How do you test your antifreeze when most kits don’t have enough suction and/or long enough plastic tubing by which to lift the fluid from the reservoir into the bulb with the floatie balls??? Very frustrating! You might say “oh, just go to an aquarium center and get more plastic tubing”, but you still will lack the suction needed to lift the fluid into the bulb… Are these kits just rip-offs?
I should add I’ve had success with small cars, but run into this problem with ym SUV. Has technology in Auto Supplied not yet caught up with the SUV market!?!
When you say reservoir, is that actually what you mean? IIRC you should be checking the coolant directly out of the radiator not the overflow tank. In addition the coolant in the radiator should be fairly full, as long as your tester has a tube that’s more then an inch or two, I’d think it should be fine. If not, I personally would probably just add some water to bring it up high enough, besides if it’s that low, it probably needs to be topped off anyways.
I’m a little confused by the word “kit,” which I understand to be a collection of devices. All the antifreeze testers (hydrometers) I’ve seen are a single device.
Anyway, auto service pros tend to use this type (here’s a picture of one being used, to show its size) or this type , which is about 1/3 the overall size of the first one, but still has a good-sized bulb (though a short hose). I’m guessing you have one of these little ones (shown next to the first type for perspective), in which the bulb is probably just barely big enough if you squeeze it completely.
As far as tube length, Joey P is right. These testers are designed to be used at the radiator, for which they’re more than long enough. If your car has a surge tank (reservoir with the “radiator” cap on it), you might need more length. The first type above has a big enough bulb and long enough hose for all applications.
Keep in mind that, although the anti-freeze part of your coolant does not wear out, the anti-rust and water pump lube part does wear out. It’s safe to keep using last year’s anti-freeze, but you should add a can of water pump lube to keep from wrecking the pump.
