Coolant- What To Use?

[SpeedThrills]

The last time I raced regularly, we used water, and drained it in the winter.
I know the tracks don't like antifreeze, though a zillion street cars go down the track.
The car has brass freeze plugs. I kinda remember reading about using some kind of additive? Maybe to prevent corrosion?
In addition, I've read about the coolant having an electrical charge? Something about using an anode?
I are con-fused.

 

[Syleng1]

Just use the green pre mix and you can’t go wrong. Make sure the system is empty if any other coolant was used before. Orange and green don’t mix well, red it is sometimes used as a mixes with everything coolant.
Yellow - I’ve seen it in jap cars but never played with it and that’s all I got.

 

[toolmanmike]

Like you said, some tracks don't like antifreeze. Best to ask your track.

 

[SpeedThrills]

Just use the green pre mix and you can’t go wrong. Make sure the system is empty if any other coolant was used before. Orange and green don’t mix well, red it is sometimes used as a mixes with everything coolant.
Yellow - I’ve seen it in jap cars but never played with it and that’s all I got.

I wasn't clear. Tracks don't want antifreeze puking on their track. Water is probably the best thing, but I'll see. Thanks.

 

[Rat Bastid]

Clean out your cooling system and pay the money for Evans coolant.

 

[ACME SS]

I know this isn't helping with answering your question with regard to a water additive. A great question by the way but I thought some might find this interesting. I agree the track could most likely help out if you call them.

I had the pleasure this weekend to spend a couple hours speaking with the mechanic for Street Outlaws Chuck Parker at Firebird Raceway in Eagle Idaho. I asked about coolant and he said there are no water jackets or coolant in these cars. They start up, do their burnout, hit the 1/8th mile in less than 4 seconds, chutes out and they shut them down and tow them back to the pits. Block temp is around 130f per the data in the computer at shutdown. He told me the car cost around $350k to build! And yeah, I guess the engine is some sort of hemi...I forget the brand of the block, I had never heard of it but then I don't build cars that cost $350k LOL

 

[Garrett Ellison]

Some people swear by Distilled Water and water wetter. But I bet the Evans coolant is the trick! And if you’re running straight water in a cold climate then you’ll want to have a way to make draining the block easier. Replace the small pipe plugs with small valves, radiator drains, or the like.
It’s neat seeing the street outlaw stuff.
Cool and amazing race cars but Street… yeah, right.

Way past time to rename that show…

 

[Professor Fate]

Water, but give it some additive- it'll prolong your water pump life and has corrosion inhibitors to keep your water jackets from flaking and caking.
Many out there, 2 examples:
BALDWIN FILTERS Coolant Additive: Coolant Additive - 4ZMU1|CS5007 - Grainger
Royal Purple Radiator Additive 01600 (xtremediesel.com)

Zinc anodes (sacrificial) help keep the dissimilar metals exposed to your cooling system from reacting to each other, resulting in corrosion, pressure leakages and ultimately failed parts. The marine industry commonly uses this method to protect hulls and engines from seawater corrosion.
They commonly come in threaded rods that you cut the length to fit in an unused manifold heater hose fitting or similar port. Replace them every season.
ANODE 194-CME0 SIZE 3/8"X1-3/4" PLUG 1/4" PIPE UNC5/16" PENCIL ZINC ENGINE BOAT | eBay

 

[ACME SS]

Some people swear by Distilled Water and water wetter. But I bet the Evans coolant is the trick! And if you’re running straight water in a cold climate then you’ll want to have a way to make draining the block easier. Replace the small pipe plugs with small valves, radiator drains, or the like.
It’s neat seeing the street outlaw stuff.
Cool and amazing race cars but Street… yeah, right.

Way past time to rename that show…

Yeah I agree. It was a no prep race but we waited for sweeping, blowers, guys picking up chunks of whatever and the propane torch zamboni-thing. Sure was a lot of non prep time if you ask me.

 

[slantsixdan]

Read this.

 

[Dana67Dart]

Evans is just 100% glycol based coolant hence "waterless"

If you want to run water during the year add a corosion inhibitor.

Then at end of year drain the system, add 50/50 coolant mix run engine to temp, then either drain or store filled.

As for no coolant.. I believe top fuel engines don't have water jackets or cooling systems.

 

[Garrett Ellison]

As for no coolant.. I believe top fuel engines don't have water jackets or cooling systems.

