Waterless engine coolant?

[Big Dave]

I use the Evans stuff. I use it to eliminate a problem unique to my engine. 7.3 liter Powerstrokes (aka International T444E) were designed for savage duty and have extremely high-flow water pumps. So high in fact that they tend (in pickup truck duty) to cavitate the front two cylinder liners. Water-based coolant literally boils in the surface of those liners and will erode through. Ford and International sell an additive that suppresses this but it must be monitored and periodically renewed. With its low vapor pressure, the Evans eliminates this problem. Also waterless Evans pretty much eliminates cooling system corrosion.

The best I could find is a 203 degree stat. We need to find somebody who can design and fabricate a higher temp stat.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I have looked into this stuff before, would like to try it but at $30+ a gallon its too expensive for my diesel (5 gallons).

...that's just about what GM wants for their DexCool™ crap!

[Big Dave]

I sometimes wonder if one could make an equivalent product by buying regular old ethylene glycol automotive antifreeze at Wally World and some propylene glycol at your local HVAC supply house and mixing it 60:40.

One good thing about the stuff. The pressure in your hoses is much lower than with a water/glycol mix, so hoses last longer.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

I use the Evans stuff. I use it to eliminate a problem unique to my engine. . . . With its low vapor pressure, the Evans eliminates this problem. Also waterless Evans pretty much eliminates cooling system corrosion.

The best I could find is a 203 degree stat. We need to find somebody who can design and fabricate a higher temp stat.

I first looked into this about 25-years ago, contacted a manufacturer for a sample that (free, too!) that was big enough to use in the cooling system of the car I had at the time. Chickened out as didn't really have the extra income to experiment with other additives.

This question has come up on the different Cummins boards, and outside of a few users, the idea of a $300+ coolant change plus added filtration as a good idea hasn't had enough takers to make a decision thereupon.

There are some hotter thermostats, but the questions about cooling system capacities when being run hard (xtra heavy payloads, trailers, etc) has kept usage low; as against any perceived benefit.

IOW, I'd like to try it, but the expense and (potential) unknowns put it farther down the list than some other changes. I well understand how it works, but, . . . .

[gone-ot]

...why can't they just use the ENGINE OIL as coolant?

...with today's engines using thermostats almost as hot as the engine oil operates, it'd be a WIN-WIN situation: (a) the engine oil would run at a constant, cooler temperature; (b) water-based (rust-causing) coolant would be elminated; and (c) common engine oil would be only fluid needed.

...and -- something to remember -- because the only reason todays' cooling systems are 'pressurized' is to "raise" the boiling point of the coolant higher than 212ºF, there'd be (d) NO reason for a "pressurized" system any more.

[pete c]

I doubt oil can transfer heat well enough.

[Olympiadis]

Dino oil is long-chain molecules and acts as an insulator.
A synthetic oil could possibly transfer heat at an acceptable rate to function as a coolant. It would have to be very thin in order to be pumped properly at sufficient volume. I have never heard of it tried, though it would be interesting for sure.

There are plenty of industrial temperature control valves that you could adapt in-line with your coolant hose/bypass system in order to maintain a much higher operating temp.
Temperature Valve diverts and mixes fluids., Rostra, Vernatherm Div.