anti freeze question etc

[Hammer]

If you are having problems, here's how to make sure the coolant is filled, by none other than Marc Haibeck, the ZR-1 Specialist.

http://zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/a...%20Coolant.pdf

[Dynomite]

Originally Posted by Hammer

If you are having problems, here's how to make sure the coolant is filled, by none other than Marc Haibeck, the ZR-1 Specialist.

http://zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/a...%20Coolant.pdf

John...I just talked with Marc a week ago in e-mail and he also uses compressed air sometimes applying the air pressure to a specially made coolant surge tank cover (radiator cap) to make sure coolant is forced into the water pump area.

But this method I used here works even better I think. This method does not require jacking the car or a compressed air tank.

Filling With Coolant and the Air Locked Water Pump

Now......if you really want to make sure you get the Air out of an Air Locked Water Pump.....do what mgbrv8 does mgbrv8 Modifications of Water Pump

[Hib Halverson]

As a partial answer to an earlier question about "flushing" the LT5 cooling system...it's really hard to remove an LT5s cooling system block drains and you don't drain much of the coolant when you just open radiator petcock. What I did on my LT5 was drill and tap a small hole in the thermostat housing upstream of the thermostat and fill it with a small pipe plug. When I "flush" the system, I remove that plug and open the radiator drain. That gets a more of the old coolant out. Then I replace the plug, fill the system with tap water, idle the engine for 10 min. or so and drain it again. After that, I refill the cooling system with fresh coolant.

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

(snip)
Yeah, Hib: keeps me awake at night!
(snip)
NOT SO FAST, pard! (Taking exception to advertising hype here...)

"Water Wetter" (WW) ...Because I'm veering OT, I'll keep it quick...

WW may or may not improve heat transfer, but compared to what???

With respect to Paul's rambling critique of Red Line Water Wetter on this thread (one of several threads on the site in which Paul rails on WW)….my goodness gracious, are his panties ever in a bunch about that product!

I never said Water Wetter increases the boiling point of the coolant. It changes neither the boiling point nor the freezing point of whatever coolant to which it's added. Also, because I chose my words in an earlier post poorly–and I have since edited that–the implication was use of Water Wetter in an LT5 will reduce engine coolant temperature (ECT). In most cases, that won't happen. The main reason I use Water Wetter in an LT5 is to replace the water pump lubricant, anti-foaming agents and corrosion inhibiters which are in antifreeze coolants (green or orange) which I don't use.

RLWW's other active ingrediant is a surfactant which, in engines with areas of their cooling jackets prone to localized, nucleate boiling, will mitigate that boiling and improve transfer of heat from metal parts to the coolant, thus, reducing ECT.

LT5, because of the design of its cooling jackets and the high flow rates in the system, in most situations, does not have trouble with nucleate boiling, so, in most situations, the ability of Water Wetter (or any of the other brands of coolant additives which claim to reduce temps) to reduce ECT is a solution looking for a problem.

The only duty-cycle were I suspect there might be a role for RLWW's surfactant to reduce ECT is when an LT5 is at high rpm and under high load for an extended period. In that situation, the engine is producing a lot of heat in the cylinder heads, but a production based LT5 cooling system is bypassing a lot of coolant around the radiator so ECT rises. Additionally, water pump cavitation may develop at high rpm. The combination of those circumstances could allow localized, nucleate boiling to begin. I say "could" as I have no test data to support that. I base that suggestion solely on my understanding of the LT5 cooling system. When localized nucleate boiling begins in cooling jacket areas adjacent to combustion chamber walls, those areas will experience increased temperature and detonation is lilely to follow. Red Line Water Wetter's mitigating effect on localized boiling could be valuable in that situation.

When I use straight water in a 15-pound system at low altitudes, I give away some boilover protection on the high-end, but because straight water cools better than does a 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol and water, the decrease in ECT allowed by a 170° termostat, preserves the safety margin between my nominal ECT and the boil over temperature.

That said, 100% water coolant works only under limited conditions.
1) Obviously, there's no freeze protection. If you park or store the car where the ambient temperature goes below 32°, don't use straight water.
2) Dont use it if you run the car hard at altitudes over 8000 feet. Under those conditions, you may want the extra 5°F or so of boil over protection you'll get with a 50/50 mix.
3) It's maintenance intensive. You must change coolant every 18-24 months regardless of mileage.
4) You must use an additive which has the following components: water pump seal lubricant, anti-foaming agent and corrosion inhibiter. There are a number of products like that on the market. I choose to use Red Line's brand mainly because it was first on the market and, back in the early-1990s, I had a supporting role in assisting Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp. in developing the original Water Wetter, which was a race-only product packaged in chrystaline form, into to what it is today, a pour-in, liquid additive for road car as well as race engine cooling systems.

What's the advantage to straight water? Better cooling especially, at high rpm and under high load when the engine is producing a lot of heat and the LT5 cooling system is bypassing a significant amount of coolant flow around the radiator.

As for Paul's posting the link to that lame "test" of Red Line Water Wetter, I actually accept the writer's results of his narrowling focused test. I don't recall that article stating what kind of engine was used for the test but, in reading the story, it doesnt' seem that the tester put the engine's cooling system under any significant load. Tested like that, it's unlikely Red Line Water Wetter or any of the other coolant additive brands (Royal Purple, Design Engineering and etc) would have had any positive effect on lowering ECT.

Where Red Line Water Wetter can make a difference in ECT is in situations where a cooling system under high load is pone to localized boiling. It there's no localized boiling, there won't be much of a change.

Originally Posted by Paul Workman

Not pickin' a nit wid ya Hib. It's just that sales hype is often written by "word smiths" that - wouldn't know a dB from a dollar bill!

P.

Come on Paul...you're so full of sometimes. "Pickin' a nit" is exactly what you're doing, you love doing it and...I don't have a problem with it. Just, please, be honest about it, for gosh sakes.