kasl wrote:
> Was looking through some old list articles today and noticed one from
> Rex Funk dated 1998 regarding a voltage regulator for early Alpines used
> to better enable the temp gauge to read accurately the water temp. Mine
> is usually about 10-20 degrees higher and it sounds as if this device is
> suppose to correct that fluctuation. Has anybody with a Series 1 or 2
> had this installed and does it help? Also, I'm taking my rad to the shop
> for cleaning and pressure test and thought this would be a good time to
> add the Wet liner when adding antifreeze. Has anybody had any luck with
> this liquid and does it indeed drop the water temp inside the rad?
> Thanks Brent Kasl
Brent:
A discussion earlier this year concluded that Wet Liner and other additives
might work a
bit to drop temperature, but the effect was really negligible. However, I
thought Paul Gilbert did a great job of explaining the whole additive thing
and you might check his comments (below) to see if Wet Liner has the other
benefits.
I've got a Series I, but haven't yet had problems with temp. readings
except when connection was dirty, so don't know the answer to your first
question
Ron Tebo
Subject: coolant treatment
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 00:01:20 -0500
From: Paul Gilbert <pgilbert(at)worldnet.att.net>
To: Sunbeam List <Alpines(at)autox.team.net>
A friend of mine in the motor home business recommends using only
distilled
water and soluble oil, if winter freezing is not a problem. I have
followed
his advice with what so far seems to be effective. After a little over
a
year, the coolant is clear as new.
The soluble oil I used is put out by McKay, cost $6 for a quart. The
recommendation is for 2 ounces of oil to each gallon of radiator water.
Of course, the lowest temperature this car has been exposed to is in the
mid
40s F.
"Ole"
-Distilled water is one of the worst things you could put in your
radiator.
Its absolute lack of ions accelerates the corrosion process.
Try rainwater, or let some tapwater air out for a few days.
Jarrid Gross
I just got around to reading the Wed. post, so this is a bit late. I
take strong exception to both of the above quoted comments. I do not
have a Ph.D. behind my name, but have worked for some 30 years as a
water treatment chemist and am currently the tech. dir. or a regional
water treatment firm and am a long time member of NACE (national
association of corrosion engineers). Our product line includes
corrosion inhibitors for cooling systems for big marine diesel engines.
We are not into the commercial antifreeze market.
The rational for using distilled water as the first part of the coolant
is that it contains no minerals which will cause scale on the heat
transfer surfaces. As Jarrid says it contains no minerals, so would if
left alone be quite corrosive. This is why we add corrosion
inhibitors. The idea behind a corrosion inhibitor is to lay down a
barrier on the metal surface that is passive to the coolant. The ideal
barrier film will be a few molecules thick and will have heat transfer
characteristics similar to the metal itself. This is where Ole's soluble
oil
gets off the boat. This technology form the '30's puts down a
hydrophobic film at the heat transfer surfaces that is not only thick (
in molecular dimensions), but is also a poor heat transfer medium. It
tends to trap any "gunk" that might be floating around and make the film
thicker and a better insulator.
A good inhibitor should have:
1. Borax. The best pH for iron inhibition is over 10.0 but this high
pH is hard on aluminum. Borax functions as a buffer to keep the pH in
the 8.5 to 9.0 range which is a good compromise.
2. Nitrite. A iron inhibitor and not bad for copper and aluminum.
3. Silicate. Specific inhibitor for aluminum
4. Azole. Tolytriazole is the most common of this group and is
specific for copper.
There are a bunch of other exotic things that have only recently
appeared which may be used in conjunction with the above. The best
advice I have seen here is to use a brand of antifreeze which states on
the label "for use in aluminum engines". Then remember that glycol as
it ages oxidizes to glycol acid, so your coolant should be damn well
buffered, or be changed annually.
Paul Gilbert in New Orleans
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