50/50! I told the nice lady who pointed out the stuff that I don’t really want to buy water, just antifreeze. She pointed me out to some off-brand bottles that were supposedly the same but were all antifreeze. I don’t know - I found one full-strength bottle out of place, and I stood there using my phone to make sure it’s good for aluminum blocks.
It was $25 for a gallon vs 2 x $20 for each half-gallon. Maybe this is penny-wise/pound-foolish. If the radiator or water pump corrode before their times (end of the warranty period?), well, that’s bad, but I’m just not going to pay fifteen bucks for a gallon of water.
That’s the scam, see? Even though I believe 50/50 is for suckers, one still had a choice before. Now, for the recommended stuff, you have no choice. The scam has been accomplished.
You know what, I’ll stick the Inflation topic key on this one too. This is just another factor that I doubt will be noticed by those green-eyeshade boys over at the BLS.
Hey, there ought to be some appropriate music here too, another favorite topic key at Peak Stupidity. There are many hundreds of good car songs. We’ve already featured my favorite, so how about a song for those who unfortunately put in the wrong antifreeze one fine day, or no antifreeze, or no coolant whatsoever!?
Have mercy, you’re gonna be Waitin’ on the Bus all day. Actually I really don’t like that ZZ Top song much at all compared to the song that MUST follow it, so I’ll go with Jesus Just Left Chicago… and he’s bound for New Orleans…
Thanks for reading this week! Have a relaxing Sunday, Peakers. Check your coolant levels.
* Interestingly, it’s not the glycol fluid that does the best cooling, which is a function of a number of properties of the liquid: viscosity, density, thermal conductivity - very neat stuff! No, the water is better for heat transfer, but of course that water won’t do any circulating to transfer heat in Bethel, Alaska in the winter, hence the glycol. Additionally, the water alone would corrode the metal radiator, engine block (THAT’s no good!), water pump. More than that, the modern ones have some type of lube even for the water pump… or something.
** Does that include cars made in India or Russia east of the Ural Mountains? I’ve said it before: Asia is a big continent - the biggest - let’s all be a little more Geographically Correct, please!
Comments:
Moderator
Tuesday - February 24th 2026 6:31AM MST
PS: Thanks for all that advice on vehicle coolants, Mr. Smith. Yes, that part about the drain plug (pass side of engine block) on those old ‘80s 305s might just come in handy!
Adam Smith
Monday - February 23rd 2026 12:46PM MST
PS: Good afternoon, Achmed!
Sorry about the short messages yesterday. The first couple I was just feeling silly. The last one I was getting sleepy.
𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘.
𝐼’𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘.
Generally speaking, it is difficult to get 𝑎𝑙𝑙 the old water/antifreeze out of the block. This is normal. If you flush it with enough clean (preferably distilled)(yes. distilled water really is better) water then it makes good sense to fill it with straight antifreeze. (It will probably make a nice 60/40 mix.)
Pro tip!: (This might even be of use to you.) On a mid 80s Camaro with the 305 tuned port engine there is a knock sensor near the bottom of the engine block. (On the passenger's side of the engine block.) (This is common to many mid 80s GM 305 engines.) When you remove it, all the rest of the antifreeze that normally would remain in the block drains out. (Kinda like an older car with a drain plug on the torque converter.) Other cars/truck sometimes have something similar going on (a sensor or temperature sending unit, etc.) that allows you to more thoroughly drain the cooling system. Some engines even have dedicated engine block coolant drain plugs. (Usually found on engines Made in Japan.)
https://images.oreillyauto.com/uploads/pdf/ad/SD_672%20AFZ%20Comparison%20Chart-1.pdf
𝐼’𝑚 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟...
They used to. The old green antifreeze used to be the universal color for traditional ethylene glycol-based IAT silicate/phosphate coolant and was different than the yellow/gold "universal" type coolants or the red OAT antifreeze/coolant that was marketed as "long life" even though it really wasn't. (Especially if it was mixed with some other coolant/antifreeze chemistry.) Somewhere along the way they just started offering most kinds of HOAT/POAT antifreeze in multiple colors. (Usually blue, red, orange, green and yellow.)
