I hesitate to bring this up, because it seems to get people riled up for some reason. I really only want to show why I do it, all those reasons why I shouldn't have been duly noted and are not necessary here. I last changed my anti-freeze in 2005 (I think). I decided to change it, as well as the water pump, thermostat, hoses and cap. The truth is that none of it was necessary, but I feel obligated to change it because it has been so long. Anyway the lack of corrosion is why I never add water to the coolant. All the pics are without any type of cleaning...Mark

 

The coolant capacity of the engine is about 6 gallons. Just draining out the petcock drained around 4 gallons, I bought 3 gallons new and reused about a gallon of the old coolant. I put the rest of it in the containers and have it in my rig for emergencies...Mark

 

Looks good. My system looks similar to yours and I run a 50/50 mix with a little water wetter. I drain and cycle my fluid about every 2 years though.

 

The water here is heavily mineralized and leaves all kinds of corrosion. It is probably lots better where there is much softer water...Mark

 

I'm able to obtain pretty sanitary water from my friends RO membrane watermaker and I usually get a 5 gallon cooler full when I go work on his boat from time to time. I use it as radiator coolant water. No minerals, no additives, no nothing... just H2O with less than 30 PPM solids in it. Tastes like "nothing", no flavor at all. weird stuff. Just like distilled water.

 

That would be nice, water that doesn't corrode. I don't know anyone that has put RO distilled water in their system here, but I have seen the results of running too much tap water and it isn't pretty...Mark

 

Thats why you go to the store and buy a 2 gallons of distilled water and 2 gallons of straight coolant and mix them. That makes 4 gallons at 50%.

Besides why anyone would want to run straight antifreeze is beyond me, 100% ethylene glycol freezes at 10F, 90% @ -20. Also, WATER is the coolant. Ethylene Glycol is designed to lower the freeze point and raise the boiling point. That is why it is called ANTI-FREEZE,

 

...

 

Mark, aside from corrosion peckens makes a valid point, adding water to the mix does improve the operating range of the coolant. That said, in the new systems you are suppose to add distilled/de-mineralized water only. I would recommend it in the older trucks as well. The minerals do nothing but clog things up.

 

sigh...Mark

 

Mark,
Still using !00% anti-freeze in Glendale, Ca.
The only problem is my new radiator has smaller tubes as compared with the original one giving a smaller tube area for cooling.

 

I would suggest against using RO water, it isn't friendly with copper. Distilled water is fine

 

Whatever antifreeze concentration you use, you should consider installing a coolant bypass filter in your coolant circuit, as old as these engines are and even after all of the times that I back flushed my block from every available port it still took 3 filter changes before I stopped seeing the casting sand that gets trapped in the jackets from when the engine block was originally cast.

The abrasive normally circulates throughout your cooling system wearing away everything it passes including the water pump seals, bearings and even hoses.

Jim

 

gyman you have it backwards, it is the distilled water that is not friendly with copper but usually picks up enough other metals fast enough not to be a problem. you can no longer get 100 % anti freeze, they mix water with it to keep it from freezing during shipment and there is not enough water for proper heat transfer. look on the back and add enough ro water to bring it to the lowest freeze point, that is the point that cools the best and has the highest boil point.

 

I don't think I am, distilled is corrosive as well just not as much. Water is the universal solvent.