Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 09:51:23 -0400
Reply-To: Derek Drew <derekdrew@DEREKMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Derek Drew <derekdrew@DEREKMAIL.COM>
Subject: Stainless Coolant Pipes Endanger Engines
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It has become very common in Vanagon circles for owners to change
their coolant pipes to stainless steel designs.
Terry K introduced one of the first stainless steel pipes in North
America, and other thinner walled pipes were later introduced from
Europe and elsewhere. Now, many vendors offer stainless pipes, and
the plastic pipes that seemed so stupid to us because they fail are
becoming NLA (no longer available).
An argument came to my attention this week at RJES that the use of
stainless steel for coolant pipes is a kind of an idiot thing to
do..... a kind of automotive-engineering-101-no-no.
Apparently, engine coolant tends to be conductive enough that even
though the stainless pipes are not touching at either end, the
stainless pipes can create a battery (galvanic corrosion) and cause
the engine to start turning into a more dust like material over time.
I am sure that many of you have seen old transmissions with magnesium
housings that mysteriously turned to dust on the top, apparently
because of a battery set up between the magnesium and the aluminum engines.
Theoretically, the use of stainless steel pipes could be causing our
engines to be changing this way as well, through galvanic electricity
passed through the engine coolant.
This is either an emergency, as potentially now thousands of Vanagons
in North America with stainless coolant pipes must now have the pipes
removed, or it is a potential problem that we can manage by attention
to the issue from our more capable automotive engineers.
If there is an alternative to ripping the pipes out of all our vans,
it seems that help might be found in one or more of the following:
a) methods to alter the chemistry of the coolant to make it less
conductive, less electrolyte?, less acidic? such as potentially
adding Schaeffer's Clean and Cool:
http://www.schaefferoil.com/specialty/258_coolant_additive.html
b) placement of zinc sacrificial anodes in such a way as to protect
the engine,
c) take steps to make sure there are no electrical contacts
(uninsulated contacts) between the stainless pipes and the metal of
the vehicle body or any metal part, or
c) just poo poo the issue and announce that we have not seen engines
degraded yet due to the use of these pipes.
I noticed that the Schaefferoil is available in various sizes,
including 55 gallon drums, which I imagine might be something we
could order in advance of van meetings as a draw to attend, and a
communal religious experience of drinking of the 55 gallon drum for initiates.
It remains to be discussed how realistic the claims might be that
this stuff can stop galvanic corrosion through the coolant water so
commentary on that is sought.
Here is Richard's RJES.com alarming and thoughtful text on the
subject that I noticed this week:
http://www.rjes.com/html/material_choice.html
The following Google search query produces more on the topic if
anybody can spend some time in these links:
"engine coolant" conductive galvanic
_______________________________________________
Derek Drew
Founder, ConsumerSearch.com
Washington DC / New York
derekdrew@derekmail.com
202-966-7907 (Call the number at left normally)
(alt/cell for diligent calling only): 703-408-1532