Cooling additive

[iamfine2]

Has anyone used the cooling system additives that say they cool the coolant down a little?
Just wondering if it works. My 81 runs between 200 and 240 degrees in the summer.
Mike

 

[JohnZ]

The cooling additives are simply surfactants that reduce bubble formation in the coolant where it contacts the hot iron surfaces in the water jackets, to minimize nucleate boiling. Fresh anti-freeze already contains the same surfactant in the coolant's additive package, but if the coolant is over two or three years old, the additive package has weakened, and won't be as effective.

The cooling additives are designed to be used with WATER as the coolant (like under track conditions, where anti-freeze is banned), to add the surfactant to the water; if you have relatively fresh anti-freeze, you already have surfactants in your coolant.

Check the actual temperature at your thermostat housing with an I.R. gun vs. the temp indication on your gauge at the same time so you know what the gauge is really telling you; Corvette temperature gauges are famous for showing higher-than-actual coolant temperatures.

If you really have a cooling problem, you won't find the solution in a bottle; check out next month's issue of "Corvette Enthusiast" magazine for a comprehensive technical article on understanding your Corvette's cooling system.

 

[chevy6673]

i used one called water wetter did it help dont no,, but couldnt hurt my 2 cents

 

[TMPJoe]

johnz gave solid advice.. first check to be sure its really as hot as you say.... 200-210 is not that hot for this era vette.... they were made to run around there....

then start checking components... old hoses, leaks, worn clutch fan, just plain clogged old radiator....

all these little items... there are some good books on C3 vettes that can help you out to go through all the common issues

 

[BarryK]

yep, 200º is not hot at all although 240º is getting pretty hot. The factory t-stat is a 195º unit so it's always going to run AT LEAST 195º-200º minimum, period. This is for emissions reasons - it's needs the higher temps to help burn off excess HC.

does it run over 220 or so all the time or only at low speeds / idle or only at highway speeds?

Depending on if it runs on the hotter side of 220º under which of the two situations or all the time we can try to help resolve the issue better.

running hot at low speed and/or idle is typically caused by airflow management or ignition timing problems. highway speed cooling issues are typically caused by radiator, air or coolant restriction problems.

an very good article by JohnZ to read on the cooling system is here on my website's Tech articles page:
http://lbfun.com/Corvette/Tech/vettetech.html

scroll down to the section called:
****Cooling Section****
look for the first file called: Cooling.pdf by John Hinckley

 

[6880 Mike]

...My 81 runs between 200 and 240 degrees in the summer...

Sounds normal, but 240 is getting warm. You should not see 240 on a regular basis unless you do a lot of stop and go driving with the AC on.

In addition to checking the cooling system as others have posted, check your auxiliary fan and make sure it's coming in when it's supposed to.

 

[Tuna]

I use Redline Water Wetter in my cars and I have noticed a slight improvement in cooling on hot days.

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

I believe it was Circle Track magazine that did some testing and wrote an article on cooling fluids...probably don't have it anymore, but what they found was that under race conditions, antifreeze mixed normally with water ran hottest, pure water ran a little cooler, and the cooling additives ran coolest. If I remember right, it was about a 15f degree change from one to the next, to the next.

 

[Red Vette]

I used water wetter in my C4, hoping it would bring the temps down, but it did not help. One of the previous posts explained why. The anti-freeze is only 2 years old with less than 6 K miles on it. I figure that the Corvette was designed to run hot, and that it functioned correctly when new. So, taking the advice of LT4Man, I will check all of the components first. This summer, I will recheck to see if there is debris clogging the air flow to the radiator causing the problem (haven't found any so far), check the two cooling fans operations, check the radiator cap, thermostats, sensors etc. I installed the manual fan switch last week, but have not tested them yet to see if the fans will cool sufficiently. If all components work, and the temp does not decrease to normal levels, the next step is to replace the radiator. Hopefully this will cure the overheating problem. I am hoping Charlie will post the results of the installation of the new radiator on temperature reduction in his C4; maybe he already has and I missed it.
Barrett

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

Still don't have it in yet, didn't have time to swap it after doing the rest of the work on the car that absolutely had to be done and still make it up to the C4 bash weekend at all. Hopefully this weekend I should have time to make the change.

 

[Hib Halverson]

The cooling additives are simply surfactants that reduce bubble formation in the coolant where it contacts the hot iron surfaces in the water jackets, to minimize nucleate boiling. Fresh anti-freeze already contains the same surfactant in the coolant's additive package, but if the coolant is over two or three years old, the additive package has weakened, and won't be as effective.

The cooling additives are designed to be used with WATER as the coolant (like under track conditions, where anti-freeze is banned), to add the surfactant to the water; if you have relatively fresh anti-freeze, you already have surfactants in your coolant.

Check the actual temperature at your thermostat housing with an I.R. gun vs. the temp indication on your gauge at the same time so you know what the gauge is really telling you; Corvette temperature gauges are famous for showing higher-than-actual coolant temperatures.

