There was smoke from the radiator while driving, and after googling, realized that i might need to add coolant fluid.
Last night, I bought a can of antifreeze coolant and filed the radiator and spare tank with it.
Then i wanted to buy a replacement for the next time, and I then read the instructions, and realized that i need to dilute it 50:50 or atleast 70:30
I have a 98 honda accord. Please suggest next steps.
Thank you
Run it for a bit so it mixes.
Then go to a shop / garage and have the ratio tested. Once you have the result, then you can drain a bit and add water if necessary. If it is within the correct range then you are lucky.
Warning do not open the cooling system when the engine is hot, always wait for it to cool down.
However, it was better to add as you did, that way the engine did not get to overheat.
In the US much of the antifreeze is already diluted when you buy it , so there may not be a problem. A simple first step to evaluate the concentration is to withdraw a small amount and put it a container in a home freezer; this should cool it to about 0 to +10 F. See if the antifreeze is slushy ( partial freeze) or liquid ( no freezing ). Then you know you are safe to that temperature. If you can get dry ice you can repeat to much lower temperatures. You must also find out why/where the antifreeze leaked out ( Antifreeze level in my 2011 car is essentially unchanged after 7 years.)
