Conference terri::cars_uk

�    I recently replaced my radiator on my 10 year old Mazda. The mechanic
�    at the shop advised me not to use any coolant in the radiator because
�    they tend to be corrosive and 'eats up' the radiator. Only plain water
�    is used currently in my rad. 
    
    Was this mechanic at the 'radiator shop' ?
    
    I haven't heard of problems with anti-freeze (I gather that's what
    you meant) corroding radiators !
    
    I have heard of serious problems with frozen blocks/radiators/hoses
    (although not a concern at this time of year in the UK).  If your
    Mazda engine has alloy components (head and/or block) then it is
    highly recommended that you do use an anti-freeze additive in your
    coolant system.  Corrosion occurs in alloy quite easily with plain water.
    
    I have heard that the coolant additive is supposed to help work as a
    lubricant on the water pump, but don't know how true it is.
    
    This is the first time I have heard anyone recommend that a normal
    (road car) engine is run using plain water as a coolant.  I, for one,
    would not trust this piece of advice at all...
    
    J.R.

    
    I agree totally with the previous note. Having not used a heavy collant
    mix in the first 5 years of running my Golf it caused large amounts of
    rust and crud to build up in the header tank, and eventaul hot running
    problems on hills. After sorting this out with flushing agents I
    started to use a glycol mix and have found that for the past 3 years 
    the system has become stable and no longer thows up brown sludge!
    
    Ian

    I just changed to coolant in my car this weekend, the Ford dealer said
    that you need to use anti-freeze that has an inhibitor in it, this is
    because of the alloy head, etc. Also the mix is pretty strong too. 50%
    anti-freeze + 50% water.
    One thing to watch out for is if there is a leak or a crack in a
    casting somewhere in the cooling system, the anti-freeze will find it.
    
    Neil

Assuming "plain water" is "demineralised", and that you don't need
an anti-freeze, and that the engine/head is not alluminium (or alloy),
then you should be OK.

If the engine/head is alloy, then add an inhibitor.

    I have been told that anti-freeze should not come into contact with the
    car's paint job on the body (or wherever) as this will damage the
    finish rather severly. Maybe your mechanic was referring to your car's
    paintwork with regard to the coolant's 'corrosive' effect ?
    
    Regards,
    
    Stephen

I also agree with .1 and .2, I got ticked of by the serviceing people at 
Toyota for putting water in my coolant system on my Supra. They tell me that
only a special coolant (sold by them of course) should be used, as it it contains
rust inhibitors. Their general advise though (and it applies to most cars) is
NOT to use water alone.

    I don't know ANYONE that uses straight water in their cooling system. 
    I am in the US, however, so maybe people in England still use straight
    water, since the temperature in certain places doesn't get all that
    low.
    
    The stuff that they sell in the US is "Antifreeze - Antiboil".  Its
    designed to inhibit rust, lower the freezing temperature of the mixture
    and to raise the boiling point of the mixture.  I'm don't know the
    chemistry of this wizardry, but I know that I've never had a radiator
    rust, boil over, or freeze.
    
    -Al

    
    Okay. Looks as though I need to add in the coolant after all. The last
    radiator lasted about 100k miles with coolant usage. Is this a 'fair
    mileage' ?
    
    I am going to use a 500ml can of TURBO RADIATOR COOLANT manufactured
    by BESPAC INDUSTRIES USA, 1 LINCOLN PLAZA, NEW YORK, NY 10023, USA.
    
    Has anyone ever used this brand of coolant before? Any problems with
    copper core radiators? 
    
    Btw, one of my buddies in the local DEC office recommends ULTRAFLOW, a
    coolant normally recommended by FIAT cars. Now, they are famous for
    rusting so this brand should be quite safe for ANY car.(??)
    
    Mike

    Mike
    
    How much liquid does your cars cooling system take?
    
    One 500 ml can seems to be just a tad too little IMHO.
    
    I would use a mixture of 25-30% so assuming 10 litres capacity then 2.5
    to 3 litres of coolant is required.
    
    Dave

    
    My rad has a capacity of slightly over 4 litres. According to the
    instructions printed on the can of coolant, the 500 ml is enough for a
    normal size radiator.
    
    
    Mike

    Mike 
    
    Having re-read my reply I must apologise for misleading you. I had mixed
    imperial and metric  measurements. 
    
    I still reckon on 25% coolant to be the norm. Are motoring sundaries
    expensive in Singapore? Oil, coolant, spark plugs etc?
    
    Dave

    
    re: .-1
    
    The "perihperals" are cheap compared to the cost of owning a car.
    A bottle of the TURBO coolant made in USA costs only $3.50, spark plugs
    cost about $1.50 each for a standard Japanese brand (NGK etc) and the
    lub oil costs about $20 for a 4 lit container. All prices are in Sing
    dollars. 
    
    Mike