jtranger

I am running straight water and Justice Brothers radiator cooler in my '61 here in So Cal. I am concerned about corrosion to the aluminum parts. Is there an additive I can use to minimize corrosion and lubricate the water pump, Etc? Thanks

1snake

You should be running a 50/50 mixture of Zerex g-05 and distilled water.

Jim

Mike Ward

Sure, it's called 'antifreeze' or 'engine coolant'. Prestone green stuff works just great, or the newer G-05 stuff if you prefer.

midyearvette

bars leak w/ pellets.....

INMYBLOOD

Just paid for a new Aluminum rad and I guarantee THIS time I'll make sure it only get's 50/50 in it. The last one got corroded and got pin holes. Not worth the cost of a few bottles of 50/50 every few years compared to the cost of these radiators.

jtranger

I was under the impression it would run cooler with straight water and little or no coolant.

NOM61

Prestone sells the anticorrosive additive seperately.
Redline wetter has the antiicorrosion additive already mixed in and I believe Water Wetter and Royal Purple "Ice" also have the anticorrosive additive premixed. Don't know whether JB does though.

DT

Mike Ward

Water is a better coolant than antifreeze but is not suitable for real world driving. 'Coolant' also raises the boil over temperature substantially.

tuxnharley

Try these:

1. Griot's Garage "Corrosion Inhibitor" (available on their web site)
2. Prestone "Super Radiator Anti Rust" (available at most auto parts stores)
3. Bar's Leaks anti rust and water pump lubricant (I can't remember the exact name, but it's NOT the same as the anti leak pellets) available at limited number of auto parts stores.

I've used them all. My preference is to use a 50/50 mix of water/antifreeze and the additive. Antifreeze doesn't wear out, it just uses up its additives and returns to its natural corrosive state. These additives neutralize that and prevent corrosion from old (or absent) antifreeze - (read that last to mean just water).

I have kept the same anti freeze in a system up to 10 years with no corrosion in clean system, when using one of these additives every year or two.

capevettes

It will run cooler with straight water and something like Water Wetter but you need the protection of a 50/50 mixture of anti freeze and distilled water. Some race cars run the straight water with water wetter but on a street driven car corrosion protection is more of a concern. If you're running too warm correcting the underlying problem would be more appropriate.

tuxnharley

That's true; it has better heat transfer characteristics. But, as Mike notes, the boiling point can also be an issue. A good pressure cap also raises the boiling point. I think it's a matter of choice depending on individual conditions.

Westlotorn

I like the plain old Green anti freeze. Look for low Phosphates and silicates. I like to change it out every 3-4 years. Antifreeze high in silicates and phosphates are hard on water pump seals. Old Anti freeze eats parts. Maybe the advertised additives keep this from happening but for 10 bucks in Antifreeze and 1 hours work I change it and don't worry. The new long life anti freeze had its own group of issues that I have avoided by not using it. Distilled water definately helps.

Powershift

Maybe for a little while..........

The aluminum radiator, brass heater core, and water pump impeller will not be happy with pure water long term. Don't risk it. Use 50/50 G-05 or Prestone yellow/green for best long term protection. Buy premixed, or use distilled water for dilution.

Larry

LB66383

I'm also in So Cal. I have been running antifreeze, usually Prestone, in a mixture of 1/3 antifreeze to 2/3 water (in other words, 33/67 instead of 50/50) in my cars for years and have had no cooling, overheating, or corrosion problems.

jtranger

Thx guys..good info!

Jebbysan

Big +1 on this....we have a huge calcium problem in the San Antonio aquifer....before I knew this it took out a $125 Weiand aluminum pump.......I got smart and went with 2 gallons of distilled and the rest straight antifreeze.....not before I had to flush the Rad though....

Wood Bleach (Oxylic Acid) and Baking Soda is the very components of Prestones now defunct 2 part flush kit....scrubbed the inside like new....also dropped mid summer temps by 10 degrees!

It's all about heat transfer baby!

Peace,
Jebby

toms silver 60

Radiators used without an adequate proportion of premium quality antifreeze coolant and distilled water are not covered by this warranty. DRI radiators require a correct proportion of quality coolant, which contains aluminum corrosion inhibitors in the formula and distilled water. All Corvette cooling systems must include a radiator pressure cap with the proper pressure rating.

MiguelsC2

IMHO that says it all.

Seems like a lot of trouble and expense going for additives and water when you can get the BEST results with the factory recommended anti freeze.

A lot of people buy these additives when they have overheating issues. Hoping it will be miracle cure. When it's really a mechanical issue.

The snake oil salesmen are happy to oblige. Royal Purple comes to mind.

NOM61

Sorry, but I have to disagree.

The engines in these cars were designed by engineers to a spec and budget. The cooling system was the best they could design within the budget given them. Those engineers used a specific range of operating load and evironmental conditions. They did not design it to work perfectly under all possible loads and environmental conditions.
I remember being told by an engineering prof that anyone can build a bridge to carry a given load with unlimited budget, but it takes an engineer to build a bridge to carry the same load for half the cost.
I also remember seeing a lot of very late model cars on the side of the road overheated in the 70's on the Baker grade between LA and Vegas in July/August.
So your "mechanically perfect" engine was designed to run at approx. 170-190(?) degrees under steady state "base" load within a specific ambient temperature range. I have no idea what the actual spec was, but I would hazard that it was the mean temperature range of the lower 48 - something like 10-90 degrees?
Now fast forward and take this same engine and increase the specific output via the normal mods, increasing the thermal load on the cooling
system.
Add A/C to your C1, increasing the load and reducing the efficiency of the radiator due to the added condenser.
Now operate this vehicle at 115 degrees ambient temperature. Uphill.
With the A/C running, of course. Then drive in stop and go city traffic for a while.
No matter how "mechanically perfect" the cooling system and engine tune is, it was simply not designed to reject that amount of heat under those conditions.
So you can throw thousands into a custom radiator/cooling system beyond the off the shelf Dewitts or BeCool.
Or maybe you can get by with an off the shelf system and a little help from pure distilled water with the surface tension reduced by what you call "snake oil", which is simply solid chemistry at work. Lower surface tension = increased contact = improved heat transfer. Since the "snake oil" has the exact same corrosion additives as your "good ole" antifreeze, there is ZERO additional risk of damage/corrosion.
But perhaps you now have an engine that runs at 200 degrees instead of 220 under the above conditions. And since it never gets cold enough for long enough to freeze the coolant, you've lost nothing by ditching the antifreeze. You have however improved the efficiency since we all know that antifreeze is a less effecient heat transfer medium than pure water.
Would you do this in Michigan or anywhere with real winters? Of course not. But that doesn't mean you automatically discount it under all condtions.
Ok, I'll climb down off my soap box now and go back to living the Dupont motto.

DT

MiguelsC2

Are you a salesman for any of the above mentioned products?


My anti freeze/coolant keeps my motor within proper operating conditions under very severe southern weather conditions.

My system is STOCK chevy, It does what it was designed to do. It cools and cools well.

I have a/c and sit in 100 degree Houston traffic. Never goes over 200.

In lessor weather, it sits right at the thermostat temp of 180.

At high speed it runs the same 180-190.

If yours doesn't run in this range? You have more than coolant issues.

Can your "snake oil" ("miracles in a bottle") improve on this? If so, how?

I stand by my statement.