Question for you all......
I though this would be an appropriate place to ask as it pertains to electrolysis.
I have a car 99' Crown Vic with a 4.6L. I *always* run my power inverter to keep my laptop running. I was wondering if anyone has tested with and without it powered up to see if the cooling system increases in stray voltage which causes electrolysis.
I am thinking the inverted turns 12vdc into chopped wave 120vac. With this process I am thinking it could be causing a stray voltage.
I have experianced a heater core failure at 136K (2008) and again at 151K (2011). Both were ford cores and coolant was texaco green that was fairly fresh.
Power inverters and coolant electrolysis
- Thread starter Fordiesel69
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You chassis, including your engine block and cigarette lighter outer sleeve, etc. are all some ground. So, when our invertor connects the cigarette lighter (or in high power case, big battery clips to the battery posts) and uses the same negative (thus the same ground). How would "stray" voltage that goes into the same ground as your engine block, chassis, etc. would cause coolant electrolysis?
If you want to experiment, try grounding your radiator core to the chassis ground (and see if your coolant heating core gonna last longer)?
(* I've been running solid-state square wave inverters of 500Watts or less since early 90s and never had a single heater core failure in my life so far*)
Q.
With todays electronics and engine controls,coolant as a secondary ground is rather common.Radiator hose makers claim they have created a rubber compound that wards off the degredation of the rubber due to "ECR" I think they call it.However,I believe its a function of the engine itself and its sensors and controls seeking a better ground,and not any accessory inside the car.
JHZR2
Staff member
Agreed. If somehow there was a direct connection to the engine block or something, I'd say maybe there is some chance. But connected through the cig or to the battery, there are far lower impedance paths to ground than through coolant in the heater core.
Now if you have a wire that is bare and can come into contact with an isolated, metallic heater core could have a very high resistance path to ground thus no fuse pop or big losses, but some slight flow of electrons. I suppose voltage leakage through a wiring harness could do this too, but inspection should indicate if this is a possibility, and I'd say highly improbable...
Somewhat off topic, but I have found that DC to DC laptop car adapters consume way less electricity than using a power inverter to power the laptop. My older sony was 15 to 25% less. My newer Dell is 20 to 40% less. I have a digital ammeter which reads every charging source and load on my batteries.
Both Laptops can consume up to 7.5 amps each depending on the task they are performing. Seeing as how it takes about 1 engine HP for the alternator to make 25 amps, a DC to DC converter might help MPG.
My MSW Inverter makes my stereo buzz and reduces the amount of OTA TV stations I can receive. On another forum I visit, a member encountered driveability problems that disappeared when the inverter was turned off.
Just sayin.
Type you laptop make and model into amazon search and add 'laptop car adapter'. Mine was 24 dollars.
The universal ones are not suitable for laptops needing more than 80 watts.
Your Heater core issues have nothing to do with your electronics.MANY late 90's ford had and have heater core issues due to design and material quality. Ford has done nothing to change this part.
After doing more core then i can count I went another direction and got my core from Performance Radiator. Make sure you flush the system REALLY well also.
They have the Wide Core for your CV for 53.00.
JHZR2
Staff member
Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
Somewhat off topic, but I have found that DC to DC laptop car adapters consume way less electricity than using a power inverter to power the laptop. My older sony was 15 to 25% less. My newer Dell is 20 to 40% less. I have a digital ammeter which reads every charging source and load on my batteries.
Both Laptops can consume up to 7.5 amps each depending on the task they are performing. Seeing as how it takes about 1 engine HP for the alternator to make 25 amps, a DC to DC converter might help MPG.
My MSW Inverter makes my stereo buzz and reduces the amount of OTA TV stations I can receive. On another forum I visit, a member encountered driveability problems that disappeared when the inverter was turned off.
Just sayin.
Type you laptop make and model into amazon search and add 'laptop car adapter'. Mine was 24 dollars.
The universal ones are not suitable for laptops needing more than 80 watts.
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
With todays electronics and engine controls,coolant as a secondary ground is rather common.Radiator hose makers claim they have created a rubber compound that wards off the degredation of the rubber due to "ECR" I think they call it.However,I believe its a function of the engine itself and its sensors and controls seeking a better ground,and not any accessory inside the car.
Fordiesel69, an inverter is going to be a DC load to the electrical system. There would be no difference in electrolysis between a light bulb or other load.
If currents were to change from DC to a mix of DC and AC, I think it would reduce corrosion effects anyway. But that is not the case you are looking at.
So no additional worry powering an inverter to drive a computer or anything else.
If your DC connection (cigarette lighter plug?) has its negative bonded to the chassis, try separating that and running a new negative wire to the battery negative post. Bonding the negative to the chassis for anything except the spark plugs is just a cheap way to go.
I agree with Ken2, all 'grounds' are not the same. I never recommend connecting inverters to 'power outlet/cigarette'. Most inverters have voltage sensing on the input circuit and shut down well before the rated power is reached. Connect the same inverter directly to the battery and it works fine.
With regards to the DC Load issue, the switching circuit creates lots of AC interference, not sure if this could have any effect on electrolysis but its a thought.
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