Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

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Quickm007
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Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Quickm007 » Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:33 am

Only water in a rad is good for rust and 50/50 mix Antifreeze does not cool as well as straight water. I know, I open a jar.. Let's the action beginning. :lol:
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Steve Jelf
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:40 am

50/50 doesn't need to cool as well as straight water. It only needs to cool enough to prevent damage to the engine and not boil out.
The inevitable often happens.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Rich Bingham » Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:49 am

Stop ! Stop ! You're both right ! (Remember that one ?) Plain water does transfer heat slightly better than 50/50, but there is certainly not enough difference to make a compromised system "work" just fine with water and overheat with an antifreeze solution.

Try as I will, I cannot get my cooling system sealed up well enough to hold antifreeze. Something is always seeping, and the stuff is really mean to brass. A half-pint of soluble oil in the system seems to be an effective rust inhibitor. Let the controversy begin !! :lol:
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by kelly mt » Fri Sep 18, 2020 11:00 am

I run 50/50 green antifreeze in all my T's. With a good radiator they cool real good.


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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Norman Kling » Fri Sep 18, 2020 11:08 am

Water will give you rust and corrosion. Hard water will give you sediment deposits. I have found the best coolant to be one gallon of green antifreeze and top off with distilled or purified water. As more is needed from time to time, add more purified water. I live at the top of a two mile low gear hill after climbing 3 miles of 6% grade. On a 100 degree day, I can go right up the grade even waiting for a signal, then go up the low gear hill home. When I get home and turn off the ignition, I get about 50 seconds of gurgling. It does not steam nor boil out. I keep the coolant level half way up the top tank when I check it before driving. I have been driving with this combination for 30 years, only changing if I need to remove the radiator or head. I do not have a water pump.
If you don't use the antifreeze, at least use rust inhiberator in the water. And only use tap water if you are sure you live in a soft water area.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by RustyFords » Fri Sep 18, 2020 11:10 am

I'd be afraid to run straight water if I lived anywhere north of Brownsville, TX because I'd be afraid that I'd forget to drain it in the winter and a freeze would sneak up on me.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by John Codman » Fri Sep 18, 2020 12:06 pm

As has been said earlier, there's not enough difference to worry about. Here in sunny SW Florida where I don't have to worry about freezing up, I still run 50/50 antifreeze. I'm far more concerned about rust damaging my Berg's radiator that cools beautifully then I am with the antifreeze solution not cooling as well as straight H2O (It cools fine) or leaking (the T's cooling system is about the only place that it doesn't leak).

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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Mark Gregush » Fri Sep 18, 2020 12:29 pm

50/50 and change as suggested on the bottle. But if you are going to run straight water add a bottle of the anti-corrosion/water pump lube or something like Redline Water Wetter.
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas! :shock:

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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Been Here Before » Fri Sep 18, 2020 3:27 pm

Out of curiosity, any one check out the MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET for Redline Water Wetter and review the individual chemicals used in the product?


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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by John Illinois » Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:21 pm

Water wetter needs a percentage of anti freeze added to stop corrosion. It says on the bottle for street use add antifreeze.
I ran a Model A with Water Wetter and water and the clean block rusted up in one summer. 50/50 antifreeze is reliable.

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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by TRDxB2 » Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:39 pm

Been Here Before wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 3:27 pm
Out of curiosity, any one check out the MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET for Redline Water Wetter and review the individual chemicals used in the product?
Got curios https://w3apps.phillips66.com/NetMSDS/V ... ormat=USDS
Interesting Boiling & Freezing points Initial Boiling Point/Range: 212°F / 100°C Melting/Freezing Point: 32°F / 0°C
Antifreeze may still be needed.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Mark Gregush » Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:35 pm

I would guess the 32 is unduluted for storage in the original bottle. (?)
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas! :shock:

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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Walter Higgins » Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:44 pm

All it takes is forgetting the first night there's a hard freeze. Not a T, but still a Ford, and ice does not discriminate! That's the second instance of this I have seen in recent years. Don't count on draining it saving your bacon either because many castings have pockets that won't won't empty.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Allan » Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:59 pm

I use soluble oil too, but at a much lower rate. Just a couple of ounces is enough. It is a petroleum product and at higher concentrations may affect the rubber hoses. At least, that was what was recommended to me. It works well in our Southern California type climate. No need for antifreeze here, so the oil is just a rust inhibitor. It/s nice to be able to top it up anytime with water, with no worries about incompatibility with coolants.

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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Norman Kling » Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:20 pm

The coldest it has gotten here since we lived here 46 years, was 18 degrees F. Usually only drops below freezing a few times each winter and then maybe into the high 20's, so my1 gallon with water works fine. However, for those who have colder winters should either drain the cooling system in winter, or follow the instructions with anti freeze to be sure you get the best mixture for your climate.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Quickm007 » Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:30 am

A friend of mine running with watter and he add liquid parrafin oil as well to avoid rust for many many years with no issue. He runnig a lot miles with he's T. I will ask how much of liquid parrafin oil he used.
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by TRDxB2 » Sun Sep 20, 2020 11:35 am

So what is paraffin oil?
Kerosene, also known as paraffin, lamp oil, and coal oil (an obsolete term), is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Liquid paraffin oil is a mineral oil, and is a by-product of petroleum distillation. It is transparent, colorless, odorless and tasteless oil and usually comes in one of two forms, heavy liquid paraffin oil (used in lamps) and light liquid paraffin oil (used as a laxative).
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Re: Water or 50-50 Antifreeze ?

Post by Allan » Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:58 pm

The soluble oil I use is about the colour of Coca Cola. When it is added to water it turns the mixture to a milk like white. It is the stuff used in machinery as a ccolant in machining work like thread cutting, valve grinding etc. In these applications it may be used in higher concentrations.

Allan from down under.

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