A few years ago I did a really deep dive into the the different kinds of antifreeze/coolant available and their intended uses. (IAT, OAT, HOAT, POAT, P-HOAT, Si-OAT, Phosphate Free HOAT, etc.) I learned that some engines really do "prefer" the right kind (right kind for that particular engine) of coolant while others are more forgiving. (Some engines really don't care as long as the coolant is clean.) The general rule (my rule, not sure if anyone else follows it) is don't mix different kinds of coolant/antifreeze chemicals in the same system. If you plan on changing from one kind of coolant chemistry to another you really have to make sure that there is no residue left behind. (Kind of like changing from DOT3 to DOT4 brake fluid.) (You might even consider flushing with Cascade powder dishwasher soap and then flush again with distilled water several times. Cascade powder dishwasher soap is great for removing oil from a contaminated cooling system.)(Oxalic acid is great for removing rust from a cooling system that has a rusted engine block from running the wrong kind of coolant or straight water with no corrosion inhibitors. This is a different topic though.)
In my own experience, most vehicles are good with a yellow/gold "universal" "All Vehicles" Prestone type coolant. (I run it in my e34 and have experienced zero problems.) Some vehicles (looking at you Kubota)(also those Ford Ranger 3.0l & 4.0l 6 cylinder engines that like to rust and sludge up) are more finicky. I've found that older engines (like the mid 60s Chrysler Industrial 318/360 for example) much prefer the standard Green ethylene glycol-based IAT silicate/phosphate coolant. (I avoid the red OAT "long life" coolant like the plague it is.)
Not sure where I was going with all this.
I guess I'm just rambling now...
https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter
𝐻𝑚𝑚𝑚, 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑣𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒 - ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒?
I included that link because I was feeling silly. Some people think it is straight up snake oil. Other people love it. I'm not sure that it isn't just some sort of light pink dish soap.(?)
Something like water wetter is, in my opinion, pretty useless in a street car and especially useless when mixed with antifreeze/coolant. Water wetter (and other things like Royal Purple Purple Ice, Stay Frosty, or Engine Ice High Performance Coolant) are specific products used for race cars that are designed to be used on a race track where glycol based coolants are prohibited because they are slippery safety hazards.
Water wetter is a surfactant that reduces the surface tension of distilled water thereby (allegedly?) allowing the coolant to wet the metal surfaces of the engine more effectively and improve heat transfer efficiency. It may or may not have some sort of waterpump lubricant in it.(?)
So, yeah... That's about half of what I have to say about antifreeze/coolant.
Cheers! ☮️
Sorry about the short messages yesterday. The first couple I was just feeling silly. The last one I was getting sleepy.
𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑎 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘.
𝐼’𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘.
Generally speaking, it is difficult to get 𝑎𝑙𝑙 the old water/antifreeze out of the block. This is normal. If you flush it with enough clean (preferably distilled)(yes. distilled water really is better) water then it makes good sense to fill it with straight antifreeze. (It will probably make a nice 60/40 mix.)
Pro tip!: (This might even be of use to you.) On a mid 80s Camaro with the 305 tuned port engine there is a knock sensor near the bottom of the engine block. (On the passenger's side of the engine block.) (This is common to many mid 80s GM 305 engines.) When you remove it, all the rest of the antifreeze that normally would remain in the block drains out. (Kinda like an older car with a drain plug on the torque converter.) Other cars/truck sometimes have something similar going on (a sensor or temperature sending unit, etc.) that allows you to more thoroughly drain the cooling system. Some engines even have dedicated engine block coolant drain plugs. (Usually found on engines Made in Japan.)
https://images.oreillyauto.com/uploads/pdf/ad/SD_672%20AFZ%20Comparison%20Chart-1.pdf
𝐼’𝑚 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟...
They used to. The old green antifreeze used to be the universal color for traditional ethylene glycol-based IAT silicate/phosphate coolant and was different than the yellow/gold "universal" type coolants or the red OAT antifreeze/coolant that was marketed as "long life" even though it really wasn't. (Especially if it was mixed with some other coolant/antifreeze chemistry.) Somewhere along the way they just started offering most kinds of HOAT/POAT antifreeze in multiple colors. (Usually blue, red, orange, green and yellow.)
A few years ago I did a really deep dive into the the different kinds of antifreeze/coolant available and their intended uses. (IAT, OAT, HOAT, POAT, P-HOAT, Si-OAT, Phosphate Free HOAT, etc.) I learned that some engines really do "prefer" the right kind (right kind for that particular engine) of coolant while others are more forgiving. (Some engines really don't care as long as the coolant is clean.) The general rule (my rule, not sure if anyone else follows it) is don't mix different kinds of coolant/antifreeze chemicals in the same system. If you plan on changing from one kind of coolant chemistry to another you really have to make sure that there is no residue left behind. (Kind of like changing from DOT3 to DOT4 brake fluid.) (You might even consider flushing with Cascade powder dishwasher soap and then flush again with distilled water several times. Cascade powder dishwasher soap is great for removing oil from a contaminated cooling system.)(Oxalic acid is great for removing rust from a cooling system that has a rusted engine block from running the wrong kind of coolant or straight water with no corrosion inhibitors. This is a different topic though.)