That's correct for Top Fuel, Top Alcohol, and pulling truck alcohol engines. The latent heat that it takes to evaporate the volume of fuel they burn is so high that the engine wouldn't build enough heat to run properly within a reasonable amount of time with a cooling system in place.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Water, but give it some additive- it'll prolong your water pump life and has corrosion inhibitors to keep your water jackets from flaking and caking.
Many out there, 2 examples:
BALDWIN FILTERS Coolant Additive: Coolant Additive - 4ZMU1|CS5007 - Grainger
Royal Purple Radiator Additive 01600 (xtremediesel.com)

Zinc anodes (sacrificial) help keep the dissimilar metals exposed to your cooling system from reacting to each other, resulting in corrosion, pressure leakages and ultimately failed parts. The marine industry commonly uses this method to protect hulls and engines from seawater corrosion.
They commonly come in threaded rods that you cut the length to fit in an unused manifold heater hose fitting or similar port. Replace them every season.
ANODE 194-CME0 SIZE 3/8"X1-3/4" PLUG 1/4" PIPE UNC5/16" PENCIL ZINC ENGINE BOAT | eBay

This is the first I've heard of an anode rod in an automotive application. Is it more common in racing engines where coolant is less common than a daily driver? In your household hot water tank an "anode rod" is installed also. The anode rod is a sacrificial piece of metal that is threaded into the top of the tank solely for the purpose of localizing the corrosive activity to itself and deters the same from occurring inside the tank walls. Essentially prolonging the life of the hot water tank. We have "hard" water supplying the house so I have to replace the anode rod about every 2-3 years. Makes sense that it has an application in automotive cooling systems as well. I'd suspect it's far more common in engines that have lesser concentration of rust inhibitors, if any at all as in straight water.

On the left below is a brand new anode rod. On the right is what just 6 months of being exposed to the corrosive environment does....

 

[Mattax]

For the street, with an open system. Use an inorganic technolgy coolant mix. aka mix Conventional green with distilled water.
a. It's anti-corrossion properties are quicker acting than any of the OATs and HOATs incldung 'universal' coolant.
b. It has anti corrosion addititives to protect copper and solder.
note: by open system I am refering to all factory A-body systems regardless of whether there is an overflow tank. The coolant is exposed to air.

For racing at a track, I think Prof Fate covered the options. You can improve the cooling properties, and maybe more important the anti-corrosion properties with an additive.

Waterless coolants aren't appropriate unless you are trying something trick - like running higher compression than ought to be safe. But they not appropriate for race tracks where they don't allow glycol coolants.* That's all the waterless coolants are - eth or propylene glycol with various additive packages. Yes. I have personal experiance with the original Mecca Evans coolant.** Now they have several formulations but they are all glycol so the opposite of what the OP was looking for.
Note that pure eth and propylene glycol alone are corrosive. Both need an anti-corrosion package.

* Use at track read this:Evans waterless coolant - Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

**Discussion of product and use here Evan's Coolant. - Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

 

[autoxcuda]

The last time I raced regularly, we used water, and drained it in the winter.
I know the tracks don't like antifreeze, though a zillion street cars go down the track.
The car has brass freeze plugs. I kinda remember reading about using some kind of additive? Maybe to prevent corrosion?
In addition, I've read about the coolant having an electrical charge? Something about using an anode?
I are con-fused.

I run Reverse Osmosis Water from the grocery store and Justice Brothers Super Radiator Cooler and Justice Brothers Radiator Protectant for added anti-rust and anti-electrolysis when running straight water. Both lubricant the water pump.

Been in my aluminum headed, aluminum radiator for 11 years.

Here's an real thorough comparison test of Wetter Wetter, DEI, Hyper-Lube, and Justice Brothers Super Radiator Cooler:

Cooling System Additives - Turbo and High-Tech Performance Magazine

"Justice Brothers' Radiator Cooler gave us the lowest temperature during our testing - 177 F - and provided the lowest average temperatures overall when mixed with water alone."

DEI did very well also. A double dose of an additive with anti corrosion, anti electrolysis, with water pump lubricant should take care of an all water system. Drain in winter for those that live in the snow belt and put in antifreeze (store over summer to use again)


This picture was taken in 2016, 5 years after putting in the Champion (Chinese) radiator with my rebuilt motor.

 

[Rat Bastid]

For the street, with an open system. Use an inorganic technolgy coolant mix. aka mix Conventional green with distilled water.
a. It's anti-corrossion properties are quicker acting than any of the OATs and HOATs incldung 'universal' coolant.
b. It has anti corrosion addititives to protect copper and solder.
note: by open system I am refering to all factory A-body systems regardless of whether there is an overflow tank. The coolant is exposed to air.

For racing at a track, I think Prof Fate covered the options. You can improve the cooling properties, and maybe more important the anti-corrosion properties with an additive.

