Ordered a Dewitt custom aluminum radiator and it will be delivered today. been reading up on waterless coolants. Whats the general opinion on this and which product would be the best option? Anyone know off hand the capacity of the Rivieras cooling system?
I have Evans Waterless Coolant, but haven't used it yet. From my understanding cooling systems are the same as they were in the 1930s, and waterless coolant is the modern coolant. It can cause minor issues if you have a car that uses thermic variances to circulate coolant (no water pump). The motor will run hotter (slightly for most cars) as the coolant has no water and doesn't transfer heat quite as well. The good about it is that the boil temp is well over 100F higher then water based coolant so wont boil over and allow higher engine temps to get more economy, but I think vapor lock might be a slightly higher risk. It never needs replaced (5 years or 25 years makes no difference). You can drain it and reuse it. It has better lubrication properties and that helps keep the water pump (any part of the cooling system) from failing due to corrosion or pressure. My opinion by what I have read and seen it really is amazing coolant. I am putting it in my Electra when im done with it. Jay Leno (a BIG waterless Coolant supporter) on his youtube page has a few videos that he and the owner of Evans Coolant go in detail and show examples of how good the stuff really is!
Wow nice review, I use old green coolant, straight up no mixing. Car never gets over 190. I suppose i'll change every other year just to be sure. I feel the water is what causes most of the trouble.
Got off the phone with the Mfg of the radiator a few minutes ago. the rep said he would use pre mixed 50/50 of my choice and long as its made with de- ionized water. He thinks the Evans product is really good but way over priced. We dont all have Lenos money! I'll shop around to see if I can get it anywhere at a bargain price.
I've never used anything but good old ethylene glycol coolant and water wetter additive. In your climate Briz, I'd use no more than 25% coolant to water. I change it every 2-3 years and make sure my grounds are good. My Griffin radiator was bought in May of 2000. Still looks and cools as good as the day I bought it and no leaks.
I use 50% coolant and 50% deionized water. Beginning of the year I added water wetter, saw zero difference. Oddly enough, my(mechanical) gauge stays pegged at 185° (running a 185 t-stat) as it always has but my fitech interface hangs around 202° (measuring from a different location). I've been thinking about dropping in a different t-stat, but everything other than the fitech seems happy, so I don't know....
50%/50% with Redline water wetter here. I'm surprised you didn't notice any difference Shawn. When I first added wetter to my 442 a long time ago, it knocked the temp down 5-10 degrees and I was sold. Is it Redline water wetter you tried? I know other companies make a similar product.
The reason is the 50/50 mix. The less ethylene glycol you use, the better for heat transfer. 100% water is the most efficient at heat transfer. That is why the container says no more than 70/30 mix. I had a neighbor who had an overheating problem in his Toyota Camry. He had used 100% coolant. I'd rather use 25% and increase the concentration in the winter if I have to. 25% is good to 10*F
Interesting thread. A long time ago I used to work in the automotive industry. Specifically I worked for a cooling system component supplier. I asked an OEM engineer about this stuff (waterless coolant). He didnt seem to care for it because water absorbs a huge amount of heat when it changes phase. They rely on nucleatic boiling to keep the heads cool. Without that he wasnt sure how good the stuff would do its job. Not saying the stuff is bad, just passing what I heard from an OEM cooling system engineer.
I know a higher percentage of water is better cooling-wise, Larry. My 442 is at my house near Mount Monadnock NH. It's not uncommon to see 15-20 below there in the winter. My garage there is unheated. It's never really that cold in the garage (attached), but I worry that if I have to move the car out in the dead of winter it may freeze. I did read up on the Evans years ago in Hemmings or something. But thought it was too pricey for my use.
Absolutely use a 50/50 mix then. I just wanted to point out what it tells you on the water wetter bottle. Briz doesn't need 50/50 in Florida.
This is my same situation 100%. During the winter slumber, my Buicks are in my finished pole barn behind the house. Unless I'm in there working and have the heaters on, it's whatever the ambient temp is, routinely zero or below in winter. If they hibernated in the attached garage it'd be a different story, but that isnt the case. Briz, sorry for the sidetrack, back to your originally posted topic.
You can get Evans coolant for $45 a gallon. One important thing to remember is you won’t have to change the coolant ever again, and there would be virtually no corrosion or need for replacement cooling system components. This statement they make with waterless coolant is the money spent now pays back overtime with increased cooling system reliability, Life of the car coolant that never needs changed, and not boiling over. Just think about what water-based coolant is doing to the cooling passages in your engine! There are YouTube videos that go in depth on the stuff and how beneficial waterless coolant really is! I’m obviously sold on it LOL
We have used Evans for years in many cars of ours and customers. Ever vehicle has run cooler with it. I think alot of this has to do with the fact you get any hot spots or tiny steam pockets. It has great freeze protection. No need to worry about freezing. It doesn't play well with water. So when swapping a water system over it is a processes. You have to drain old, blow as much out, the use a special flush, drain and dry that, then add evans. Anys draw back is a leak gets pricey, and you can't just go to the parts store and get some.............you need to carry it with you. The stuff feels as some form of oil
Found and purchased 4 gallons of the Evans heavy duty on Amazon for 111.00 Did not buy the pre flush stuff. The vids on Youtube says its ok to use with up to 3% of the old coolant in it which in my car is about 70% water. Will drain and blow it out completely prior to filling with the new stuff.
Spent the day on and off draining the system and getting it dry. (Did yard work in between rounds wit the car.) Pulled all the lines and hoses off heater core and all. Put the shop vac on the lower rad hose and let er eat for over an hour while pushing compressed air into all the other orifices. To finish it off I pulled the drain plugs in the side of the block and pushed air in there also. Ran the engine dry to 200* several times while drawing through with the vac. I feel its as dry as its gonna get. Set the new rad in place and its about 1/2 thicker than the old copper 4 core which pushes the shroud forward enough to hit the fan blade. Gonna have to trim some material off to get everything to line up correctly again. Around 4:30 I'd had enough and closed up the shop.
The flush theysell actually absorbs the left over water, hope you have enough of it out, the 2 dont mix well
There cant be any more than a cup of the old water / coolant mix. If there was I've no idea where its hiding. Also theres no way what came out of the car was 4 gallons. Sure, lots got on the floor and drive but not 4 gals. so either the book is wrong or the car was very low on coolant. I doubt the low part as I drove it on a 60 mile round trip Friday evening to a cruise in and it didnt over heat (much)
I got my package from Amazon today via UPS. Looked at the box and thought no way theres 4 gals of anything in there. Opened the box and I was right. 4 1/2 gal bottles. Like really? WTF. havent looked at my order yet but Im really nearly positive the listing said 4 gallons. If not Im on the hook for another 111$
