WHY???

[LORENSWIFE]

Why does my right eye keep twitching? oh wait, wrong forum...

Why would a car run hotter with coolant in it than it did when there was just water in it?

[milner351]

50/50 distilled water / coolant mix is optimal - more coolant does not equal better heat transfer.

[SuperBuickGuy]

water is better at removing heat than anti-freeze.

but really, why not?

as for twitching, I understand it's a California thing - you twitch before you get the LA squint

[LORENSWIFE]

Distilled water is kind of expensive though...would it hurt it to run it on just water? I am so SICK of watching the temperature guage!!! "Sorry officer I didn't see that red light because my car overheats all the time and I have to watch the temperature constantly, no I wasn't texting!"

[skullbucket]

First question: your low on potassium.
Second question: water is thinner so it pulls heat faster and moves if away from the engine.
Anti freeze is anti freeze but the use in the summer is to stop rust and lub the water pump.

[nesabo]

Guess my question is why is your car overheating? has to more than just the fluid in the radiator causing it.

[DanStokes]

IF you knew a car guy you could probably get him to look at the state of the muck in the radiator, build up in the engine's cooling passages, etc. I'd start with a good flush and a new thermostat and be sure to have this mystery "car guy" check the timing, too. You might have to sleep with him to get him on the job but you can work that out.

Dan

[LORENSWIFE]

My beloved Jeep Cherokee has run HOT forever! it is always above the center line and lots of times in between the center and the high line (before the red though) lately it was pegging all the way so I would pull over, wait for it to cool if it was hot, sometimes it was pegged but cool enough to open the radiator cap YIKES!
...so Loren put a new thermostat on it and tested the old one, it was not opening up...then it ran cool for a few days, cooler than it ever has! So since it was not leaking the water out anymore he put coolant in it over the weekend and now it is running on the hot side again!

* * * side note. We went O'Rielly Auto Parts (not Autozone which you all hate). Loren explained that the old thermostat wasn't opening up when dropped into boiling water then the guy says...and I sh!t you not "well how hot was the water?" Loren in an incredible display of self control expained that water boils at 212*!!! This guy was late 20s early 30s licensed to breed and holding down a job! What percent is he?

[LORENSWIFE]

IF you knew a car guy you could probably get him to look at the state of the muck in the radiator, build up in the engine's cooling passages, etc. I'd start with a good flush and a new thermostat and be sure to have this mystery "car guy" check the timing, too. You might have to sleep with him to get him on the job but you can work that out.

Dan

I would absolutely sleep with him to get the job done, but you know how mechanics are! If there were just some sort of guarantee! First it will be one thing then another and before you know it the bill is sky high! then there is no way to tell if he even replaced anything or just polished stuff up so it looks new! What's a girl to do?

[Ron Ward]

I say chuck the 4.0 and put in a slant six. They run cool.


Ron

[Orange65]

There is optimal, and then there is real world- I have run muddy ditch water thru a radiator with success (just filter out the crawdads). I would put a second temperature gage on it if the temp gage you have is showing hot and no water is coming out of the radiator- could be a bad water temperature sending unit, gage, or wiring . Otherwise, I would replace the radiator (you used to be able to have them rodded, but not anymore) or possibly the fan clutch (inspect it to make sure it is working- if ok, don't replace). The pure water may have been masking the problem.

As for the eye twitch- happens to me occasionally too. Don't know why.

[Caveman Tony]

The Cherokee I had way back when was overheating.... Turned out to be a clogged radiator.

[LORENSWIFE]

Without sounding totally stupid and girly! How do you get clogged crap in the radiator out? Can I just go to Oil Changers?

[antmnte]

I dont know what year Cherokee you have but we had an 87 with a 4.0 that kept running hot it had a tank with cap rather than a cap on the radiator itself. That thing had air in the system,it took a while to purge it but once we got it figured out it was ok. I think we ran it with the system open for a while in the driveway and that seemed to get the air out.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Straight water cools the best - but in climates where it can freeze, there are some drawbacks. So here's the start of a list of things it could be:
1) head gasket is blown
2) plugged water passages in the motor
3) air in the system (stops the water from flowing0
4) bad water pump
5) plugged radiator
6) bad thermostat (even new ones sometimes are bad)
7) bad gauge
8 slipping/broken fan belt
9) if electric fan, bad thermostat, wiring
10) bad carb - running lean
11) plugged fuel filter
12) blocked radiator (bugs, dirt, etc)
13) blocked radiator - I had a friend with overheating problems, the PO had put cardboard between the a/c radiator and car radiator

there's lots more, but I'm tired of typing.

sleeping with the mechanic simply makes them more tired and lazy. however, it can be a motivator if properly withheld.