All about Automotive Cooling Systems

Submitted By: Kit Sullivan, Director of Training
Southern Express Lubes,

Continued from Page 3

DON’T FORGET THE HOSES!
Make sure that your radiator hoses as well as your heater hoses are all in good shape.
Some vehicles have a water pump that can move the coolant through the system pretty forcefully, which can cause a radiator hose to collapse at high r.p.m. operation, blocking the flow of much-needed coolant.

This problem can be exaggerated, especially if the thermostat is removed!

This will most often affect the lower radiator hose, but both the lower and the upper can be susceptible to collapsing. This can be difficult to diagnose, as it will most often happen at cruising speeds, where it is not possible to watch the hoses. Some high quality hose manufacturers put stiff spring-like coils in some of their hose to prevent this exact problem.
If you suspect you are a victim of the dreaded ‘collapsed hose syndrome’, a hose with an inside coil may be for you.

GOTTA’ PUMP THAT WATER!
Your water pump is obviously an important piece in the whole ‘symphony’ of cooling that is going on under your hood. Most factory-installed water pumps are adequate to provide enough flow under normal conditions. On the bottom of the shaft portion of most water pumps is a ‘weep hole’. If there is any sign of anti-freeze around this weep hole, that is a sure sign that your water pump is on its way out and you should replace it as soon as possible.

Now just because your water pump is working the way it was designed to doesn’t mean that they are always going to be sufficient if your engine has been modified and produces significantly more power than normal. An aftermarket, high performance water pump will usually be constructed of better grade materials, to much more exacting tolerances. Most of them are specifically designed to be able to withstand the increased torque and power that a high performance engine produces. They will usually have a significant increase in pumping ability over stock, also.

USE A HIGH QUALITY COOLANT!
A good, high quality anti-freeze/coolant has all the additives, lubricants and anti-corrosives that are needed for a typical vehicle. In addition to the much-needed additives, most typical coolant is made with an ethylene-glycol base. When mixed in proper proportions with water, this ethylene-glycol based coolant will increase the boiling point of the whole mixture by a few degrees.

WHAT IS THE CORRECT RATIO?
Most manufacturers recommend a mixture of 50/50 water to coolant. This will give most vehicles the best all-around performance of freeze-up protection and boil-over protection.
This does not mean that this is the best ratio for you…just the general vehicle driver.
One thing to keep in mind is that anti-freeze is heavier…much heavier than water. 10 times heavier in fact.

Think about this: A car that has a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze/ water has to work 5 times as hard as a car that has straight water, just to move the fluid around the inside of the engine! An engine that is working harder in this way will produce less fuel economy and less power, while at the same time producing more heat and greater emissions! As discussed before, you should never run your cooling system with just straight water under any circumstances, but you may not need to run 50% coolant either.

To maximize your cooling systems potential, consider a few facts: does your car sit outside in the cold, snowy regions of the northeast on a blustery sub-zero night? Or does it spend its nights in a comfortable 75 degree garage in Florida? If your car does not see freezing cold temperatures, there is no need to use such a heavy concentration of coolant. Most anti-freeze manufacturers recommend a minimum of 25 anti-freeze/ 75 % water, but that is just to ensure that you are getting an adequate supply of additives in the mix. Depending on your climate, you may be able to make do with as little as 1 quart of anti-freeze, and the rest water. All the supplemental additives and water pump bearing lubricants that are needed are available in a separate pour-in product.

In addition to this, you may want to strongly consider the use of an additional ‘surfactant’ additive. This particular additive actually breaks down the surface tension of the water, allowing it to cool even better. These products are very effective, and two popular brands are ‘Water Wetter’ by ‘RedLine’, and ‘Super Cooler’ by ‘Royal Purple’. These are both quite inexpensive and very effective. Use of one of these types of products alone can bring your average coolant temperature down by as much as 10 degrees! A great bargain no matter how you look at it.
By using as light as possible a mixture of coolant, water and additives, your engine will run cooler, create more power, use less fuel, produce fewer emissions, and best of all...it will last longer!

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I FLUSH THE SYSTEM?
No matter what brand of anti-freeze you use, or how little or how much you drive your car, the cooling system will eventually need to be completely flushed out and all-new water/coolant/additives put in.

This will help to keep the damaging corrosives out of the system, it will prevent premature component failure, and it will ensure that you will get the proper cooling that your engine needs. To give your cooling system the best chance for long life, a complete flush every two years will return great dividends.

WHAT KIND OF COOLANT?
For many, many years, the typical ‘green stuff’ was the only type of antifreeze/coolant available. And it works fine.

In the last few years, there have been a few different types of ‘extended life’ coolants offered as factory-fill (General Motors ‘Dex-Cool’), as well as aftermarket formulations. These are all basically formulated with what is known as ‘P.A.O.’ technology (Poly Alpha Olephin), which is mostly a way to manufacture the coolant without all the heavy minerals and additives that cause the ‘plating out’ problems discussed earlier. If you are so inclined, most of these coolants will work fine in your classic car, but just make sure that it is recommended for your particular type of cooling system components. The label on the back of the coolant container will tell you what you need to know.

DON’T DRINK IT!
Anti-freeze is extremely poisonous, so it is of utmost importance that you do not leave any new or old anti freeze laying around unattended where any neighborhood animals might inadvertently drink it. Anti-freeze has a strong sweet taste that dogs and cats find very enticing, so be sure to store any antifreeze in a sealed container.

Several years ago, there were a couple of brands of anti-freeze that were advertised as a ‘solution’ to the problem of accidental poisonings. (‘Peak’ is an example). The marketing for these type of products made it seem to be completely safe if an animal accidentally drank some. This is completely untrue. These, as all anti-freeze/coolants, are still extremely poisonous. It just takes a little more to be fatal.

IS ALL WATER THE SAME?
While most people use ordinary tap water in their cooling systems, some areas of the country have a fairly high level of minerals and such in their municipal water supply, making what is known as ‘hard’ water. This hard water can rapidly accelerate the ‘plating out’ process that occurs in your cooling system, so you might want to consider a popular alternative. Distilled water, which has had most of the minerals and ‘hard’ particles removed from it is far better for your cooling system. It is readily available at most supermarkets, and is only a buck or so a gallon. If in doubt about the quality of your tap water, be safe and use distilled water in your classic machine.

KEEP YOUR COOL!
Following these general guidelines will go a long way towards helping you and your classic ‘hot-rod’ to stay cool, but still be considered ‘one hot ride!”