ENGINE HEATER

I keep my 1959 Ford Consul tucked up in the garage over the winter and have been draining down the coolant and then refilling the system in the spring. As I’m not as nimble as I once was, this task is now becoming be a chore to undertake.

There’s power to the garage where the car is kept and I use a trickle charger to maintain the battery. Do you think fitting a heater to the engine to prevent the danger of the coolant freezing up would be okay? Or do you think the engine internals would suffer from corrosion issues doing it this way? Chris Pinar The first point I would make is that if draining down, unless you then proceed to dry out the water jacket from the complete cooling system, the damp left in the system is likely to cause as much corrosion as leaving the system filled. There are expensive alternatives, such as waterless coolant and these are very good for classic vehicle use but must be used only after thoroughly drying out the cooling system.

Using a heater in the cooling jacket is a good method of preventing the system suffering from freezing, but the cooling system should still contain a good mixture of antifreeze. Due to the metals used in older vehicles a modern OAT (Organic Acid Technology) antifreeze is not suitable and you should always use an ethylene glycol that contains silicates to help prevent corrosion. Avoid low silicate mixtures, as these won’t give the protection.

If storing the car over winter I would also add a fuel stabiliser to the petrol tank to prevent any moisture being absorbed into the fuel. If you do wish to use an engine heater this website can supply one for around £100 https://bit.ly/2PXqIHY