Hydragas fluid alternatives?

[Lankytim]

Hi all.

 

I need to inflate my Allegrom very tight and don't want to buy any hydragas fluid. I do have quite a bit of concentrated screen wash though.

 

Both fluids are alcohol based so could screenwash be used in place of hydragas fluid? I think screenwash is basically the same but with detergents added.

[Lankytim]

Frigging smartphones!!!

[Station]

The person that filled mine said it 'really was just antifreeze'. I'd try it out with concentrated screenwash though.

[STUNO]

 Assuming that both fluids are the same, which for the amateur here seems unlikely, The detergent content may be a big problem. Personally I would avoid unless the system can later be drained and flushed. It sounds to me like a good idea that could go horribly wrong ! 

On the other hand you could end up with " float on bubbles" suspension.

[Richard]

I'm a bit tighter than you, I used to just use tap water.

[Station]

Do a search for 'hydragas' and 'water'.

 

http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/suspension/hydragas__depressurisation.htm

 

'alcohol and water'

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Put some Ribena in as a surprise for the next owner

[MrDuke]

Put some urine in for an even bigger surprise.

[oldcars]

When it comes to hydragas it just has to be Heinz.

[steve_earwig]

[dollywobbler]

I'm pretty sure that regular antifreeze can be used.

[UltraWomble]

Glycol antifreeze and distilled water was what I used on the 1300 and the Metro. No idea if that was correct but it worked.

I wonder why BL displacers seem less inclined to go flat compared with Citroen ones? Ive junked amny spheres over the years due to them being flat and devoid of nitrogen, but BL displacers seem to have an unfeasably long lifespan (probably just as well really as they went out of production some 13 years ago)

 

EDIT:

Seems I wasnt far off the mark:

http://www.hydragas.co.uk/technical.html

• 49% alcohol
• 49% distilled water
• 1% triethanolamine phosphate
• 1% sodium mercaptobenzothiazole

[Sigmund Fraud]

I had used neat ethylene glycol antifreeze to fill up my old Aggro. It worked fine, in fact the change in viscosity firmed up the damping and made the thing feel sporty* !!!

[vulgalour]

The 2% that isn't alcohol or water is just put in to stop youfs drinking it or something.  I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that detergents should be avoided because the frothing isn't good for the system, if you get air in the Hydragas it gives a somewhat crashy ride.  You definitely don't want your Allegro to ride like a modern BMW.

[oman5]

My allegro is running 50/50 antifreeze and water in its suspension. It's fine. DO NOT throw out any displacers that have gone hard, they can be re gassed now and they're getting very hard to find.

[sierraman]

Would using VO5 work? Or would a brand such as Timotei be better?