Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 00:18:30 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: stainless steel coolant pipes
In-Reply-To: <051201caed46$1cadb440$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I wonder if that cutting oil is really compatible with the rubber hoses and
outer head gaskets.
As for corrosion under the head gasket or hose connections the antifreeze
shouldn't be there so if it caused the corrosion the hose connection and
gasket had previously failed the type of antifreeze does not matter anyway.
Unlike engine oil, you can change coolant too often and leaky systems that
get regular top offs are corrosion nightmares waiting to happen. Each time
coolant is added fresh oxygen is added also. Slow leaks leave the mineral
and metallic deposits behind in ever increasing concentrations.
Here in the northeast a common source of corrosion is the road salt. I've
pulled heads off with so much outside corrosion that exhaust studs have
broken off with a piece of the head.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 2:01 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: stainless steel coolant pipes
re
I guess it doesn't really make any difference which antifreeze you use, so
> long as you actually use the stuff.
>
I consider a proper 50/50 mix of water/a-frz madatory, in all engines, in
all seasons ..
as mandatory as running a gasoline engine on gasoline.
I also add water soluble oil.... a cup or so , machinist's cutting oil.
Makes a great w. pump lube and rust inhibutor.
there has been this discussion about different metals 'forever' about
engines and cylinder heads etc etc etc.
and as you say .....different metals are used in engines commonly, like you
engine ....cast iron block, aluminum head.
oh ...what i will say about anti-frz...
Not that you ACTUALLY USE it ..
but that you actually CHANGE IT regularily.
I have seen so many pitted waterboxer heads, alunuinum crusty powder under
hoses on aluminum pipe nipples, rotted away aluminum thermostat covers
...etc. etc. etc. ..endless Mountains of correded metal engine parts
.....from not changing the coolant.
And I swear by the machinist's water soluble ( cutting oil ) oil as an
additive - done that to 500 cars or vans at least in 20 years. It works.
NAPA parts stores sell it.
you never get all of it ( old coolant ) out of there, so even every two
years on a old car, especially one with many dozens of cooling system parts
and many feet of pipes and hoses ...once a year even would not be too
frequent, when the thing is old.
Sometimes I think 'engineer types' get too caught up in theoretical nuances
and loose site of plain old pracitcality.
you know, there might be a lot of things I can't explain on the molecular
level, or even care to, but by god, I know what Just Works.
Durable materials assembled solidly in an elegant fashion with high quality
conventional anti-frz at 50/50 with a cup or so of machinist's cutting oil
added...that Just Works baby. Seriously. You do that, and you won't have
any problems in that area.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Hanson" <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 6:08 AM
Subject: Re: stainless steel coolant pipes
> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 4:35 AM, Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 11:25 PM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > OK, let's think about this in a logical manner. The original 1.9l
>> Vanagons
>> > had plain steel pipes. The piston liners inside the engine are cast
>> > iron
>> > with steel studs holding the heads on. Any way you look at it the van
>> > is
>> a
>> > multi-metal soup.
>> >
>>
>> ...hence the head-corrosion problem?
>>
>> I guess it doesn't really make any difference which antifreeze you use,
>> so
>> long as you actually use the stuff.
>>
>> --
>> Regards
>> Andrew Grebneff
>>
>
> That is exactly why the heads do leak on this era German water-pumper
> engines.. Heat+ dissimilar metals+a conductive solution to connect it all
> together=a recipe for corrosion. The 993 Porsche motors have the same
> problems as a WBX. Change away with your antifreeze/coolant mix...your
> motor is still attacking itself.still it is probably the best thing to
> keep
> the fresh coolant in there.
>
> I wonder if anyone has ever experimented with installing sacrificial
> anodes like are used in the marine world? A couple of small bits of zinc
> somewhere accessible in the coolant circulation system might mitigate the
> corrosion problems you WBX owners encounter in the head area?
>
> Don Hanson
