Over heating
- Thread starter tfeverfred
- Start date
plain water works best for cooling.
Sorry Ted wrong on this one to.
If you have this months Street Rodder two G.M. techs Specializing in hot weather performance and reliability say.50/50 glycol is the best for heat transfer it raises the boiling atmospheric boiling point from 212 to 220.They go on to say(It always amazed me people with a cooling problem replace their coolant with water.In doing so,they lower the coolants boiling point and pretty much guarantee the overheating will continue)They also state why the operation of the thermostat is critical.Sorry there imput not mine.
Sorry Ted wrong on this one to.
If you have this months Street Rodder two G.M. techs Specializing in hot weather performance and reliability say.50/50 glycol is the best for heat transfer it raises the boiling atmospheric boiling point from 212 to 220.They go on to say(It always amazed me people with a cooling problem replace their coolant with water.In doing so,they lower the coolants boiling point and pretty much guarantee the overheating will continue)They also state why the operation of the thermostat is critical.Sorry there imput not mine.
Ted Brown
Member
I am not going to argue about something I have learned from experts in this industry, Mags are selling products, and make money from all directions, I also have had many articles in Mags, they are as true as we want them to be.. You do your thing, I will do mine, so Happy crusin... 
PS, any GOOD radiator will not let a system get to that high a point of boiling in the first place, a lot of big trucks don't even use pressure caps...
PS, any GOOD radiator will not let a system get to that high a point of boiling in the first place, a lot of big trucks don't even use pressure caps...
blownt
Member
I use a restrictor in mine, no themostat. Like a big washer. They come in a pack of 3 sizes, I use the middle size hole.
160 -170 is NOT hot and is really not good for the motor, performance or efficency. 185 to 200 is best. I have a Walker Cobra Z on the blower motor and it runs between 195-205 on the hottest days and around 185-190 at night.
You go to the racetrack you will notice the nascar and Pro Stock teams have a heating/cooling device that circulates the water and keeps it at a certain temp when it is not running. My sons auto tech class was sponsored by Tom Hammons Pro Stock team at last weeks race at HRP. And we spent most of the day in his pit area. Very interesting.
160 -170 is NOT hot and is really not good for the motor, performance or efficency. 185 to 200 is best. I have a Walker Cobra Z on the blower motor and it runs between 195-205 on the hottest days and around 185-190 at night.
You go to the racetrack you will notice the nascar and Pro Stock teams have a heating/cooling device that circulates the water and keeps it at a certain temp when it is not running. My sons auto tech class was sponsored by Tom Hammons Pro Stock team at last weeks race at HRP. And we spent most of the day in his pit area. Very interesting.
when you buy your radiater, that's like buying a new carb. it needs to be tuned also. try to get your car to run between 180 and 200. the restricter washers are the best way to do this. if you have any alum componets in the cooling system, run a coolant. water will destroy an alum intake in time.
Ron
Ron
blownt
Member
if ya got alum heads or intake use Deminerialized water. It is the electrolisis between dissimilar metals that causes the calcium build-up in the water jackets and also eats away at the aluminum parts. I run straight deminerialized water in mine. No coolant just a rust and waterpump lubricate additive. You get better cooling with just water as opposed to adding coolant/antifreeze.
I noticed the calcium last time I removed the heads after using just straight water. Some of the water passages were completely blocked. I cleaned it all out the best I could right before I left for Mt Home and the Nats. Got to the Nats and my radiator was full of the calcium and I was overheating at all the cruises. Came home and took the radiator to a radiator shop and had it reversed flushed. You should have seen all the white stuff come out of it. Now I run straight demineralized water only.
