4 Cool Things About Engine Coolant

Here are 4 random facts and experiences about cooling systems:

1.)    To optimize radiator life and performance, use distilled or deionized water mixed with good antifreeze. Well water, and even water from public water systems, contains minerals that can react over time with the metal of the radiator to cause corrosion and block passages.

2.)    Pure (distilled or deionized) water is the most efficient coolant, but engine water pumps require lubrication provided by antifreeze. Even a 25/75 mix of antifreeze/water provides adequate lubrication for water pumps.

3.)    Your gut feeling about using “stop leak”-type products is probably true. Those products use ceramic fibers/particles, sodium silicate, or particles of aluminum, copper or iron to block small leaks in radiators or heater cores. That means they have the potential to clog small, necessary passageways in the cooling system, plus, they can coat surfaces and reduce metal-to-coolant transfer of heat. Bottom line: Read the fine print on most of those products, and they are designed for use as, “temporary repairs.”

4.)    While it is sometimes possible to plug a leaky radiator tank by draining the system, sanding the area around the pinhole, and then smearing an epoxy like JB Weld over the area, it might later complicate permanent repairs. Radiator repair experts note that some epoxies change the metallurgy of the area where they are applied, and make it difficult to solder the spot for permanent repairs.

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