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MG TD TF 1500 - Coolant -Proper KInd

Hi,

For my rebuilt engine and radiator, want to start off right. Any current recommendations on right type of coolant? Modern permanent or old type? Water to coolant ration that is best? Need water wetter product?

Keith
Keith Murphy

Good old prestone mixed according to container!
gblawson - TD#27667

Keith,

Distilled water has good heat transfer capability, but your cooling system would suffer corrosion, and lack the boost to freezing protection and boil over that anitfreeze provides.

Water and antifreeze together has all the protection you need, but in some cases the less antifreeze you can get by with the better because antifreeze is only 60% as efficient as distilled water at transferring heat. A 50/50 mix will work in most cars, but for cars with heat transfer problems, a 25/75 antifreeze/water mix with 'water wetter' (Moss carries it) added will provide enough of the corrosion inhibitors, protect your system from freezing, and is more optimal for heat transfer. Read the side of your prestone jug to decide if your winter storage needs will be met.

Just buy good stuff and use distilled water for longest life. I would start with the 50/50 mix and change it to 25/75 with the water wetter only if you had a problem. Of course, at that point you could drain the system, calculate how much more water you need to add to the mix to get the percentage right, and add the water wetter.

good luck,
dave

Dave Braun

Kieth I would use plain water for your start up for two reasons. First if you have a leak it's no big deal, second plain water has the highest specific heat therefore the best cooling of any mixture you get with antifreeze. Then after the first startup and adjustments are completed, drain some of the water and add the Prestone. I use 50/50 up here in NH, don't know whats needed in NJ this time of year.
Cheers,
Bob
R. K. (Bob) Jeffers

I used plain water for about a month the first year I had the car and couldn't believe the amount of 'rust' it started to produce in such a short time...am now back to 50/50 prestone and it seems to remain pretty clean!
gblawson - TD#27667

Keith,
I have been using the newer "animal friendly" anti-freeze in all my vehicles.
I rent a garage from my neighbor and his dogs visit me for a puppy treat when I am working in there.....not a good idea to poison the landlords dawgs!
50/50 Mix and Water Wetter has been working well for me. For that first "start-up" after replacing hoses and such I go with Distilled H2O only to check for leaks.
Cheers,
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

Dave,
Isn't it true that if you do use the Animal/Envirnment Friendy antifreeze, you can't go back to the original type ??

SPW
Steve Wincze

Steve ,
Hmmm I'm not sure on that. Anybody else know? I do know I had been using that in everything ..but last time I had some work done on my pick-up they changed it back to the green stuff and I haven't noticed any proplems.
I suer would like to know if that is the case.
David 55 TF1500 #7427
David Sheward

I might add that my only reason for using distilled H20 is that my city water has a very high calcium content ...spots like crazy...and my treated water at the house has been through a softener so I don't like the idea of salt in the radiator.
I always keep a couple of gallon containers of distilled at the garage (for batterys)...don't have running water at "Abingdon Hootersville North"...except what drains from the ice in the beer cooler and I use that to wash my hands and "flush" the "Your-a-Pee-in" style urinal mounted to the wall! (Upside down tide bottle that drains via hose into the zoning office parking lot next door.)
Yep ...since I cut my hair ...there ain't nothing to cover up my red-neck!
David
David Sheward

Youll find as many that say never mix the 2 types of coolants, or swap from one to another, as there are those that say it's perfectly fine. Each side can produce mountains of data (or horror stories) to support their particular persuasion.

Larry
L Karpman

Dave, Larry,
I went to the Sierra web site and found this,,,,

"SIERRA Antifreeze is compatible with ethylene glycol based (EG) antifreeze. If they are accidentally mixed, no damage to the cooling system will occur. However, due to the toxicity of the EG antifreeze, mixing antifreeze will eliminate the safety advantages of SIERRA Antifreeze"

I think the reason for the warning that I got was because of the toxicity of the old stuff in the system, If mixed, I am assuming that it might give a "false sense of security" to the user...


SPW
Steve Wincze

The less toxic antifreeze typically uses propylene glycol, whereas traditional antifreeze is ethylene glycol. They are sufficiently similar chemically that there should be little difference from a corrosion or compatiblity standpoint. Their physical properties are somewhat different, so there will be a difference in the performance of the two glycols (boiling point temperature of the glycol, whether diluted or not, and its heat capacity). I suspect there are tables that compare the two in this regard.

Larry

Larry
Larry Shoer

Thanks all for the good info! Water when I start up, and then 50/50 with Water Wetter when I am serious.

Keith
Keith Murphy

Good Morning Keith
I agree with Gordon L. above. If you start and run your rebuilt engine, if the engine has been boiled out during the rebuild, then you should use anti freeze on start up. Once the rust starts you won't be able to stop it. Anti freeze on start up will coat the inside of the engine and prevent the rust from starting. If you fill with 50/50 mixture you are talking about less than 1 gallon of anti freeze mixed with water. That is less than $10 for that initial protection and is well worth the expense. You will probably have some leaks, as we all have. On my start up I followed the work shop manual and did not put any gasket sealer on the head gasket, of course it leaked oil into the anti freeze. I also have a routine in the spring where for $50 or less I change all the fluids, oil, oil filter, anti freeze, and brake fluid. Good luck on your start up. John
John

I've become a great fan of Water Wetter ever since I removed my fan and replaced it with an electric one. My trip to Gatlinburg last year, was made in 95°f temps, and Water Wetter came through in style.

Of course, I replace it each fall with anti-freeze, then back to fresh W-W for the summer.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gordon A. Clark

Gordon,

I do the same on my TF, it is necessary to use Water Wetter here in the deep South (Air Temp at road level at least 110-115 deg.F when driving over asphalt roads in mid summer)
My engine temp is rarely above 85 C on the tours at 3800 RPM (68 MPH)
Don Harmer

The original question asked about modern lifetime antifreeze. Prestone have one and others. Anyone any opinions?
Ron Coates

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=27&article_id=2334

From this article:

"The promise of OAT is long-life corrosion protection, on the order of six years/ 100,000 miles for the initial fill instead of the two years/50,000 miles that was typical with the old green stuff. The GM Dex-Cool formula works fine in systems designed for it. But it eats old-style radiators with lead solder, and the inhibitors work too slowly to protect against the sort of corrosion that happens so fast it actually erodes metal—for example, the cavitation likely in the imperfectly designed water pumps of older cars."

'"Cars born with green coolant shouldn't be changed to orange," Turcotte advises. It's also a bad idea to mix the two, although the result doesn't immediately turn into witches' brew.'

Larry
Larry Shoer

Ya know... you take your favourite 'gal' out to dinner and drop $100.00... ok, $50.00 I figure the TD is special enough that it can have new oil, new fluids, points and plugs every 6 months or so and I'm still ahead. Lifetime antifreeze, well, call me crazy, but I believe that as much as BMW's 'lifetime' transmission fluid!!!
gblawson - TD#27667

This thread was discussed between 15/04/2007 and 23/04/2007

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