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Having watched the Wheeler Dealers TR6 episode (for the umpteenth time) I am considering changing the coolant on my newly acquired 6 to waterless, on Ed China's recommendation.

Would this be sensible or is it just a waste of my hard earned ? Comments/advice welcomed.

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Its rubbish at cooling and carries a fire risk the sales hype fails to disclose:

http://www.oilem.com/potential-issues-with-waterless-engine-coolants/

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/cooling/cool_123.htm

 

This thread might help you decide what water-based antifreeze to use, some modern ones may not be suitable:

http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/49908-antifreeze/page-2&do=findComment&comment=404766

 

 

Peter

 

I shall be using that Fernox stuff.

Edited by Peter Cobbold
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on a similer subject....... cooling system flushing.... any recomndations on what works the best..or in fact if to use a flushing chemical at all....?

 

sorry for the hijack.... :)

 

N

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Hi all

 

I've got some Evans waterless - the complete pack, flush and coolant. I bought this in a mad moment and I'm never going to use it. Your's for half price,whatever that is, I can't remember how much I paid for it. And nope, I'm not posting it !

Collect only - Maidenhead. PM if anyone is interested.

 

Best Bill

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Evans Waterless coolant is just another product that may or may not be used if you so wish.

 

Like all products it has pro's and con's.

 

It does work.

It shouldn't boil over.

It should keep the engine internals clean - the area around #4 pot on the wet liner engines is very prone to clogging up here.

It sounds good.

 

It is expensive compared to water and decent antifreeze

If topping up you do need to use the same - no water.

It can increase the engine temp - as the coolant will not boil till much much higher. However a high temp can be good for combustion.

Possible higher under bonnet temp.

Evidence of possible fire risk. However with our leaking carbs over the exhaust manifold and high pressure fuel pipe breakages it is six of one and half dozen of the other.

 

 

I prefer the old method. But you pays your money and takes your choice.

 

Roger

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I had a sample of one variety of waterless coolant a couple of years back . . . . .

 

Intrigued by the suggestions of flammability I chucked a few ccs on the remains of a rubbish burn-up in the garden brazier.

 

Then I repeated the test with the same quantity of petrol.

 

For an underbonnet fire I'll take petrol any day. The coolant is more ferocious than brake fluid.

 

The local firemen reckon that burning waterless coolant is harder to knock down than a fuel fire, too . . . .

 

A radiator full of the stuff, waiting to be flung at the manifold in the event of a minor frontal collision ? Thanks a bunch, but no way . . . . .

 

Cheers

 

Alec

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Having watched the Wheeler Dealers TR6 episode (for the umpteenth time) I am considering changing the coolant on my newly acquired 6 to waterless, on Ed China's recommendation.

Would this be sensible or is it just a waste of my hard earned ? Comments/advice welcomed.

 

Well, considering they never checked the End Float and called the Throttle bodies 'Carburettors' I wouldn't go by their recommendations! :rolleyes:

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I found a use the other weekend for Evans Waterless Coolants that I can fully support.

 

Had the chance to tour The Art of Bugatti exhibit at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California. A private museum dedicated to French cars of the 20s and 30s, with a special show underway of the work of the Bugatti family (Carlo's furniture, Rembrant's sculpture, Ettore and Jean's cars...)

 

Peter Mullin apparently uses Evans coolants in at least some of the cars on the museum floor. (Some had radiator caps printed with Evans Waterless as warnings not to top off with water). That seems perfect as a coolant for static display -- corrosion resistant and long life, and much better than water.

 

i-DNwqGJ5-XL.jpg

Edited by Don H.
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Had the stuff in my TR.

Got rid of it . Expensive mistake.

According to Stuart, "snake oil".

When he had my car in for surgery, he still found the bloody stuff in the cooling system.

I'm now a firm believer in keeping my car to original spec as possible.

Even the electronic ignition caused problems (now back to points-thanks Stuart)

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Water's bad reputation for corrosion comes from people using it without antifreeze (or concentrations that are too low), not changing it frequently enough, or using tap water.

 

Those wierd floaty bits you get in your tea when using hard water don't help in an engine, and even if you're lucky enough to live somewhere like Yorkshire or Scotland with soft water, it's best to use distilled water instead of water from a tap. I use our dehumidifier as a source of distilled water, as it's no good for watering plants with (no impurities = no nutrients either).

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................ I use our dehumidifier as a source of distilled water, as it's no good for watering plants with (no impurities = no nutrients either).

 

Yep so do I, use 50/50 Bluecol and change it every two years - comes out like new with no sludge or discolouration.

 

Cheers

Andrew

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Those wierd floaty bits you get in your tea when using hard water don't help in an engine, and even if you're lucky enough to live somewhere like Yorkshire or Scotland with soft water, it's best to use distilled water instead of water

 

Hi Richard,

those weird floaty bit are called 'tea leaves'. Don't put these in your engine.

 

Roger

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Tea leaves idea is not so daft. Tea contains tannins and tannic acid can be used to stabilise rust.

One of the ingredients of this rust stabiliser is tannin-like compounds ( pyrogallic acids)

http://www.retro-uk.com/fertan.htm

 

So.... fill the rad with PGTips and brew up as you drive.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Can't remember where I read it but I'm sure I have seen that distilled water is actually worse than tap water as a coolant and actually causes corrosion.

Regards

Graham

I'd be interested to see a source for this information. Frankly, it makes no sense to this scientist -- I'd expect just the opposite. Corrosion is facilitated by high ionic content, and tap/hard water has higher ionic strength than distilled water.

 

Cooling properties are determined by the inherent heat capacity of the fluid (and water is quite high in this respect). Boiling point elevation or freezing point depression are a function of dissolved solutes. The low levels of dissolved solutes in tap water vs distilled water would have no effect on BP/FP -- it's not like 50% ethylene gjycol in a typical antifreeze mix.

Edited by Don H.
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I'm with Don. DistW has an acid pH around 5 and this may have caused the misinformation. It due to unbuffered atmospheric CO2 dissolving in the DW, while carbonate in Tap W buffers it. The amount of acid is miniscule so not a corrrosion risk.

However neither DW nor TW will buffer combustion gas seeping into the water jacket so some form of corrosion inhibitor is needed if no antifreeze is used.

Peter

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