Do you use radiator coolant?

[ironarch]

I had a discussion the other day with a friend and he said that he does not use coolant in his radiator.

Also he only uses distilled water for the radiator.

He says that using pure water prevents rust or mineral deposits from building up in side the radiator since these are caused by the minerals found in un-pure water (tapwater).

Anybody else try this? Does this work? Doesn't the lack of coolant affect engine temp?

[ghosthunter]

actually pure water makes the engine running cooler as compared to using "anti-boil" additives. Anti-boil additives lower the amount of heat the water can carry.

actually using distilled water is a good preventive... another way is to replace the water in the cooling system every so often so the minerals will not build up over time as you add more water.

[roydok]

Distilled water does prevent mineral deposits since it doesn't have minerals dissolved in it. It also offers better heat transfer then coolant/water combination. But it offers NO rust protection and using it in the long may tend to decrease radiator service life due o rust formation and perforation. Water also has a fixed boiling point at 100 degrees Celsius which upon reaching that temp tend to vaporize and escape through the coolant reservoir route. This would lead to decreased water level level in radiator in turn leading to decreased heat transfer which may ultimately lead to early overheat specially in summer months. The coolant/water combination prevents this water loss by increasing the boiling point above plain water. It also has rust inhibitors that will prevent rust and prolong radiator life. It's somewaht a trade-off but it's there are more avantages on using radiator coolant/water than plain distilled water alone. Remember to use distilled water when also using coolant. Goodluck.

[ghosthunter]

I think some anti-boil additives also have some chemicals added to prevent or slow down the deposits of minerals inside your radiator.

[OTEP]

Coolant is important because modern cooling systems have aluminum components that need the lubricating and corrosion inhibiting properties of coolant (usually ethelyne glycol based).

Huwag lang sobra because they tend to 'eat' through gaskets.

[ssaloon]

i agree with otep... minsan i dilute the radiator coolant with water eh.

[OTEP]

Dapat 50/50 or less ang concentration. I prefer 60 (water)/ 40 (coolant).

[mbt]

yup i use coolant in my radiator... and you should too

[otomatic]

I use PrestoneII coolant. Subok ko na pag wala. Kinakalawang ang radiator, lalu na pag hindi everyday driven ang car.






:D

[fundy]

Use Coolant. Roydok said it best. As for the distilled part, I don't really know if it helps. but most coolant have anti rust properties already so using tap water is ok.