antifreeze

RED09GT

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Water pump bearings are sealed so the lubrication thing is a myth.
I have heard of water wetter leaving behind a white/beige/orange precipitate. I haven't had that happen and have done the water/water wetter on two vehicles. I have always switched when I have done a fresh build so perhaps it does react with certain coolant types.
 

Midlife Crises

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Never had a problem with antifreeze, it’s just not allowed on the drag strip. That’s the only reason I filled with water and water wetter. I see there is more than one brand of wetting agent on the market. I wonder if one has a better anticorrosion package than the other.
 

Jack6017

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I've always been told not to use distilled water. I found this out.
As it chemically removes electrons from the metals of cooling system components, distilled water eventually does extreme damage that could lead to cooling system failure.
 

xeninworx

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The service schedule for antifreeze/coolant is 6 years or 160k (kilometres), whichever comes first. I just changed mine last month as my S197 is a 2014 but I’ve only got 20k. Antifreeze does expire once opened. It most likely breaks down over time.

What I did to change mine fully without a flush was drive the car until hot, about 20-30 minutes. Then park it and give it about 20 minutes to cool down. I unplugged the hoses from the thermostat and radiator that lead into the reservoir. The antifreeze travels from the reservoir to the rad, engine and heater core and back through the water pump and out the thermostat to the reservoir. The hose from the rad to the reservoir is overflow.

So I unplugged the hoses from the thermostat elbow and the rad, the ones that go into the reservoir. Started the car and the old coolant came out the unplugged hoses and I had it going to empty bottles. Once the reservoir started emptying I poured in yellow coolant which is what Ford uses now as a replacement for orange. Kept doing that until yellow coolant came out the thermostat and rad hoses.
 

07 Boss

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I've always been told not to use distilled water. I found this out.
As it chemically removes electrons from the metals of cooling system components, distilled water eventually does extreme damage that could lead to cooling system failure.


Yes, a certain amount of electrolysis occurs with distilled water and some use dionized water but there is not that big of a difference. So why do most antifreeze manufactures tell you to mix their anti-freeze with distilled water? Why do the majority of engine builders say to use distilled water? Well it's because the danger from electrolysis is much less than the damage which occurs from all of the dissolved minerals in regular water. It's a double edged sword but one side is much sharper than the other. I will pick the lesser of two evils and use distilled water.

You can use tap water IF the water meets certain requirements, other wise use distilled water.
  • the total hardness is less than 100 ppm total hardness and
  • the Chloride level is less than 50 ppm and
  • the Sulfate level is less than 40 ppm and
  • there is less than 250 ppm TDS (total dissolved solids).
 

Laga

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I've always been told not to use distilled water. I found this out.
As it chemically removes electrons from the metals of cooling system components, distilled water eventually does extreme damage that could lead to cooling system failure.
Distilled water is not any more corrosive than plain water once mixed with coolant or water wetter. If you use tap water, the minerals that are dissolved in it may react with the metal and precipitate out once the coolant is old and worn out. Leaving a radiator that looks like this.

2FAB33D1-0EE1-4B53-9993-B4EFDA835366.jpeg

Not mixing water wetter and coolant is a good idea. Not only does it not really work, it can create a goop that can clog a radiator. I did this in a ‘95 Firebird and had all kinds of gunk in my radiator.
 

Midlife Crises

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In the water industry, distilled water is considered “aggressive”. It is common to add corrosion inhibiters to prevent galvanic corrosion. Even in potable water. Antifreeze has these inhibiters as well but doesn’t need any other crap that might be in tap water. So which brand wetting agent has the best anticorrosion package?
 

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