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Re: head-scratcher

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: head-scratcher
From: DANIELS@LMSBVX.TAMU.EDU (Lee Daniels/TAMU-LMSB Systems)
Date: Wed, 13 May 1992 10:01:28 -0500 (CDT)
>>With 70% antifreeze in the cooling system, it pings like crazy. Drain it
>>and fill it with 50% (or less), and it stops pinging. In both cases, the temp 
>>guage read exactly 180 degrees. 
>>
>From: Jerry Kaidor <Jerry_Kaidor.ENGINTWO@engtwomac.synoptics.com>
>[...] Excessive antifreeze in the water could degrade it's heat-transferring
>ability, possibly leading to localized boiling in the area of the combustion
>chamber.  Which would lead to high combustion chamber temperatures, and *ping*.

Jerry, you almost took the glycol right out of my mouth.  The key concept
to use here is HEAT CAPACITY.  Water has gobs of it.  When the total amount
of water is reduced by diluting it with another liquid having a lower heat
capacity, the total amount of heat which can be *absorbed* by the coolant
mixture is reduced.  The *temperature* of the coolant may not have changed
at all (the thermostat should have taken care of this part) but the amount
of *heat* it can contain is reduced. 

Heat capacity comes into play all over your LBC - the design of the 
radiator, the temp. sensor on your auto. choke (for you poor blokes who 
have them), brake pads, disks, and drums, etc...

Uh, oh....TeriAnn, did you think you got on the wrong list again?

Lee M. Daniels - Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding - Texas A&M
   daniels@lmsbvx.tamu.edu  |  DANIELS@TAMLMSB.BITNET  |  (409) 845-3726


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