mlongo99

So I flushed the cooling system in my bike and have about 3/4 of a bottle of water wetter left over. Since I'm heading to the track in a couple weeks, and it'll be in the 90s there, I thought it would be a good idea to add the rest of the watter wetter to the vette. I also thought I should change the coolant mix to something like 75% water.

Any concerns about water wetter to be aware of with this car? Changing the mix ratio a good idea, or don't bother?

Also, this is my first vette, so if I pick up some coolant, what do I need to look for? Everyone says use dex-cool, is that a brand, or just some spec requirement? Any other thoughts or suggestions?

Dirty Howie

Mark

I am putting some in this weekend. Check out the Redline site....they have all the tech/directions

Look for a post I made recently (70/30 coolant-water wetter..in the tech section I think) to see how much coolant/water you might want to drain.

Otherwise just add whats left in your bottle........

PS: it probably won't get over 140 on the track..............so don't sweat it


DH

mlongo99

Pun intended?

Thanks Howie. In my searches for past threads I forgot to include the C5 sections. I'll check it out.

Slalom4me

Dexcool is a long-life coolant that was introduced in GMs during the mid-90's.

The key point seems to be to not switch: if your car has Dex, stick
with this. If it has glycol, stick with that. Even thorough flushing
won't remove traces remaining at gasket interfaces. Google will
return lots of links. Advanced Search in C4 Tech will, too.

Be sure to buy and use distilled water from the pharmacy or grocer.
Just a few bucks for a couple of gallons. You do not want tap water.
If someone else is doing the work, bring the d-water yourself so you
know they have no excuse.

I use Water Wetter with 50:50 distilled/glycol in an '89.

.

FasterIsBetter

Here's the situation... Water is a much more effective cooling agent than glycol or Dexcool. The heat transfer rates of water are much higher and it works well for both absorbing heat in the block and transferring heat out through the radiator. It is much more efficient than straight glycol/Dexcool.

But there is a problem with water. It boils at 212 deg.F. Adding the pressure of a closed system raises the boiling point a bit, but still too low for most auto applications where temperatures may rise significantly. Plus, water is reactive and corrosive, and can damage metals in the engine.

Anti-freeze has two properties that make it beneficial for cars. First, it freezes at a much lower temperture than water (thus "anti-freeze"), and it boils at a much higher temperature than water. Plus, manufacturers add things like silicates that bond with the surfaces in the engine to protect against corrosion and against pitting from cavitation in the coolant flow. But straight glycol/Dexcool is not very good at heat transfer as compared with water. Plus, straight glycol based coolant is highly flammable -- not a good thing if a radiator hose let's go.

So the best compromise ends up being a combination of anti-freeze and water. The testing I've seen shows that the best compromise for cooling, engine protection, boiling point, etc., is a 50/50 mix of water and anti-freeze. If you are trying to achieve maximum cooling while still elevating the boiling point, a 60/40 mix, or at most a 70/30 mix will work. But for general driving, 50/50 is the best.

So where does Water Wetter come in? Water and to a lesser extent anti-freeze, do not stick well to the surfaces of the engine and the radiator. Because of surface tension, water and water/anti-freeze mixes tend to separate from the walls, leaving an air gap. Air is not good at transferring heat, thereby reducing the efficiency of the system. Water Wetter is a surfactant. It reduces the surface tension of the water/anti-freeze mix and allows it to do a better job of transferring heat. As a result, people who add Water Wetter often observe an overall drop in operating temperature because the entire system is working more efficiently. Plus, Water Wetter adds some of those things that help protect against corrosion and raises the boiling point of pure water.

Some tracks or track organizations prohibit anti-freeze because when it gets on the track it is slippery, and it's flammable and toxic. Those folks generally run straight water plus Water Wetter. It works for those applications, and I know some folks in warm places that say they run it most of the year. But it's not recommended if you are using the car for regular driving. You need the added protection the anti-freeze provides for corrosion protection.

So bottom line, the best combination appears to be a 50/50 mix of water and anti-freeze, plus one bottle of Water Wetter. And do use distilled water to keep minerals out of the sytem. Don't use regular bottled water. It MUST say Steam Distilled. Stuff like Poland Spring is just filtered water with lots of minerals in it. If it doesn't say "distilled" it should not go into your radiator.

Hope that helps.

mlongo99

Thanks

Slalom4me

Great post, FasterIsBetter.

I would just add for those with dual purpose cars that before
deciding to go skinny with the antifreeze side of the ratio, consider
the consequences.

A common occurance for C4 cars is to have a leak develop in the
heater core. People who have changed these refer to them as
"Part #1" because they conclude that everything else has to be
removed before they get access to the heater core. A big job,
one that almost certainly would have been postponed well into
the future by running antifreeze and distilled at 50:50, or close to it.

Also, the additive package in antifreeze gets consumed. To
combat the galvanic action that takes place, it is important to
change the coolant regularly. My vote is for a two year cycle.

BTW - my cooling was inadequate. Water Wetter helped a bit.
Changing the rad helped a lot. I still have the contingency of
upgrading to Spal fans if circumstances ever warrant. I'd only
consider running 100% distilled if required to for an event - then
I'd switch back to 50:50 right after.

.