[Z06] Changed out the coolant today
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
rusty: redline water wetter. You know... I dont know too much about it. I wish Id of thought to ask about it at my last coolant school. I used it in my motocross bikes. I think the simple answer is like aftermarket fuel additives. You just dont need them. But in phoenix??? If you saw temps drop 20 degrees, stick with it!
dwj: That "sludge" is exactly because of low level of coolant. Its not that the dexcool does not do well with vapor/steam, its the parts that dont do well. With conventional green, it lays that protective barrior of silicate to "protect" parts when not covered with coolant itself. With dexcool, there is no silicate to protect the empty parts of the coolant system, so you will get what looks like sludge because the steam is corroding the parts not protected by coolant. But remember, it seems like youd want that "protective" barrior, but you dont because the silicate does much more harm than good.
Also, what kind of coolant reservoir does it have? Never switch to a metal reservoir, as that will cause problems for the same reason. So once again, its vital that the coolant level remains full!
dwj: That "sludge" is exactly because of low level of coolant. Its not that the dexcool does not do well with vapor/steam, its the parts that dont do well. With conventional green, it lays that protective barrior of silicate to "protect" parts when not covered with coolant itself. With dexcool, there is no silicate to protect the empty parts of the coolant system, so you will get what looks like sludge because the steam is corroding the parts not protected by coolant. But remember, it seems like youd want that "protective" barrior, but you dont because the silicate does much more harm than good.
Also, what kind of coolant reservoir does it have? Never switch to a metal reservoir, as that will cause problems for the same reason. So once again, its vital that the coolant level remains full!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,582
Likes: 968
From: Communist Colorado
water wetter
just wanted to add that I had a 79 built Z28 that I couldnt get to run where I wanted it to, so I added a bottle of water wetter & temps dropped 11*. Everything in & on the engine was brand new & as a last resort, I tried the above....it worked! 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
Just a thought here. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Let's say that after flushing your radiator and engine twice with the distilled water, you have 100% water in your system. You now drain the radiator and refill it with the 50/50 mix of water and coolant. To make the math simple here, let's assume that half the cooling system's capacity is in the radiator and half the capacity is in the engine block. Now that you have filled your radiator with a 50/50 mix, your entire system is only at a mixture of 25% coolant and not the 50/50 mix that is recommended.
Am I right or wrong here? I have often wondered about this on all of my vehicles and therefore do my system flushes a little differently since I don't like pulling drain plugs on the engine blocks.
LO PHAT
Let's say that after flushing your radiator and engine twice with the distilled water, you have 100% water in your system. You now drain the radiator and refill it with the 50/50 mix of water and coolant. To make the math simple here, let's assume that half the cooling system's capacity is in the radiator and half the capacity is in the engine block. Now that you have filled your radiator with a 50/50 mix, your entire system is only at a mixture of 25% coolant and not the 50/50 mix that is recommended.
Am I right or wrong here? I have often wondered about this on all of my vehicles and therefore do my system flushes a little differently since I don't like pulling drain plugs on the engine blocks.
LO PHAT
You need 6 quarts of coolant for a 50/50 mixture, so the simple thing to do would be to drain out 8 quarts, put back 6 quarts of pure coolant, then top off with water.
What I usually do is just drain out the 8 quarts and put back 8 quarts of 50/50 mixture. I only put back a 50/50 mixture if I have not flushed the system so that the block is 100% water.
Last edited by TEXHAWK0; May 20, 2007 at 02:33 PM.
Dogface
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 25,974
Likes: 120
From: At the Beach, FL
St. Jude Donor '15, '17
dwj: That "sludge" is exactly because of low level of coolant. Its not that the dexcool does not do well with vapor/steam, its the parts that dont do well. With conventional green, it lays that protective barrior of silicate to "protect" parts when not covered with coolant itself. With dexcool, there is no silicate to protect the empty parts of the coolant system, so you will get what looks like sludge because the steam is corroding the parts not protected by coolant. But remember, it seems like youd want that "protective" barrior, but you dont because the silicate does much more harm than good.
Also, what kind of coolant reservoir does it have? Never switch to a metal reservoir, as that will cause problems for the same reason. So once again, its vital that the coolant level remains full!
Anyway I replaced the motor this time and flushed the whole system out again and added the Green stuff again. Car is still in service with my dad and working fine. So any Ideas or comments on this?
Also what do you hear on Evans coolants? The no water type.
Thanks, Don
Last edited by dwjz06; May 21, 2007 at 11:46 AM.