In my own experience, most vehicles are good with a yellow/gold "universal" "All Vehicles" Prestone type coolant. (I run it in my e34 and have experienced zero problems.) Some vehicles (looking at you Kubota)(also those Ford Ranger 3.0l & 4.0l 6 cylinder engines that like to rust and sludge up) are more finicky. I've found that older engines (like the mid 60s Chrysler Industrial 318/360 for example) much prefer the standard Green ethylene glycol-based IAT silicate/phosphate coolant. (I avoid the red OAT "long life" coolant like the plague it is.)
Not sure where I was going with all this.
I guess I'm just rambling now...
https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter
𝐻𝑚𝑚𝑚, 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑣𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒 - ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒?
I included that link because I was feeling silly. Some people think it is straight up snake oil. Other people love it. I'm not sure that it isn't just some sort of light pink dish soap.(?)
Something like water wetter is, in my opinion, pretty useless in a street car and especially useless when mixed with antifreeze/coolant. Water wetter (and other things like Royal Purple Purple Ice, Stay Frosty, or Engine Ice High Performance Coolant) are specific products used for race cars that are designed to be used on a race track where glycol based coolants are prohibited because they are slippery safety hazards.
Water wetter is a surfactant that reduces the surface tension of distilled water thereby (allegedly?) allowing the coolant to wet the metal surfaces of the engine more effectively and improve heat transfer efficiency. It may or may not have some sort of waterpump lubricant in it.(?)
So, yeah... That's about half of what I have to say about antifreeze/coolant.
Cheers! ☮️
Moderator
Monday - February 23rd 2026 10:01AM MST
PS: Oh, good news on this, Adam. Since no air would come in with the cap off, running the engine to 3,000 rpm, and heater on*, my mechanic friend finally told me while we were looking at it there, after draining down below, I still probably had a few quarts in the engine block.
Well, that’s different! I did flush it for a while, which is important. However, no matter what, I’d still have a good bit of that replacement water in the block. Now it makes sense, and I figure I’ve got at least a gallon of water in the system.
Hey, the stuff looked still clean and beautiful after 8 years or something, so I hesitated to even do this. Another vehicle has had the same coolant in for that long, so, we’ll - me and the kid - will do that one next. It’s an oldie, so piece of cake.
* I am not sure these new vehicles have valves on the coolant lines to the heater core. Why not just let if flow and open air diverting valves - much safer maintenance-wise, but I guess that’s no longer the point… maybe never been.
Well, that’s different! I did flush it for a while, which is important. However, no matter what, I’d still have a good bit of that replacement water in the block. Now it makes sense, and I figure I’ve got at least a gallon of water in the system.
Hey, the stuff looked still clean and beautiful after 8 years or something, so I hesitated to even do this. Another vehicle has had the same coolant in for that long, so, we’ll - me and the kid - will do that one next. It’s an oldie, so piece of cake.
* I am not sure these new vehicles have valves on the coolant lines to the heater core. Why not just let if flow and open air diverting valves - much safer maintenance-wise, but I guess that’s no longer the point… maybe never been.
Moderator
Monday - February 23rd 2026 9:56AM MST
PS: I was making an apples-to-apples comparison of that half-diluted blue Oriental stuff to the gallons of the same (but not at Wal-Mart, granted). It was about $950, the link you showed me. This full strength 55G drum is only $1,200, so again, as with the gallon bottles - only when they even HAVE them (that’s my beef in this post, really) - you pay only 20-25% more for twice the antifreeze.
OK, then, I put it in my cart. How it fit into the virtual cart I don’t know. That drum is heavier than most of the People-of-Wal-Mart, haha!
Nah, as I wrote, I see the main problem as that it would constrain me to sticking with vehicles that use it. OTOH, it’d probably work just fine in anything. As you wrote, the colors are not so meaningful. Do you see all the different color-coded kinds and styles of PVC cement? “Could you just sell me the regular stuff that I’d buy 25 years ago please?” “No, sir, you need the yellow stuff for the special pressurized pipe in the crawlspace formula.”
OK, then, I put it in my cart. How it fit into the virtual cart I don’t know. That drum is heavier than most of the People-of-Wal-Mart, haha!
Nah, as I wrote, I see the main problem as that it would constrain me to sticking with vehicles that use it. OTOH, it’d probably work just fine in anything. As you wrote, the colors are not so meaningful. Do you see all the different color-coded kinds and styles of PVC cement? “Could you just sell me the regular stuff that I’d buy 25 years ago please?” “No, sir, you need the yellow stuff for the special pressurized pipe in the crawlspace formula.”
