Waterless coolant

[mercedesme28]

I have an older Bounder with a 460 engine I just had to have a water pump replaced and all new coolant put in
is it worth putting in the waterless coolant ?
I've heard about it but don't know if it's worth it or not.
Needless to say I do have to have all the new coolant drained in the system purged so they could put it in
is it worth the money and how long does the waterless coolant last compared to how often I need to have the coolant changed.
Thank you
Eric

[mercedesme28]

The shop wasn't trying to get new Business, what happened was I stoped at a shop along my trip path because of a overheat and they said my antifreeze was way past due, they drained it and I watched, it was dirty and rusty, they changed it and I was on my way, ( in Oregon) I arrived in Vegas a week later and my water pump failed, and when they pulled it apart everything was rusty.
I had not changed the antifreeze in about 5 yrs or about 60k,
So my bad...( bad to about 1,200.00)
So I was thinking the waterless would prevent rust, but I'll stay with the normal stuff and change it when I should...

[hoopers]

It is important to change coolant every 50,000 miles, something I learned the hard way. Old coolant loses it ability to prevent rust and one of the first things to rust out are metalized head gaskets. So after losing some head gaskets to rust on a chevy V8, I always change my coolant every 3-4 years.

[John_Joey]

nevadanick wrote:
I want to know about the chainsaw thats water cooled

Poster was making a joke. Just like an old VW bug owner being told they needed a quart of antifreeze.

To the OP, prior poster stated that 97% old green had to be removed to prevent corrosion with the new waterless coolant. That one statement alone would send me running. Those poor people that swapped out OEM DEX-Cool for green really had major problems after that.

Honestly, I would wonder a little about that shop you're at. I would have them explain in detail how the changing of the antifreeze caused your water pump to go. If it sounds like they are pulling your chain to scare you into doing everything with them, then I would start looking for a better place to do business with.

[nevadanick]

I want to know about the chainsaw thats water cooled

[PHE]

Gjac wrote:
Will the waterless coolant do anything to remove the mineral buildup inside your old radiator? Is the specific heat transfer greater than 60-40 water and antifreeze? If not I don't think it would be worth it for an old radiator.

Here's a LOOONG article about (a specif) brand of waterless coolant -

http://www.norosion.com/evanstest.htm.
I do not know if "your" bend of "Waterless Coolant" is the same thing or not, but it gives some things to think about

"SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Conversion costs of $259 if you do it yourself, or over $400 if you pay a shop to do it.

97%+ removal of all previous coolant is mandatory in order to prevent corrosion.

Inhibitor deposition occurs on aluminum surfaces, which could cause issues in some radiators.

Engines run 115-140oF hotter (at the cylinder heads) with Evans products.

Stabilized coolant temps are increased by 31-48oF, versus straight water with No-Rosion.

Reprogramming ECU fan temp settings is mandatory to prevent the fan from running continuously.

Specific heat capacity of Evans waterless products ranges from 0.64 to 0.68, or about half that of water.

Engine octane requirement is increased by 5-7 numbers.

Computerized ignition must retard engine timing by 8-10o to prevent trace knock.

Engine horsepower is reduced by 4-5%.

Accelerated recession of non-hardened valve seats in older engines is possible, due to brinelling.

Viscosity is 3-4 times higher than what OEM water pumps are rated to accommodate.

Coolant flow rate through radiator tubes is reduced by 20-25% due to the higher viscosity.

Race tracks prohibit Evans products because they are flammable and slippery when spilled."

[mercedesme28]

Gfs 1943.....
But can your lawnmower pull your motorhome...lol

[gfs1943]

I use waterless coolant in all my lawn care equipment and my chain saw. Also used it in every motorcycle I ever owned. Worked great for me, and didn't cost a penny.

[time2roll]

jhilley wrote:
Rather than use distilled water, why not just get the pre mixed 50/50 off the shelf?

Cost is 80% of the full strength. Distilled is just $1 per gallon.
Nothing wrong with using premix to top off the tank.

Also if you have rinsed out the old coolant with distilled water you still have a lot of water in the system after you drain. If you just add 50/50 mix you will never have actual 50/50 in the engine because of dilution.

[jhilley]

Rather than use distilled water, why not just get the pre mixed 50/50 off the shelf?

[John_Joey]

To the OP, stuff like this is one more reason I would stick with OEM green. Not saying your waterless coolant would have the same issues, but it would be a shame to spend that type of money and make matters worst.

Dex-Cool headaches.

[John_Joey]

RLS7201 wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
RLS the best I can do, is the following Clicky. click on the "see more" to view the core material. I no-longer own my 460 so I can't verify.

If you are referencing the first 3 radiator offers, they are for F53 trucks and are aluminum and will not fit RVs. All radiator listed with 1451 in the part number are for trucks. Many have made the mistake of ordering the wrong replacement. The 4th offering is indeed a direct replacement for F53 recreational vehicles and is copper/brass.

Richard

Since when is a F53 a truck other then a stripped chassis or not?

On edit:

It's also occurred to me that you've yet to answer the OP's question on waterless coolant and explain your logic.

[RLS7201]

John&Joey wrote:
RLS the best I can do, is the following Clicky. click on the "see more" to view the core material. I no-longer own my 460 so I can't verify.

If you are referencing the first 3 radiator offers, they are for F53 trucks and are aluminum and will not fit RVs. All radiator listed with 1451 in the part number are for trucks. Many have made the mistake of ordering the wrong replacement. The 4th offering is indeed a direct replacement for F53 recreational vehicles and is copper/brass.

Richard

[mercedesme28]

Thanks everyone, I think I'll stay with basic coolant, however the shop that change it used regular water and not distilled water so the next time I have it changed I'll make sure I have distilled water on hand...
Thanks again for all your input...

[DrewE]

mercedesme28 wrote:
My Bounder is a 92 so I think it has a copper brass radiator, how often do you change the coolant if you go with regular coolant I waited four years and it screwed everything up from what I was told I was also told I should change it every two years...
From what I understand the waterless coolant creates no mineral buildup or reaction with the metals
Runs cooler,( I'm in AZ a lot) and it lasts 4 times as long

No mineral buildup: true, but also true of conventional coolant made up with distilled water.

No galvanic reaction with dissimilar metals: true.

Lasts longer: true. (Two years seems rather short for good quality conventional coolant to me, but I also don't live anywhere near Arizona.)

Runs cooler: definitely not true in general, as the specific heat of water is much greater (like almost twice as good) as that of waterless coolant. It will continue work at higher temperatures where water would boil into steam, so there's not a danger of "boiling over," but the engine will run hotter overall. (Whether or not the engine running hotter is any cause for concern is another matter entirely, and one that's not quite so easy to answer.)

IMHO it's not worth the extra money in general, though perhaps in some special situations it would make a lot of sense.