Coolant leaking

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Sep 14, 2006 | 04:45 AM

#16

Bear River

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From: Salt Lake City, Utah

Boil water before mixing? That would do absolutely nothing. the problem with tap water is that it cantains minerals and salts. You should use pure water that has no minerals or salts. Only distilled, RO, or other highly purified water. Or use premixed. The prolem is not just rust and corrosion, but the scale that gets left behind plugs water passages, plugs radiators and heater cores too. Pure water has little if any corrosive effect on aluminum copper or brass parts commonly found in coolant systems. Also, in the absense of air coolant mixed with pure water has no effect on iron compounds so long as the anti corrosion additive remain effective. This is why it is important to change the coolant regularly.

Sep 14, 2006 | 05:01 AM

#17

Pablo-UA

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From: Kiev, Ukraine

If the water is not prepeared well, solts may be converted to hydrats under the temperatures highter 95 dgr C, these hydrats may not only cause corossion, but your engine may be clogged inside! Of course no reason to use Calgone ore acid for boilers, freeze plugs will leak, but if you are not sure in water quality, boil it, it does not solve all the problems, but helps a bit...

Sep 14, 2006 | 10:09 AM

#18

copper_90680

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From: Southern California

Khan:

I think Pablo might be talking about distilling the water. I remember my Dad used to distill water before adding it to the batteries way back in the late fifties, early sixties.

Sep 14, 2006 | 11:14 AM

#19

96_4wdr

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From: Washington state

tap water also contains many metallic compounds which enhance the electrolysis process in a cooling system....electrolysis is a major destroyer of cooling systems, loves eating thru copper, brass, mild steel, cast iron, aluminium...all tap water is either acid or alkaline, some areas of the country extremely so with heavy saturations of dissolved metallic compounds

a cooling system that has not been changed in 3 years or more and was filled with tap water with adds only is a real chemical witches brew of caustic corrosive substances...
makes radiator shop owners rich

if one can't afford the high price of antifreeze but still has to drive because of medical or work reasons, adding a bottle of cooling system anticorrosive/anti rust water pump lubricant is less costly...many seniors come to mind...i have a neighbor in area, 85 year old widow, that has to drive to medical appointments....she cannot afford coolant changes, can barely afford to feed herself....i change her cooling system every couple years with distilled water and a bottle of Prestone anti rust, $4 total....she parks inside garage so no antifreeze needed in our climate

Last edited by 96_4wdr; Sep 14, 2006 at 11:27 AM.

Sep 14, 2006 | 07:02 PM

#20

cbr900

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Joined: Sep 2004

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From: brooksville, florida

here is a tip for you, carry some epoxy filler with you in the van, you can temp fix a leaking freeze plug by filling in the pluge from the outside (so long as it is a plug that you can get too) with the epoxy filler it will hold for as long as it takes you to get home so you can replace plugs later, it has got me home a few times now.
Cheers cbr900

Sep 15, 2006 | 12:53 AM

#21

Pablo-UA

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From: Kiev, Ukraine

distilling the water is the perfect solution, but I have no distilator, but my friend has it. I use distiled water for battary too...

In aviation as coolant mix of pure alcohol (30%) and distiled water is used... Windshield is warmed by this coolant too... And the coolant myst be invisible.
Some pilots use this mixture as coolant with lubrication adds, but Russion pilots use to drink this mixture....

In nothern areas of Russia sometimes drivers use water with anty-rust, becouse it is so cold, that it is impossible to start the engine, so they dont stop engines outdoors, and if it is something whong, engine stalled, they drain water and wait for road help truck.... But they have other problem, diffs and trannyes may be damadged, if to drive fast after parking for 1 hour, they have to drive slowly first 1-2 miles.

BTW, 80% of russian engines from '50-s are made of alluminium (cyl. heads and blocks), and it is possible to use water, the other +, that damadged by frozen water block may easily be welded with argon. Engines of Lada are made of iron only, but they have alluminiuh cyl. heads.

Last edited by Pablo-UA; Sep 15, 2006 at 01:02 AM.

Sep 15, 2006 | 01:18 AM

#22

hamesfive

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Re: Coolant Leaking

Well I did end up taking it a local Tranny shop. I have had some work done there before and I trust them. It was 400.00. The local mechanic that have used before said it would be 435.00. I called a couple of other places and they would not give me a set price, but both said it would over 400.00.

Sep 15, 2006 | 01:28 AM

#23

Pablo-UA

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From: Kiev, Ukraine

I do it by myself.... 2 hour of work to remove/install tranny.... Here it is cheapper - not more then $200. But I usually have some gym in weekends.....