Coolant......who's using what?

[Monk]

I've got the '55 torn apart right now......doing
miscellaneous stuff.

Had the radiator out......when going back in curious what other guys are using for radiator coolant?

[squirrel]

whatever is least expensive at wally world.

[Barry Donovan]

I messed with everything, even "cat coolant" from my dads rig. I am in maine, twice I have exceeded coolant in 27 years.. pretty good record, but considering I followed instructions, no excuses.

It all failed miserably in the little boxer, crazy physics included, until the guy at carquest took 3 milliseconds out to throw a jug of "zerex" at me. Nice stuff. The fail ended up being my own bleeding alternator..but found that amazing, the zerex did not respond. Just enough sandbagger effect. Lightning killer.

20 below, no weepers on the gaskets (it always weeped after that kinda cold).

old ingredients to resemble original engineering, and the lack of grotesque. It is near clear color.

there must be others following suit, I am just remembering "zerex"... if I even spelled that correctly.

[GH]

Hey Monk, you also live in MO, you better use anti freeze if you are going to drive it around in the weather we just had.

[squirrel]

oh....and I usually run about 50-50 mix antifreeze/tap water. It will get close to zero around here every now and then. I have a cracked engine block sitting in front of my shop, to prove it. (no, I wasn't responsible for it happening)

[Monk]

The shoebox is garaged in the winter so not much chance of freezing up.........thanks GH.

Is anyone using these 'water wetter' additives?............I normally run just a small amount
of anti freeze for anti corrosive element.

[redneckjoe69]

i live where it never freezes. for 20+ years i've been using water with a few cap fulls of tranny fluid. it mixes as the waterpump runs. it's my belief that the tranny fluid helps lubricate the waterpump and provide corrosion protection. never tried the water-wetter. people say it works though.
i've got an aluminum rad in my camaro, and i've been meaning to get a zinc anode/drain plug. they're supposed to really cut back on corrosion.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Flex-a-lite/400/32060/10002/-1

[anotheridiot]

Its pretty much all the same, but I stick with prestone most of the time. Its so unbelievable to me that they sell the jug of 50-50 for two dollars less, when you end up with twice as much for the two dollars more.

[SuperBuickGuy]

depends on the car - if there's a ferrous block, I use the green stuff; all aluminum, orange stuff; bmw - bmw stuff (it's like $30 a container)...

to the above rule set - I've been known to reuse antifreeze when I know the motor won't last 100k miles before it's apart again and its fluid must come out.

all of it - 50/50. It hard freezes here at least once a year (week-long) - so I have to be cognizant of that when I'm doing mixes.

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

prestone and distilled water.. 50/50 gets to cold here to run straight water

[TheSilverBuick]

NAPA Green. 50/50 mix in the car checked with the anti-freeze checker to at least minus 20 or so.

[Deaf Bob]

The shoebox is garaged in the winter so not much chance of freezing up.........thanks GH.

Is anyone using these 'water wetter' additives?............I normally run just a small amount
of anti freeze for anti corrosive element.

Yep.. We use water wetter... Works good.. Makes the difference.. Seems to keep the cars cool untill they lose the radiator..

[poison gas]

I use Oreilly's brand antifreeze and water. Just before leaving for drag week I drain it out(save it) and put staight water with water wetter so if I do have something happen on the drag strip, it doesnt make for a long cleanup. Then antifreeze goes back in after I get back.

[TheSilverBuick]

I use Oreilly's brand antifreeze and water. Just before leaving for drag week I drain it out(save it) and put staight water with water wetter so if I do have something happen on the drag strip, it doesnt make for a long cleanup. Then antifreeze goes back in after I get back.

I do the same in September. I drained the anti-freeze out for Drag Week and replace with water, anti-corrosion additive and maybe a bottle of water wetter (couldn't find one in Ely last year....). The Skylark is currently sitting with a drained cooling system because I plan on pulling the engine with the transmission so figured no point in putting the anti-freeze back in.

[CDMBill]

I use Zerez Super Coolant, an increasingly hard to find water wetter/ anti corrosion/ lubricant originally used in NASCAR. One quart for the system with Distilled water. Dropped operating temps in hot weather by 15 degrees over traditional coolant no mix. No freezes here.