Water vs Antifreeze

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Duffy1

Well-known member
Which cools better . Water with rust inhibitor or 50/50 antifreeze . What is the pros and cons if you use water/rust prohibitor in the summer in Texas and have a BW pressurized radiator and you run a 4 lb cap.

Thanks
 
This has been argued, mulled over, & bisected SO MANY times. I, personally, believe that quality coolant IS the best choice overall, install it, and you're set for all seasons. Rust preventative & water pump seal lubricant is included at no extra cost! It is recommended for ALL modern water cooled engines as for as I know. By the way, Texas ain't the only HOT spot, we were a toasty 109 degrees a few days ago! (But some will say, "What does Ole' Bill know????) Bill W.
 
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Bill;

I was told that antifreeze will cause seepage when using a copper head gasket .My copper head gasket started seeping so I thought about just running water and preston rust inhibitor and see if the seepage stops .

Thanks
 
Duffy1 said:
Bill;

I was told that antifreeze will cause seepage when using a copper head gasket .My copper head gasket started seeping so I thought about just running water and preston rust inhibitor and see if the seepage stops .

Thanks
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Duffy,
My thoughts::p Water will seep easier than coolant 'cause it's viscosity is LESS than coolant. Water just evaporates & doesn't leave a green "CALLING CARD.":eek: I always run Bars-Leaks for a week before puttin' in coolant for those unknown seepages that might show up in 80 year old iron.:eek: I add 1/2 bottle of Bars-Leaks after draining first water & installing coolant. Bars-Leaks is very safe & won't plug up stuff! (CHIEF said so!) Bill W.
 
The only reason I use water and rust preventative is because I have read and seen some antifreeze foam up due to the impellers in the water pump. I'm not saying that all antifreeze foams or that all water pump impellers cause the problem but since it doesn't often freeze in South Florida, I decided to use just distilled water and the anti-rust.
 
Mike V. Florida said:
The only reason I use water and rust preventative is because I have read and seen some antifreeze foam up due to the impellers in the water pump. I'm not saying that all antifreeze foams or that all water pump impellers cause the problem but since it doesn't often freeze in South Florida, I decided to use just distilled water and the anti-rust.
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Brother Mike,
I'm not adimate about what I do,:) If some have a way that works well for them, stick with it! Bill W.
 
If it helps you at all, using plain water might cause a slight amount of rust to stop leaks. Found this out with a modern car with a cracked cylinder head (into the cylinders ect.) just let it leak meaning it fix it "some day". Slowly it stopped leaking until it was "fixed". Put antifreeze in it and it was fine (so far). Not good for the water pump but that was 2% of the price of repairing the head.
 
For me you're asking the wrong question. My car is stored in an unheated garage so I will NEVER put plain water in it as I don't want to get caught by a freeze or hassle with changing the coolant that often. I know several guys who have ruined engines with water in them because they forgot and it froze. I've always run 50:50 in all my old vehicles and it works great plus I don't ever have to worry about them. Remember when the Model A came out they use alcohol based "Antifreezes" that you removed in the summer and when ethylene glycol came out in the 30s it was advertised as "permanent antifreeze".
 
Personally, I don't run either water or anti-freeze. I run Evans Cooling products exclusively. I ran into this company a few years ago and can tell you that their stuff really works. My cousin runs a 650hp SB Chev powered SS Impala on the streets of Los Angeles when it gets to triple digits every year with zero problems. I have ran it in my Model A as well with zero issues as well.

It is not cheap, but nothing worth while ever is.
 
What happens to your paint job when you spring a leak and evans sprays all over you car .Is Evans paint friendly ?
 
Duffy1 said:
What happens to your paint job when you spring a leak and evans sprays all over you car .Is Evans paint friendly ?
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Not sure about 4lbs pounds of pressure on the system, I run as Henry did 0 and some of my A's will seep a little after a rebuild or head gasket. But not to worry found the best way to cure this is to just run it a while never had one leak long enough to show a leak line as pointed out rust will develop and seal the system. We run monthly rides over a 120 miles in weather at or near a 100 down in Mississippi never a problem :)
 
Duffy - Good question. I did have some spill while I was filling the radiator and no effect on the painted goods then. But, I need to call the company Monday for an order so I will ask them specifically about this.

Of course, there is always the idea that one should properly maintain their cars so the leak/spray thing doesn't happen. :)
 
"Of course, there is always the idea that one should properly maintain their cars so the leak/spray thing doesn't happen. :) "

LOL, I was thinking the same thing.
BTW, was your avatar in a garage fire? And what became of the poor thing?
 
The problem with running water is rust . Its hard to get enough rust inhibitor in your system. If you drive your car a lot , no problem .

If your car sits for any length of time rust will form and clog your new radiator and your block. These blocks have had enough rusting in 80 years.

In my opinion good antifreeze will be your friend and it too needs to be changed every 2 years.

Good antifreeze was not available for the A , but now you have a choice .
Dont ruin a good clean cooling system with water , radiator work is not cheap and a stopped up block will kill your cylinders .
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
"Of course, there is always the idea that one should properly maintain their cars so the leak/spray thing doesn't happen. :) "

LOL, I was thinking the same thing.
BTW, was your avatar in a garage fire? And what became of the poor thing?
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Yup. The whole shop went up and there was literally nothing left. I still have the car and am going down to dad's place July 1 to start in on restoration #2. You can follow the process on a website I am building for it at http://www.28modela.com. Note: there is nothing on the site yet. But, I will be posting pics and articles on it daily once I get back to the car.
 
I drained the antifreeze out today and put in distilled water and bars leak . Tomorrow I plan on putting in Preston Super Inihibitor assuming no bad feed back from another post asking for folks experience with this product . HICKTICK ; Can you expand on your statement "hard to get enough rust inhibitor in your system " . Preston says to use one bottle of their Super Rust Inhibitor for a 12quart system .
PS .It did appear, per my temp gauge, that my car was running about 10 degrees cooler with water only .

Thanks again folks .
 
Duffy , cast iron will rust before your eyes . This rust inhibitor is just what it says , an inhibitor not a rust preventor .

Run the water and inhibitor for a month and drain it in a clean bucket .
If it looks good to you pour it back in and never look back , but if it looks like muddy water well thats your block rusting .

If your car is overheating changing fluids wont fix it .



Just what Im tole ,,,,,Pops
 
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