If you really have a cooling problem, you won't find the solution in a bottle; check out next month's issue of "Corvette Enthusiast" magazine for a comprehensive technical article on understanding your Corvette's cooling system.

I'd like to add a couple of thoughts to this.

First, it is not true that all antifreeze products have the "same" surfactants in them as do addotove products like "Red Line Watter Wetter". Some do bit some do not. In addition, the antifreeze which may have the same surfactants may have them in lesser strengths or proportions.

Second, the part about nucleate boiling is correct, ie: if such activity is present in the system, then cooling additives which are surfactants (be they in a pour-in additive or are blended into the antifreeze) will be effective in reducing or eliminating nucleate boiling. What one must remember is not all cooling systems have problems with nucleate boiling and you can have a car that runs hot without nucleate boiling being present. In that case, you can add surfactants (either with an additive or with antifreeze that includes them) until the cows come home, but you will see no practical change in ECT.

Third, the blanket statement that bottled cooling system additives composed of surfactants are intended to be used only with straight water coolant is not correct. There are a number of these on the market. Some are designed for water-only coolant but others can be used with either straight water or water/antifreeze mixes. To determine whether or not a specific brand of additive is compatible with water/antifreeze mixes, read the product's directions or consult its maker.

As for the question on the 81, running 200-240 degrees, my guess is that using a coolant additive is not going to change that much, though it would not hurt to try it. I'd also add that the temperature range cited could be considered normal under some circumstances. It would be helpful if some data was available about under what operating conditions and weather conditions that engine coolant temperature range was observed

That said, initially, I'd look in areas other than the coolant itself for the cause of the high ECT.

First---as suggested above, make sure the instrument panel temperature gauge is accurate by using an IR "temp gun" or a known-good gauge.

Second---make sure all parts of the cooling system are functioning properly. This includes checking to see that the front of the radiator is clear of debris, the front air dam is in place and functional and that the sponge rubber seals which prevent cooling air flow from bypassing the radiator around the core support are in place.

Consult the factory service manual for an 81 to gain information about the cooling system. Do not rely on aftermarket service data or Internet rumors.

 

[mbpsycho]

My Buddy's son races ARCA and he uses water wetter

 

[Hib Halverson]

The original Water Wetter product was in crystaline form and was intended for racing use only. I'll add that, in many racing applications (where nucleate boiling in the water jackets around combustion chambers is common) the product is quite effective when compared to coolant mixes of water/antifreeze or water only.

In the early-90s, Red Line reformulated Water Wetter to make it suitable for consumer use in road vehicles, as well as racing, by: 1) making it a liquid concentrate and 2) adding an anticorrosive package...which, conincidentally, is similar to that which is GM/Texaco "Dexcool".

 

[Rumpity rumpity rump....]

Has anyone used the cooling system additives that say they cool the coolant down a little?
Just wondering if it works. My 81 runs between 200 and 240 degrees in the summer.
Mike

Mike, I add a bottle of RedLines Water Wetter in addition to having only 10% antifreeze to 90% distilled water (I dont have a/c and the insulated garage never gets below 28 f. in the winter.) The Water Wetter handles the water pump lubricant needs . The engine is a built 454 cid with an extra 150 hp and the Cooling System typically ran 180-200 f. with twin electric fans. (4 row Copper radiator). Then i just installed a DeWitt 2 row Aluminum Radiator ... and now the Cooling System usually hangs around 175-190 f and the twin fans rarely come on even around town and stopping at traffic lights in 75 f ambients . Make sure youve got a very clean Cooling System, all the radiator seals are in place and add some if necessary to block off the sides , power wash the radiator and condensor, and make sure your lower radiator hose isnt collapsing at 3,000 rpms . Also, verify that youre actually running the System Temps you think you are. Good luck.

 

[C3RVETTE]

Has anyone used the cooling system additives that say they cool the coolant down a little?
Just wondering if it works. My 81 runs between 200 and 240 degrees in the summer.
Mike

I used Redline Water Wetter,a liquid,& it worked just like they said.I dropped my reading down 25-30*:cool Water Wetter® Super CoolantWaterWetter® is a unique wetting agent for cooling systems which reduces coolant temperatures by as much as 30ºF. This liquid product can be used to provide rust and corrosion protection in plain water for racing engines, which provides much better heat transfer properties than glycol-based antifreeze. Or it can be added to new or used antifreeze to improve the heat transfer of ethylene and propylene glycol systems. Designed for modern aluminum, cast iron, copper, brass and bronze systems.

· Doubles the wetting ability of water
· Improves heat transfer
· Reduces cylinder head temperatures
· May allow more spark advance for increased torque
· Reduces rust, corrosion and electrolysis of all metals
· Provides long term corrosion protection
· Cleans and lubricates water pump seals
· Prevents foaming
· Reduces cavitation corrosion
· Complexes with hard water to reduce scale