Repacing water pump......using distilled water.....should I also use Water Wetter additive in my radiator?????
:smash:

 

Usually it says 20 degrees difference!!! in big letters but if you read the fine print thats only compared to plain water with no antifreeze. If you use a 50-50 antifreeze/water mix the difference is only something like 6-8 degrees. :banghead:

 

I've used it in the '79 and didn't notice much difference....but know folks that swear by it. :confused:

 

:iagree:

DarkHalo's numbers are close to what I've measured over the years on various vehicles.

6-8 degree temp drop on average, Water Wetter works by breaking the "surface tension" up, thus allowing the water to contact the cooling jackets/surfaces evenly.

A good way to visualize "Surface tension" is by looking at water on a freshly waxed surface VS an unwaxed surface...the water "beads up" on the waxed surface, so there is less water in contact with that surface.
The water on the unwaxed surface doesn't "bead" and thus lays out contacting more of the surface.

The more square inches of water in contact with a cooling jacket surface equates to more efficient heat removal from that surface.

:seeya

 

I use that stuff and noticed about a 10 degree drop in my coolant temps :yesnod:

 

The auto industry has more than its share of snake oil products. It's all about the Benjamins! :yesnod: :skep:

 

Someone answer me this; unless your cooling system's capacity is being exceeded for some reason, the coolant temperature is controlled by the thermostat. At least the coolant temp in the block is, which is where the sensor is located (?). So even if the WaterWetter works (and I am skeptical), you wouldn't know it because the thermostat would just keep the block's coolant the same temp. Am I missing something?

Larry :seeya

 

Here is a good link to give you a good explanation.

http://e30m3performance.com/myths/mo...ter_wetter.htm

 

:iagree: I've used it (in a 50-50 mix setup) and it didn't do a thing. I've heard others who have good luck with it though. :cheers:

 

Every time it got hot out, the thermo fan clutch on my van would engage and I'd lose most of the engines power. Did that since I bought it new in 98. So I tried the WW in 2002. The fan clutch never once engaged the entire year.

We took a vacation in 2002, the temps were mid 90's with a heavily loaded van and the clutch still didn't engage. I'm glad even such a little temp difference in the coolant made the trip much more enjoyable. :)

 

If the pump is out flush the radiator too. Have it pressure tested and cleaned.
Replace all the hoses and the thermostat.

 

Good link Rob,

Here's an old phrase that might also help explain it for some;

"Better living thru chemistry" :D


[Modified by superlund, 10:55 AM 1/11/2003]

 

I'd like to comment on the following link:

The article is so close to making sense, but so far from understanding coolants, and especially "water wetter" and similar brews.

Why were water treatments like WW produced? Because pure water cools much better then a 50% AF and 50% water mix, and racers wanted to take advantage of the cooling properties of water, w/o having to do a 50/50 AF mix.

Problem with pure water (although it cools much better), is that the engine will corrode, water provides no (or little) lubrication / protection for seals, and water tends to boil / steam on hot spots. Oh yeah, water freezes at 32*f, but racers don't give a rats butt about that.

So, a brew was mixed of normal anti-freeze components, to protect from corrosion, provide some lubrication and reduce localised boiling / steaming as best as possible. TA-DAH, "Watter Wetter", and any number of other brands of additive to provide this service.

So, if you want to run the most possible water in your system, an additive like WW will serve, and your engine will run cooler. However your water will freeze and crack your block. You also will be running on the bare minumum of protection in your cooling system, albeit perhaps adequate.

Now most of us want a little protection from temperatures below 32*, so we use a 50/50 mixture of AF and water. Do we want to add WW to this mix? Will it do anything? Well I think you can certainaly add it, but with a mixture of 50/50 and WW on top I would not expect any improvement, after all - you already reduced the water in the system. And, normal anti-freeze contains ALL THE ADDITIVES IN WATER WETTER!!!!

Yes that is right, normal ethelyne gylcol anti-freeze contains all these additives, plus prevents your coolant mixture from freezing. Yes the mix is a little different, but the additives do the same function. The wetting agent, in WW and AF is a compound similar to a basic - not sudsing - soap.

If you haven't figured it out at this point, my opinion is that using an additive like WW in a normal use engine is a waste of money.

Pete

 

Great informative post PeteL. I would think this info is worthy of a post in "Reviews" in any of the catagories.

 

So the 6 degree temp drop I got on the digital dash in the Vette was a waste of money? :confused:

 

I use 50/50 water/antifreeze. With 1 bottle of water wetter I dropped on average 10-15 degrees.

 

:iagree: Same here in Texas, and in the 100 degree summers, we need all the help we can get :cheers: This was after a good radiator cleaning and flushing also, put 160 degree stat in too and hypertech ( yes, 200 dollar fan switch, I know, I know ), went down a total of about 25 degrees after all of that was done.

 

Exactly.

The chemistry of "water wetter" does not support any significant temperature drop as an additive to 50/50 AF mix. "Water wetter", is a less able coolant as compared to pure water, excepting the wetting agents. A fresh mix of coolant is unlikely to benefit from additional wetting agents.

More likely, in all the above cases is other improvements in the cooling system. For example: fresh flush of coolant, improper AF /water mix to begin with, cleaner radiator, improvement in air flow through radiator through maintenance.

The above quote is a perfect example of how an additive gains support. The improvement has to do with real improvements in the cooling system, and little to do with any additive.

This arguement is also akin to the "I added a throttle body air foil, and can really feel a difference SOTP"

Pete

 

Digital dash still indicated 6 degree temp drop with no other changes... same weather conditions?? :confused: