Waterless engine coolant?
 

G'day,
This product plug was posted on another FE site and I thought It could be useful to us in a couple of ways.

You-Tube
Waterless Engine Coolant - Car Care - Jay Leno's Garage

Home » Engine Cooling Systems

The prospect of being able to sustain higher engine temps could make grill blocks more attractive to those of us living in warmer climates.

The prospect of less cooling fan usage resulting in less fuel used is also appealing, although their 10% claim is "questionable" (this almost made me brand it as unicorn pee). They explain how to adjust fan operating temps in How it works - FAQ's - 32.

They don't list dealers in Australia, so it's probably no good for me, but maybe someone here could benefit from it.

I'd love to hear your opinions on this stuff.

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).
But if I could pick up 1mpg for $150 it would be worth it, but given the way diesels work its not likely.

Basically, when using this alternative waterless coolant, one could install a higher temperature coolant thermostat and increase the temperature at which the fan turns on. Doing so should indeed yield an interesting increase in fuel economy as per their tests.

From their FAQs (FAQ's » Engine Cooling Systems)


Very interesting !

I can never find anything hotter than 205'F thermostats.

What about the coolant hoses leading to and from the radiator, along with the smaller ones for the heater and throttle body (when heated) ? Can they sustain the increase in temperature (circa 230F versus 190F) ? Will the chemical composition of this waterless coolant affect the rubber compound of the hose ?

From the video and their web site, I got the impression that a large part of their present market is the transport industry.
Trucking companies are usually very aware of the maintenance costs of their fleets. If there were issues with critical components like water hoses that could leave their trucks stranded, I think they'd drop 'em like a hot rock.

Edit: I did a quick Google search, standard heater hose seems to be good for 300F or higher.

The hoses can take 240'F all day long and that evans coolant is a waterless version of the now discontinued prestone "low tox" antifreeze.
As far as I can tell it was axed for low sales and nothing maintenance related.

The lower specific heat should help a bit with warm up too.

I looked at the Evans NPG fact sheet and then compared it to an off the shelf antifreeze. It was the same stuff in pretty similar per the percentages of PEG and EG with the same boiling point and specific heat capacity. So I used the cheap stuff instead Don't remember what I used, have some of it in my trunk though. So don't let cost be an issue.

Now for the results. My engine runs a few degrees hotter in the middle of summer at high load. I would say less than 5 deg F. The important thing though is that it removed the dry channel effect from my coolant passages and has allowed me to use regular instead of premium. It would probably allow a more advanced timing profile if I tried. Better than that, since it has a higher boiling point I have no fear of boiling my engine which is death for a rotary.

Interesting concept. The test data on their website is actually pretty solid. I'm sure a few on this site would be willing to test it... but where would one find a 215 deg thermostat?

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.

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

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.

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, . . . .

...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.

I doubt oil can transfer heat well enough.

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.
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