Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:24:20 -0800
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: About coolant
In-Reply-To: <889414.92619.qm@web52107.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
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That helps a lot, Dylan. From you and others I have learned that water is
very efficient for transferring heat from the engine to the radiator. But
from your post I get a glimpse of what someone who thinks deeply about
these vehicles sees, tries, and knows.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR
On 12/12/2009 10:58 AM dylan wrote:
> Does distilled water (plus wetting agent and other undefined additives)
> help an engine stay cooler on hot days than water+antifreeze?
>
>
> I have two separate vans that I have been experimenting with over the past 5 years.
>
> 1. 1986 2wd GL stock 2.1: I run distilled water and cutting oil only during the summer months. In the winter it gets a 50/50 mix of distilled and DexCool. Scott Foss turned me on to the water and and oil mix. Give credit where credit is due.
> No issues with this van after 5 years. Compression and leakdown are tested at coolant swaps. Small percentage drops over this time period.
>
> 2. 1991 Syncro L 2.2 waterboxer, Boston Bob Big Valve heads with port and polish, 1.4 ratio rockers, free flow exhaust double wrapped with fiberglass header wrap from DEI. Summer months it gets distilled with water wetter only. DexCool in winter months.
> This van is lifted and running 215/75/15 tires with aggrssive tread and I tow a 12 foot utility trailer all the time. This van runs cool. I have chcked it with a digital temp gauge. The temp gauge needle sits below the red indicator at 12 o'clock on the gauge in the summer and will sit right above it in the winter. I have to be towing a full trailer to get the needle to move from these positions. I often see vapors coming from the radiator, especially on a cool morning during the summer with the wetter. The rad is very warm to the touch and the engine compartment is very cool. I also see that this van does burn up its oil as quickly. I run Mobile 1 extended life synthetic 15/50 in the summer and 0/40 in the colder months. Compression and leakdown are checked often and it has only lost about 3% on leakdown in 6 years and nearly 85k miles since rebuild. The engine was sealed with modern products, not VW sealants, as Benny has shown in his videos.
>
> Long story short, I feel that keeping the engines cool, letting them breathe and flushing the cooling systems will add a tremendous amount of life to the waterboxer.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> dylan
>
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