Lowest Percentage of Antifreeze to stop corrosion

[DirtDonk]

Not sure when or where it might first have been recommended "officially" by an OE, but my dad always told me to use distilled if I could. And also to not lose any sleep over it if I couldn't.
We always had a bottle of distilled in the garage for batteries and radiators. Most of it went to battery refills and got ignored when topping off a radiator. It was just easier to pull the hose over to the filler neck when so much was usually required and we only had that one gallon jug of the good stuff.
Not that his advice didn't stay with me all these years though.

No scientific paper on it. Just always made good sense when dad said it.

Paul

 

[canary28]

It's well known that antifreeze can't cool an engine as well as water. The main purpose of antifreeze is of coarse to keep the coolant from freezing, but in the summer for most drivers,
and all year here in Tucson, freezing won't happen. Over heating is the main issue. Some antifreeze is needed to stop rust, but how much? Some sources claim 10 percent is enough to stop corrosion with 90 percent water for better cooling.

Any time you add a solute to a solvent, you lower the freezing point AND raise the boiling point. You could add salt, but that would have horribly corrosive effects.

In this case, water is the solvent, ethylene glycol is the solute. I would think that the raised boiling point would be as important in Tucson in June as the lowered freezing point is here at 6500 feet in February. And you don't have to change your fluid if you decide to head to Flagstaff for Christmas...

 

[jckkys]

The difference in boiling temperature between 25 and 50 percent solutions is only 7 degrees. The 13psi radiator cap increases the boiling temperature by 39 degrees. The more effective cooling of water keeps the temperature much lower than 252 degrees. If it gets to 200 with a 195 degree thermostat I'm pulling over because something's wrong.
There are about 20 days a year when Flagstaff at 7000 ft. gets 10 degrees or less. There may be a remote likelihood of a cracked block after an overnight stay. It's even more remote that I would spend the night in Flag during Dec. or Jan.

 

[suthernboy]

This thread is so far from its inception. It has brought out the best of the worst. ?:?
It's done.

NO wait! What's ya'llses* thoughts on the Boron-free dilemma?

*plural possessive of "ya'll"

 

[ntsqd]

I'd call 200 on a 195 t-stat normal, but that's just me. 215 OTOH........

I drive thru Boron maybe 50% of the time that I go to the Mojave Desert. Looks pretty good to me from the fwy. They've got an awesome view of "Rocket Ridge" where NASA tests rocket/missile motors. Why does it want to be free?

I think that we can all agree, or not, that distilled water should or shouldn't be used, and that a coolant/water ratio of somewhere between 15% and 50% should be used unless in a race car. Then straight tap water, or not, and some water pump lubricant. Surfactants like Water Wetter are a whole other topic.
That about sum it up?

 

[jckkys]

In Chicago the plural and singular possessive is yous's.

 

[sykanr0ng]

Skip the water pump lubricant, it's snake oil.

With anything as new as a Bronco it will have sealed bearings in the pump so if the water gets into the bearings it's already history.

 

[ntsqd]

Pump lube isn't for the bearings, it's (supposedly) to keep the pump seal(s) alive. All it is, is a water soluable oil. In the past I've bummed a little CNC cutting fluid for this.

 

[Steve83]

What I've been doing to my aluminum rad is connect a wire from rad to chassis...

You're destroying your expensive radiator. Read the 2nd TSB in this caption:



Note that the 3rd TSB was superseded because it CAUSES the condition addressed in the 2nd.

 

[SeanT4x4]

Most of us do. In the form of ice in the beer cooler!!!

HAHA I can second that one!