How many gallons of antifreeze

[Brian J]

When winterizing how many gallons of pink RV antifreeze do you guys run through your motor and do you mix it with water first?

I ran my 07 GTI for about a minute using about a gallon of 100% antifreeze when it really started to smoke, more than I was comfortable with so I stopped there.

Thanks

 

[devonte007]

RV antifreeze is already pre-diluted and it should be used straight out of the bottle for the best freeze protection.

I pump the antifreeze through the flush port with a bilge pump until it comes out visibly pink from the jet pump area and also from the exhaust hole (engine running of course). Takes longer to come out pink through the exhaust since it must dispel the gallon or so of raw water that is already sitting in there.

How much time it will take and how much antifreeze you will go through really depends on your particular setup. I use a small bilge pump so I typically go through about 2.5 gallons of antifreeze and it takes no more than about 1 to 1.5 minutes to get it all flushed through and come out pink. A smaller or larger volume pump will change the amount of antifreeze needed and time it takes.

Don't worry about the white smoke as it is just steam caused by the hot exhaust and you will probably get it even if you pumped in regular water.

 

[Brian J]

Makes sense, thanks for the info. I use a 3' section of garden hose with a funnel hose-clamped on the open end. Then I clamp that funnel to the rear grab bar and pour the antifreeze in.

 

[devonte007]

It's a lot easier if you can get your hands on a small electric pump of some sort. I use an old bilge pump I found in the back of the garage.

I have some pictures of my setup posted on my profile page if you are interested. I am also going to try and post a how-to video this year if I can find an extra pair of hands to help...