Fellas going to change all the hoses on my 1984 Corvette,still running the original hoses just thinks its time. The question I have is what would be the best Anti freeze to run in this car since we know it normally runs hot. Looking to hear from someone

 

I run a 50-50 mix of Prestone in mine and it works fine for me. Just be sure to fully flush out the old stuff prior to refilling.

 

You're bound to get different opinions on this.... For me, I have a stock 86. I stay with what the manufacturer put in the system from the start. I used Peak Green....50/50 mix. I am planning on adding a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter which I have had good results with before. It does drop the temp of the water down 3-4 degrees.

 

Hello there,
I have had my fair share of hot running Corvettes and the best advice I can give anybody is to run as little anti-freeze as required by your home area. If you live in Wisconsin then you need a bunch of freeze protection. I live in Northern Virginia and we don't see the hard freezes that people see up north of us. This allows me to run more distilled water and less anti-freeze. I try to leave a margin for safety but I make the mix based on the protection that I need only for freeze protection. Before going too far check your manual so you know just how much coolant you need for the particular vehicle.

As for Anti-Freeze, I will use any name brand (that is on sale) but I "prefer" Prestone. Today it is easier to add anti-freeze as they offer it pre-mixed with distilled water. But even this way people often end up with too much anti-freeze in their coolant and there starts another less-than-efficient cooling system.

Anti-freeze is NOT a good conductor of thermal energy and I have seen too many people put way too much in their cars. This does not make the car run any cooler in fact it will run hotter as the heat doesn't get out fast enough through the radiator. I have seen people run PURE anti-freeze and wonder why their car runs hot.

I have been using a product by Red Line called "Water Wetter" for over a decade in my hot running Corvette. This material and others like it allow the metal to transfer heat into the coolant more efficiently. It seems when the engine gets hot little bubbles form along the surface of the internal metal, especially cylinders and cylinder heads. This material makes the coolant absorb the heat by removing the bubbles from the internal metal surfaces and letting the coolant touch these surfaces transferring the heat into the coolant more effectively.

I know that there are a lot of skeptics out there that don't trust any "Snake Oils" and I understand. But this is one additive that I put in my engine and it helps keep it cool. I have two Corvettes, a 1968 C3 with a high compression (12.25-1) 427 and my more mild 1988 C4 with the stock L98. Both of my cars have been running Water Wetter for many years.

When changing your coolant be sure to do whatever is needed to ensure that all the crud is cleaned out of your block and the radiator. On my C4 I remove the knock sensors and let the block drain out completely, then I flush it with a "Prestone Flush kit" that I have used for twenty years. I run water through it until it comes out clear and clean. This is a good time to open up the radiator shroud and check for leaves and junk that block airflow.

If your trouble persists there are other options but they can get expensive. You an try to change the point at which your cooling fans turn on or upgrade the cooling fans.
One of my favorite cooling tricks is using Evans NPG (Non-aqueous Propylene Glycol) and they make versions designed for everyday use. It is a water-less system and requires the removal of all the water from the entire system. NPG materials have a boiling point of near 375 degree F and still offer moderate freeze protection. If there is no water then you have no steam inside the block preventing the efficient transfer of the heat. You also switch to zero pressure radiator cap when using the NPG.
I used Evans in my car for many years with absolute success. I only stopped because one day a small rock or something punched a nice hole in my radiator on my way home. It was an expensive rock...

I hope that this helps a little bit in your effort to change your coolant!

Good Luck and safe driving!

P.S. Be sure to check your local laws about disposing of used coolant and remember how this stuff affects our pets and wild life. Ethylene Glycol anti-freezes are highly toxic and has a very inviting sweet smell which attracts cats, dogs, squirrels and other creatures.

 

Why exactly do you think it runs hot? Since you can't interrogate the ECM, maybe you can hit it with an infrared thermometer? If it is reading false like mine was, you might be chasing ghosts.

Next thing, have you looked at it lately? Are you SURE you don't have a bunch of crud in the radiator area or between the condenser and radiator? Nothing will help you if that is the case and we will be chasing ghosts.

Finally, how do you know that the radiator is bad or good? Hit it with an thermometer and see if there are cold spots.

Sure, you can flush the radiator and all that but those are, IMO important questions before I go chasing ghosts.

 

Maybe if you got yourself a decent education, you would realize that "Some is good so more is better". Everybody but you seems to know that.

I think the WW breaks the surface tension and supposedly soapy water does that too

 

[QUOTE=aklim;1595154062]Why exactly do you think it runs hot? Since you can't interrogate the ECM, maybe you can hit it with an infrared thermometer? If it is reading false like mine was, you might be chasing ghosts.

Next thing, have you looked at it lately? Are you SURE you don't have a bunch of crud in the radiator area or between the condenser and radiator? Nothing will help you if that is the case and we will be chasing ghosts.

Finally, how do you know that the radiator is bad or good? Hit it with an thermometer and see if there are cold spots.

Sure, you can flush the radiator and all that but those are, IMO important questions before I go chasing ghosts.[/QUOT When I say hot I mean a normal hot that is the nature of that car,has always been that way since I bought it in 1984 new.Ran a little higher temp. when had the ground affects kit on it.The nose of this car is free of debris ,and the radiator is fairly new.I just figure that since I am going to replace the hoses that are 33 yrs old I may as well put he best antifreeze possible back in.

 

Fair enough. Maybe one of the major brands of yellow stuff?

 

[QUOTE=aklim;
I think the WW breaks the surface tension and supposedly soapy water does that too[/QUOTE]

Whatever... Water Wetter works very well. I don't think soapy water has the conditioners and rust inhibitors in it that WW does either... Id be willing to bet that soapy water doesn't bring the coolant temp down 1 single degree....

 

Soap is also a corrosive so I don't think i would be putting that inside my engine.

 

You both may have a point but maybe you are not redneck enough? That was what someone did at the track. Dish soap. Theory is nice. I would not do it in mine. He thought it would lower temperature.

 

Not trying to bring the temperature down,just trying t find a good coolant replacement,I thought they may have a good replacement if not the standard 50/50 will work just fine

 

NOT funny, just rude.

I also know that 50/50 is not the best for maximum cooling and that proper system flush, a topic beaten to death in many posts, is essetial for maintaining a crucial system. Name brands and many private labels also have corrosion inhibitors and other elements key to system components, but degrade over time. I suspect you know that, tho.

I'm running DexCool in a '57 F100 L6, but ensured a TOTAL flush of the 'green' coolant, as recommended. It also does the job, but can look like rust if it leaks onto parts!

I find system flush products largely ineffective, but got good result from a MB-type homebrew of 10% acetic acid in distilled water; this for an aluminum radiator with some corrosion buildup.

 

Humor is sometimes subjective. Oh well. Glad I didn't go further with the comedy career.

 

I heard it was citric acid. Not sure why some say that it is diesel engine use.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w124-e-ce-d-td-class/1553937-mb-citric-acid-cooling-system-flush.html#/topics/1553937

 

I understand, but a few degrees cooler than whatever the C4 usually runs... can definitely NOT hurt anything.... Damn cars run warm...

 

I just did my 93 over the 4th weekend,flushed the block,removed the fill tank,flushed that,overflow tank,etc.ordered the entire hose set from Davie's corvette. New thermostat & 15lb cap.Ordered the hose set for a 96 to do the TB bypass thus eliminating 2 T's from the system & 2 hoses.Used Prestone extended life antifreeze instead of the factory green.
Total cost was around $300.00. Also bought a No Spill funnel kit & used worm clamps instead of them spring type OEM's.Good luck doing yours.