I noticed the calcium last time I removed the heads after using just straight water. Some of the water passages were completely blocked. I cleaned it all out the best I could right before I left for Mt Home and the Nats. Got to the Nats and my radiator was full of the calcium and I was overheating at all the cruises. Came home and took the radiator to a radiator shop and had it reversed flushed. You should have seen all the white stuff come out of it. Now I run straight demineralized water only.
blownt
Member
Go to Stewart Components Tech Tip #4:
Stewart Components - High Performance Automotive Cooling
Coolant
UNEQUIVOCALLY WATER IS THE BEST COOLANT! We recommend using a corrosion inhibitor comparable to Prestone Super Anti-Rust when using pure water. If freezing is a concern, use the minimum amount of antifreeze required for your climate. Stewart Components has extensively tested all of the popular "magic" cooling system additives, and found that none work better than water. In fact, some additives have been found to swell the water pumps seals and contribute to pump failures.
In static cooling situations, such as quenching metal during heat treating, softening agents (sometimes referred to as water wetting agents) will allow the water to cool the quenched part more evenly and quickly. The part will cool quicker, and the water will heat up faster. However, an automotive cooling system is not static. In fact, the velocities inside a cooling system are comparable to a fire hose forcing coolant against the walls of the engine's water jackets. If the softening agents actually aided in cooling the engine, the temperature of the coolant as it exited the engine would have to be higher because it would have absorbed more heat.
Fans
Electric fans have improved tremendously in recent years, in both quality and reliability. Electric fans now outperform mechanical fans in nearly every application, except towing and dirt oval track racing.
When using a mechanical fan, a properly designed shroud must be used. Most mechanical fans are not designed for high RPM use: they can have serious vibrations problems, due to air turbulence, when run over 6,500 RPM. This is a turbulence problem, not a balance problem, and will destroy the water pump and components in front of it. The large fans preferred by dirt oval track racers can consume up to 18 horsepower at 6,500 RPM. Do NOT run a mechanical fan that is any larger than required for the application.
Flex fans are a poor design for performance applications. They move less air at higher RPM, and only consume a fraction less power than standard fixed pitch fans.
Clutch-style fans are inconsistent and we do not recommend their use for any application, if possible.
Hoses
Standard full-size hoses should be used to ensure maximum flow. Smaller "AN style" hoses decrease flow and hence inhibit proper cooling.
Stewart Components - High Performance Automotive Cooling
Coolant
UNEQUIVOCALLY WATER IS THE BEST COOLANT! We recommend using a corrosion inhibitor comparable to Prestone Super Anti-Rust when using pure water. If freezing is a concern, use the minimum amount of antifreeze required for your climate. Stewart Components has extensively tested all of the popular "magic" cooling system additives, and found that none work better than water. In fact, some additives have been found to swell the water pumps seals and contribute to pump failures.
In static cooling situations, such as quenching metal during heat treating, softening agents (sometimes referred to as water wetting agents) will allow the water to cool the quenched part more evenly and quickly. The part will cool quicker, and the water will heat up faster. However, an automotive cooling system is not static. In fact, the velocities inside a cooling system are comparable to a fire hose forcing coolant against the walls of the engine's water jackets. If the softening agents actually aided in cooling the engine, the temperature of the coolant as it exited the engine would have to be higher because it would have absorbed more heat.
Fans
Electric fans have improved tremendously in recent years, in both quality and reliability. Electric fans now outperform mechanical fans in nearly every application, except towing and dirt oval track racing.
When using a mechanical fan, a properly designed shroud must be used. Most mechanical fans are not designed for high RPM use: they can have serious vibrations problems, due to air turbulence, when run over 6,500 RPM. This is a turbulence problem, not a balance problem, and will destroy the water pump and components in front of it. The large fans preferred by dirt oval track racers can consume up to 18 horsepower at 6,500 RPM. Do NOT run a mechanical fan that is any larger than required for the application.
Flex fans are a poor design for performance applications. They move less air at higher RPM, and only consume a fraction less power than standard fixed pitch fans.
Clutch-style fans are inconsistent and we do not recommend their use for any application, if possible.
Hoses
Standard full-size hoses should be used to ensure maximum flow. Smaller "AN style" hoses decrease flow and hence inhibit proper cooling.