Waterless coolants aren't appropriate unless you are trying something trick - like running higher compression than ought to be safe. But they not appropriate for race tracks where they don't allow glycol coolants.* That's all the waterless coolants are - eth or propylene glycol with various additive packages. Yes. I have personal experiance with the original Mecca Evans coolant.** Now they have several formulations but they are all glycol so the opposite of what the OP was looking for.
Note that pure eth and propylene glycol alone are corrosive. Both need an anti-corrosion package.

* Use at track read this:Evans waterless coolant - Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

**Discussion of product and use here Evan's Coolant. - Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

LOL…was that third paragraph for me?????

That’s one reason why I use it. I also use it because it doesn’t require pressure to work. You can pull the radiator cap off at full temperature and won’t get burns.

As for what the tracks want, when they start paying for my equipment they can tell me what coolant to run. Evans is a commercially available product for passenger cars. It’s not different in that respect than any other antifreeze. So the track can kiss my big white ***.

FWIW, I have never had any track official look in my radiator.

 

[Professor Fate]

This is the first I've heard of an anode rod in an automotive application. Is it more common in racing engines where coolant is less common than a daily driver?

Yes, daily drivers generally benefit from a 50/50 mix (regardless of ambient temps), but in situations where anti-freeze is not allowed, running straight water aggravates the corrosion problem, and electrolysis becomes more of a concern- especially with the increasing use of dissimilar metals in the cooling system. Think: iron blocks, aluminum heads, aluminum radiators, etc. Generally, the "softer" metals are the ones most subject to issues (think how common it is to get leakage due to corroded coolant passages in SB timing covers, for instance). So, when an even lighter metal is introduced into the system, it becomes the first to react. This is why anode rods in home water heaters use aluminum or magnesium as a sacrificial material. Zinc is more reactive yet, but not suitable for potable water systems- but is great for other instances, like freshwater/saltwater cooling in marine environments. That technology is just being borrowed to use in the OP's situation.

 

[Professor Fate]

FWIW, I have never had any track official look in my radiator.

I've never had my fuel tested for nitro, either.

 

[Mattax]

LOL…was that third paragraph for me?????

That’s one reason why I use it. I also use it because it doesn’t require pressure to work. You can pull the radiator cap off at full temperature and won’t get burns.

As for what the tracks want, when they start paying for my equipment they can tell me what coolant to run. Evans is a commercially available product for passenger cars. It’s not different in that respect than any other antifreeze. So the track can kiss my big white ***.

FWIW, I have never had any track official look in my radiator.

Dan was first in line! LOL

I don't recall ever taking the cap off when it was hot. Even if it doesn't have the oomph of pressure behind hit, not worth the risk to me.

The end for me was after opening the radiator with a clutch fan while in line at Englishtown. Track was nice and let me leave the car next to the guard hose. Went back the next day with a new radiator from a parts store. Nobody had Evans locally. I would have had to overnight it in. $$$$ Experiment over. Up 'til then, that engine had nothing but Evans/Mecca coolant.

 

[autoxcuda]

Yes, daily drivers generally benefit from a 50/50 mix (regardless of ambient temps), but in situations where anti-freeze is not allowed, running straight water aggravates the corrosion problem, and electrolysis becomes more of a concern- especially with the increasing use of dissimilar metals in the cooling system. Think: iron blocks, aluminum heads, aluminum radiators, etc. Generally, the "softer" metals are the ones most subject to issues (think how common it is to get leakage due to corroded coolant passages in SB timing covers, for instance). So, when an even lighter metal is introduced into the system, it becomes the first to react. This is why anode rods in home water heaters use aluminum or magnesium as a sacrificial material. Zinc is more reactive yet, but not suitable for potable water systems- but is great for other instances, like freshwater/saltwater cooling in marine environments. That technology is just being borrowed to use in the OP's situation.

You should have less than 300mV (.3 volts) in your coolant system no matter what's in it. Test with a multimeter ground and one side dangling in the coolant.

This is 76.8 mV with additive and water alone. Additive should have electrolysis resisting properties.

 

[Professor Fate]

You should have less than 300mV (.3 volts) in you coolant system. Test with a multimeter ground and one side dangling in the coolant.

This is 76.8 mV with additive and water alone. Additive should have electrolysis resisting properties.

View attachment 1715977683

Very true- but for $10 I'd throw an anode in there anyway. I've spent a lot more money on dumber stuff than that!

 

[MOPARMAGA]

Some people swear by Distilled Water and water wetter. But I bet the Evans coolant is the trick! And if you’re running straight water in a cold climate then you’ll want to have a way to make draining the block easier. Replace the small pipe plugs with small valves, radiator drains, or the like.
It’s neat seeing the street outlaw stuff.
Cool and amazing race cars but Street… yeah, right.

Way past time to rename that show…

Yeah professional drivers on closed course