Antifreeze

[Skol75]

What kind of antifreeze does everyone use? I know our antifreeze needs to be compatible with an aluminum radiator, but do you have a specific product you use?

[Fred]

You also got ally heads.

If you could buy non alluminiun antifreeze it would be a collectors item. Anti freeze just lowers the coolant freezing level. They don't use it in Saudi.

Just about anything will do. Some say it helps transfer heat faster than water and some say it helps lubricate the pump well ok buy that then.

[Lechy]

Use any kind of anti freeze with a corrosion inhibitor ( which is what we used in Saudi). plus add some liquid Barsleak which actually does lubricate the polished faces of the mechanical water seal in the pump.

[emoji41]

[navigator]

What Lechy says, most contain a corrosion inhibitor and are silicate free which makes them compatible with aluminum.
Antifreeze, in addition to lowering the freezing point, also raises the boiling point.
Let Fred run straight water, but Suzuki calls for antifreeze.
Add an ounce of liquid bars leak to lube the water pump seal, (yes Suzuki advises that too.)

[Fred]

What Lechy says, most contain a corrosion inhibitor and are silicate free which makes them compatible with aluminum.
Antifreeze, in addition to lowering the freezing point, also raises the boiling point.
Let Fred run straight water, but Suzuki calls for antifreeze.
Add an ounce of liquid bars leak to lube the water pump seal, (yes Suzuki advises that too.)

And a twist of lemon.

No you are correct I have to use an inhibitor in my marine engines insisted upon by Yanmar even in the tropics.

I do not use it in my pick up here in Thailand I use water!! its been good enough for a hundred years and then some one says its not good enough any more, Well when you have high performance cars with air con, auto tranny oil coolers and low profile car bonnets that you can barely site a descent radiator you have to start improving in other ways.

Raising pressure to 14 lbs was one, and this of course raises the boiling point. 14 ilb was the limit because over that it becomes a pressure vessel and is covered by regulation and public liabilities legislation.

Diesels being more efficient at absorbing the fuels cetane rating or BTU means they don't need to be as good on the cooling. You may see many an old tractor or gen erator without a rad cap at all.

Ceramic mechanical seals are not supposed to need lubrication other than water, but if I was selling it then I would say they do.

[Herb]

What Lechy says, most contain a corrosion inhibitor and are silicate free which makes them compatible with aluminum.
Antifreeze, in addition to lowering the freezing point, also raises the boiling point.
Let Fred run straight water, but Suzuki calls for antifreeze.
Add an ounce of liquid bars leak to lube the water pump seal, (yes Suzuki advises that too.)

And a twist of lemon.

No you are correct I have to use an inhibitor in my marine engines insisted upon by Yanmar even in the tropics.

I do not use it in my pick up here in Thailand I use water!! its been good enough for a hundred years and then some one says its not good enough any more, Well when you have high performance cars with air con, auto tranny oil coolers and low profile car bonnets that you can barely site a descent radiator you have to start improving in other ways.

Raising pressure to 14 lbs was one, and this of course raises the boiling point. 14 ilb was the limit because over that it becomes a pressure vessel and is covered by regulation and public liabilities legislation.

Diesels being more efficient at absorbing the fuels cetane rating or BTU means they don't need to be as good on the cooling. You may see many an old tractor or gen erator without a rad cap at all.

Ceramic mechanical seals are not supposed to need lubrication other than water, but if I was selling it then I would say they do.

Wow!! Unbelieveable, you were bashing me for talking about the way things used to be done, before technology found better solutions, and telling us how you wouldn't put up with that kind of maintenance. Now you are telling people it is ok to destroy their engine.

I hope your pickup is not an aluminium block or head. If it is, running without a corrosion inhibitor antifreeze/coolant is a good way to destroy it, quickly. I don't know of a manufacture that would ever say to run straight water in the cooling system. Running plain water is also bad for head gaskets... OH, one thing I almost forgot, the coolant not only raises the boiling point, inhibits corrosion, lubricates and conditions seals and orings, it also collects and sheds heat better than plain water.

The old engines had HUGE radiators, didn't have a pressurized system, they had cast iron parts, and didn't make enough power to get hot. Running without a cap and without a good antifreeze/coolant in newer vehicles/equipment will destroy them.

There are a large number of vehicles that use a 16 lb, and above, pressure cap. My 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis uses a 16 lb cap. This engine is used in MANY Ford Co vehicles, and uses the same cap. There are vehicles that use as high as 28 lb cap. Your comment about 14 lbs being the limit is BS.

As for the seals, the manufacture recommends it... But you know better than the vehicle manufacture...

Everything you said in this post is wrong... and bad advice.

[Fred]

You your right 14 ilbs is an English requirement. I did not say you should not use a cap I said I had seen them without. I said in my first post that it sold as a pump lubricant etc etc You are wrong on every quote I made but being around here for some time it seems to be normal American way to say what ever comes into you head.

16ilb will blow the header tank--sound familiar my Corvette blew one.

Jag has ally heads and has had like forever and we never used inhibitor,--Jag never told us to. prob do now,

The first engine to start head corrosion was the Stag boy did it have problems but it was more of an electrolysis problem with many metals in contact.

[Fred]

Errm the title is antifreeze. Its a complex subject. Thats what we are talking about. We are not here just to answer questions on demand.

Another thread buggered by the admin.

[Truckingeek]

I have used Carquest extended life brand for years with no problems in my bikes, pickup and semi. Main thing is silicate free. A corrosion preventive can't hurt, and as for bars-leak well... I don't put it in any of my vehicles cooling systems.

My shop manual from Suzuki says to use bars-leak, but it was published in 87 and coolant has come a long way since then.

My GMC Sierra manual says to use only Dex-cool or the world will end... it has over 300,000 kms on it.

Lastly I own several semi's with Detroit Diesels in them that have a combination of iron, aluminum, pvc/plastic and rubber components that Detroit claims I should only use their brand of coolant or bad things will happen and warranties will be voided.

It is my opinion that each vehicle has it's own set of variables to ponder, typical ambient temperature, amount of daily/weekly use time wise, hard or light use, large or small amount of coolant capacity in the system (for cycling). But the most important thing of all is frequent maintenance. If a vehicle gets no maintenance and only used once and a while all kinds of strange crap happens and it won't matter what brand of product is used.

As for some other posters.... take your hair splitting pissing match elsewhere. You are not being of use to anyone. Should be ashamed of yourselves.

[BlacktopTravelr]

I'm suppose to change my anti-freeze? Crap I've never even took the radiator cover off mine the 11 years I've had it. [space]

[BlacktopTravelr]

While at Walmart today I noticed some anti-freeze that said it had "corrosion inhibitors and was silicate free" so I'm wondering if this would work in the bike? I need to finally get around to changing the anti-freeze as it hasn't been changed since I bought the bike in '06. [space]

[navigator]

While at Walmart today I noticed some anti-freeze that said it had "corrosion inhibitors and was silicate free" so I'm wondering if this would work in the bike? I need to finally get around to changing the anti-freeze as it hasn't been changed since I bought the bike in '06. [space]

Yup, That's the stuff...change it out.

[BlacktopTravelr]

Thanks, I don't care what the rest of the board says about you, in my book you're an okay guy.

[navigator]

Oui?
Keith says I'm an assassin.