Pure coolant to the reservoir or?

Tiny
CYRUAROEDDING
  • MEMBER
  • 2018 CHEVROLET CRUZE
  • 1.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • TURBO
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
Okay, so I was changing my valve cover and needed to remove a coolant hose and when I was putting everything back together and was going to refill the coolant I noticed some leaves entered the coolant tank when I took the cap off.

I then removed the tank and rinsed the leaves out with distilled water and vacuumed the connecting hoses just in case some debris fell into the hoses. I then reassembled everything and decided to flush the coolant.

While it was draining I added a gallon of distilled water to flush more from the system.

Then I bled the system and ran it for a bit.

I ordered a refractometer to get the coolant concentration I desire.

Am I able to add pure coolant to the reservoir or do I need to add premix?

When I drained about half remained in the engine.
Friday, September 26th, 2025 AT 10:30 AM

2 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 54,137 POSTS
Yep, this is difficult to tell sometimes, I always like to stay on the side of pure coolant for the ultimate protection. Let us know if you need anything else.
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Friday, September 26th, 2025 AT 6:29 PM
Tiny
KRAKENAUTO
  • MECHANIC
  • 69 POSTS
There is no need for premix. Use the pure coolant, then top it off with water to your desired concentration. Premix is just diluted prior and not necessary in this scenario.
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Saturday, September 27th, 2025 AT 8:50 PM

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