Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2012 12:05:51 -0700
Reply-To: Todd Last <Rubatoguy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Todd Last <Rubatoguy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Form Jay Leno's Garage
In-Reply-To: <20120405164451.GA1J7.310736.imail@eastrmwml107>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
I have no way of knowing if I have steam pockets in my engine. I think
it plausible that there might be micro-steam pockets in some situations
around the heads. Remember the waterboxer was a modified design of the
air-cooled engine, so it was never designed from scratch with optimal
cooling performance in mind. So I think it is possible the heads may
have hot-spots. Are they to the point that running Evans coolant might
help? Who knows?
I'm not sure that this product rates as a shyster product since, to put
it simplistically, they are simply running a 100% glycol mixture - the
ingredient that is already being used in the standard coolant mixture.
It does appear that Rotax, aircraft engine manufacturer recommends Evans
under certain circumstances.
http://www.rotaxservice.com/rotax_tips/rotax_feed4.htm#liquid
There is also an interesting discussion of the coolant on the RX-7 forum
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=945513
and an interesting thread on Engine Ice and Evans coolant
http://www.gadgetjq.com/coolant_replacement.htm
In reading both of these, the question comes to mind if moving to a
coolant with a higher boiling point, if you are just trying to resolve
an issue with a bad engine design, or sub-optimal cooling system. (e.g.
treating a symptom, not a problem.) If this is a good idea or not,
deepens on your particular circumstances. For a Vanagon, it would seem
that any benefit would be in any anti-corrosion properties that it might
yield over the standard coolant mix. You probably could get close
results, simply by diligently replacing your coolant mixture on a
regular, short-term schedule.
It would be cool if someone could figure out a way to test this product.
I remember years ago a magazine ran lawnmower engines on leaded and
unleaded gas or different motor oils and would thentear them down and
meausre the wear over the affected components to determine which worked
best.
Todd
'88 Westy
"The goal of life is to always trade your current set of problems for a
better set of problems.:
On 4/5/2012 1:44 PM, mcneely4@cox.net wrote:
> ---- Todd Last<Rubatoguy@COMCAST.NET> wrote: about steam pockets and a few other things.
>
> There should be no steam pockets in your cooling system unless it has not been maintained properly. For steam, the temperature of the water has to exceed its boiling point at the pressure of the system it is in . Your cooling system runs at a higher pressure than atmospheric, hence it can heat to a higher temperature without the water vaporizing. If there is a leak in the system, then there may be steam. But the leak is the bigger problem, and brings about overheating due to coolant loss. If there is a leak in the system, the stuff being promoted will not prevent coolant loss and overheating. it will just be a more expensive loss.
>
> Shysters are really good at setting up false targets that they claim their product avoids. Most often, those are problems that don't exist in the real world. Have you had steam pockets in your cooling system?
>
> --
> David McNeely
>
