quickWS6

Is it okay to run a 80% water and 20% Dex-Cool mixture in the radiator? I want to get the car running as cool as possible, but still safe for street use. I doubt the car will ever be driven in temps below 30*, but there is an extremely remote chance that it will be. I will also be using a bottle of Water-Wetter with the water and Dex-Cool. Is it okay to do this? TIA

Damian

iTrader: (89)

Yep, you will be fine. As you probably already know, water cools better than Antifreeze and Antifreeze is only needed to prevent the block from freezing/cracking/etc.. under cold temps. Keep your car away from freezing temps and you'll be fine...

FWIW, I run about 80% water myself and don't have any problems.

Josh

Ghost SS

I have run 100% water with 2 bottles of Wetter Water in my Blazer, and T/A. When I decide to change the fluid in the camaro I will do the same thing....but of course I live in AZ so there is no such thing as freezing temperatures.

Ragtop 99

iTrader: (7)

don't forget that antfreeze also helps prevent boil-over. Its much less of a risk with a 160 T-Stat than with a stock T-Stat.

quickWS6

Will running mostly water affect the water pump or accelerate buildup in the radiator?

thxone

iTrader: (1)

You should not have any additional build up as long as you use distilled water. Buy a few gallons of distilled water at your local grocery store and you're set

TomBusby

I use 10% to 20% Dex-cool all year in South Texas. As pointed out above, distilled water is essential. However the % of Dex-cool remaining after draining the radiator and adding water plus fresh Dex-cool is not really calculable -- you can't just run a hose in the radiator-top and run the overflow out of the radiator-intake hose and onto the ground, until it runs out clear like with the green stuff, because you really need to use distilled water. I flush-cycle out the radiator about 2 or 3 times, once a year, and add about 1-2 quarts of fresh Dex-cool and Water Wetter too. I add Water Wetter and some small % of Dex-cool to lube the water pump and to keep the coolant from becoming an electrolyte and galvanically plating the aluminum engine parts omto the water pump, etc. It's a cathode-anode thing.

As for boil over, yes a higher % of Dex-cool has a higher boil-over temp but the Dex-cool does not absorb heat as well as a higher % of pure water. Based on what I have read, I am sure that Dex-cool actually retards heat absorption, but I can't explain the science behind this.

It's an engineering compromise that I am guessing at, as to the optimum % of Dex-cool as a lube and cathode-anode preventative. I am not sure what the optimum/minimum % of Dex-cool is for a water-pump lube, and likewise, whether or not Water Wetter is fully functional as both a lube and retardant to the cathode-anode problem.

Water Wetter tends to prevent steam bubbles (air buubles are a good insulator and therefore bad) and tends to increase the heat absorption qualities of the coolant.

JimmyKash

i'm a fan of water wetter and water only

it was one way that really helped to keep the temps down in my blower car

Ragtop 99

iTrader: (7)

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> As for boil over, yes a higher % of Dex-cool has a higher boil-over temp but the Dex-cool does not absorb heat as well as a higher % of pure water. Based on what I have read, I am sure that Dex-cool actually retards heat absorption, but I can't explain the science behind this.
</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You are correct that water dissapates heat better than dexcool. That's the reason to run a higher percentage water. Running 20 - 30% dexcool raises the boil over (and offers some freeze protection as well) and provides a little protection in case you run into a problem like the T-Stats gets stuck closed. Our temp guages do not provide much detail as to the real temps in the 195 - 220 degree range; so you may not get much warning that something is happening until it is too late. For me, in a southern climate 80/20 is the lowest I would go.