MTFCA Forum

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.

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 !!

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

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.
Norm

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.

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).

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.

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?

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.

John

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.

I would guess the 32 is unduluted for storage in the original bottle. (?)

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.

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.

Allan from down under.

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.
Norm

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.

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).

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.