propylene glycol or ethylene?

[440Magnum]

As others have said, antifreeze color means NOTHING. Don't assume that it does.

If you're looking for a coolant for your 92, I would recommend one of 3 choices, in this order:

1) G-05 antifreeze, available in 3 brands- Zerex (in a gold jug, yellow/gold colored fluid usually available at CarQuest and NAPA), Mopar (black jug, RED dyed fluid, avaialable at Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge dealers), or Motorcraft Premium Gold (yellow/gold colored fluid, available at Ford dealers and many parts stores).

Here's a link to Zerex's G-05 link:
http://www.valvoline.com/products/brands/zerex/antifreeze/42

2) Conventional silicate antifreeze like it came with when new (usually dyed green, but getting hard to find. Most parts store "house brands" are still conventional, but many are moving to "all makes/all models" type fluids instead of conventional silicated antifreeze. Zerex makes a conventional:
http://www.valvoline.com/products/brands/zerex/antifreeze/40


3) if you're adamant about using less-toxic Propylene Glycol, you can use Sierra or Amsoil

Whatever you do, I would NOT use "all makes/all models" in your car. GM engines of that era fared very badly when converted directly to DexCool, and "all makes/all models" [censored] is usually a clone of DexCool.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
3) if you're adamant about using less-toxic Propylene Glycol, you can use Sierra or Amsoil


add LOWTOX to the list.

The only reason I'm adamantine about using PG's is that I like to flush with water from the hose and when a neighbor or otherwise (labeled) "greenie" runs up and rants at me about how I'm endangering pets, wild animals, and (potentially) children ..call a cop or other municipal authority...

..that I can tell them to STUFF IT, CLOWN!!!

I can still be the negligent and wasteful true blue traditional American Consumer ..and get away with it.

Meanwhile anyone and everyone else is welcome to tap dance/tiptoe around their choice to their hearts content if they're a DIY'r.

 

[112233]

i think i could try that zerex stuff,i can check if i can find it here in sweden.

i had years ago bought GM green coolant that even had the 1825m specification. the place i bought it,they had to order it from USA,and it was not very cheap. im gonna call them and ask if they still have it. but im not gonna order it anymore,it cost´s a bit too much,and im out of a job right now so if it costs too much,im gonna buy something else.

i think i stay away from those "all makes all models" coolants. if they are usually dexcool "clones"

i think i saw coolants made by mobil,at the local autoparts warehouse,i checked the mobil oil website,mobiloil.com
but i didnt find any coolants from their website. does mobil make coolants in US? i wonder if that coolant i saw,is made here in europe or something.

 

[ac_tc]

G-05: Närmaste Mopar dealer.Byte vart 5é år.
Gammal "grön": swedol/ agrol etc Glykol [censored].(20 liters dunk, billig).Helt vanlig glykol utan konstigheter, byte vart 3é år.

 

[prs]

The propolene glycol coolant I prefer is Evans NPG+. No water, thus no corrosion and very long service life. Very popular with high milage commercial trucking. Excellent product for my Honda motorcycle which is a model notorious for over heating with water mixed coolants. A bit expensive and a royal pain in the butt to install properly; but once in, you are done with it.

prs

 

[Gary Allan]

Yeah, getting all the water out is a challenge.

 

[edhackett]

Modifying the laws of physics so that a fluid with a specific heat of 2.4702 will cool better than water with its specific heat of 4.187 must be a challenge too.

Ed

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: edhackett
Modifying the laws of physics so that a fluid with a specific heat of 2.4702 will cool better than water with its specific heat of 4.187 must be a challenge too.

Ed


To be fair, the typical ethylene glycol/water 50/50 mix doesn't have a specific heat of 4.187 either. Probably closer to 3.2 (and yes, I'm too lazy to look it up)

I know a number of people who have used Evans, and it actually does work. The trick is also changing the thermostat to make the temperature differentials and flow rates more favorable to the lower specific heat. Eliminating *all* microboiling and vapor boundary layers helps too.

 

[edhackett]

Normalized to water at 1.0, PG is 0.59, a 50/50 mix is 0.85.

The changes you state, plus the fact that most cooling systems have enough over-capacity to absorb the difference in specific heat can make it work quite well.

What I find questionable is a system that doesn't cool properly on a 50/50 mix cools better with 100% PG.

Ed

 

[Gary Allan]

I don't think it means that the operating temp will be lower. Just that the stuff won't allow cavitation.

I know a couple of Evans tech line people. The first thing they advise is having adequate cooling capacity. If you don't have a big enough rad ...the best you can do is afford a few more seconds before shut down and you won't pop the top off the rad.

 

[prs]

"Cooling better" can be more than just soaking heat out of the system at a specific range of operationg temps. In a vehicle whose design did not include enough cooling system capacity for very challenging situations, then the water mix will likely achieve its boiling point. STEAM IS A VERY POOR "coolant". Hot spots and more steam and more heat. Evans claims their coolant has such a higher boiling point that steam is avoided. Under stress, the system gets hotter, but the differential between the air flow on the rads and the coolant temps is wider and more BTUs can be transferred out of the system. prs