Adam Smith
Sunday - February 22nd 2026 10:08PM MST
PS: Good evening, Achmed!
You don't want that first barrel. It's half water...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/PEAK-Original-Equipment-Technology-Asian-Vehicles-Antifreeze-Coolant-Blue-Concentrate-POAT-Formula-400-000-Miles-15-Years-Car-SUV-Light-Medium-Duty-T/16285362986
I'd look for a bleeder screw while burping that cooling system.
And keep an eye on the temperature gauge.
Sounds like you have an air bubble.
Good night. ☮️
You don't want that first barrel. It's half water...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/PEAK-Original-Equipment-Technology-Asian-Vehicles-Antifreeze-Coolant-Blue-Concentrate-POAT-Formula-400-000-Miles-15-Years-Car-SUV-Light-Medium-Duty-T/16285362986
I'd look for a bleeder screw while burping that cooling system.
And keep an eye on the temperature gauge.
Sounds like you have an air bubble.
Good night. ☮️
Moderator
Sunday - February 22nd 2026 6:38PM MST
PS: I think if I knew I were permanently settled and had room for it, I’d get that 55 gallon drum of Oriental anti-freeze. Of course, I’d be kind of committed to those cars for the rest of my life in that case. However, I really want more of a discount over single bottle (apples-to-apples, both pre-diluted) than the 15% that it looks like.
That’s $950/55 G = $17/G. Well, but there’s free shipping… on a 55 G drum that weighs about 500 lb! (That’s for a plastic drum.)
That’s $950/55 G = $17/G. Well, but there’s free shipping… on a 55 G drum that weighs about 500 lb! (That’s for a plastic drum.)
Moderator
Sunday - February 22nd 2026 6:34PM MST
PS: Good evening, Mr. Smith. We did that coolant change and flush today. It has the original blue stuff in it. Now it’s purple - I’m glad colors don’t matter, because that was the undiluted gallon I mentioned in this post, and I wanted to use it. (www says OK for aluminum blocks.)
Only thing is, I put the gallon of anti-freeze in first, and then prepared to put 1 gallon and a pint of water to get to the 8.35 quarts, as the manual puts it. I only got just over a quart of water in. It’s got the small plastic tank, and that is way above the lines. I drove it, and I’ll check tomorrow. I’m wondering if it’s got to be “burped” or it’ll all flow in in due time. I’d rather have made it 50/50, but it’s got to hold that 2 gallons and a pint in there!
I check out your redlineoil ad. Hmmm, I don’t think I want to chance it on even our worst vehicle - how about on a long-term lease? ;-}
Only thing is, I put the gallon of anti-freeze in first, and then prepared to put 1 gallon and a pint of water to get to the 8.35 quarts, as the manual puts it. I only got just over a quart of water in. It’s got the small plastic tank, and that is way above the lines. I drove it, and I’ll check tomorrow. I’m wondering if it’s got to be “burped” or it’ll all flow in in due time. I’d rather have made it 50/50, but it’s got to hold that 2 gallons and a pint in there!
I check out your redlineoil ad. Hmmm, I don’t think I want to chance it on even our worst vehicle - how about on a long-term lease? ;-}
Sunday - February 22nd 2026 3:28PM MST
PS: 50/50 Prediluted...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/PEAK-Original-Equipment-Technology-Asian-Vehicles-Antifreeze-Coolant-Blue-50-50-Prediluted-POAT-Formula-400-000-Miles-15-Years-Car-SUV-Light-Medium-D/16258609342
☮️
https://www.walmart.com/ip/PEAK-Original-Equipment-Technology-Asian-Vehicles-Antifreeze-Coolant-Blue-50-50-Prediluted-POAT-Formula-400-000-Miles-15-Years-Car-SUV-Light-Medium-D/16258609342
☮️
Adam Smith
Sunday - February 22nd 2026 3:24PM MST
PS: Howdy, Achmed,
I like Blue antifreeze the best.
(Not that the colors matter anymore.)
https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter
Happy Sunday! ☮️
I like Blue antifreeze the best.
(Not that the colors matter anymore.)
https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter
Happy Sunday! ☮️
This is what the knock sensor looks like...
https://i.ibb.co/1tt6bnXY/Knock-Sensor.jpg
And check out the comments under this video...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmsUCk4X5og
(If you do this, be gentle with the 40 year old electric connector and signal wire. They might be a little fragile.)
☮️