@Kniyi-Would you return and explain why you joined an hour ago and are replying to a thread that has been inactive for a year and was clearly close to being a joke?
New members are always welcome but there are so many current threads to read and comment on.
If anyone is curious as to why I asked it just never seems worthwhile to comment when the original thread starter has most likely left the building.
Antifreeze not only prevents the water from freezing, but it also helps prevent boiling. It raises the boiling point of water.
Absolutely true, but I believe George was referring to the ability of the fluid to dissipate heat rather than its boiling point. While coolant raises the boiling point of the water, pure water actually dissipates heat better. George, if my understanding of your post is incorrect, please correct me.
“pure” water transfers heat better…read my prior post. Back in the day, they had much beefier blocks and parts. Today, the amount of material (mass for conducting heat) between the cylinder wall and coolant is far less and this localized boiling issue is therefore significant. Just because people got away with pure water in a 50’s barge or farmall tractor does not make it OK today…
I call it antifreeze.
Maybe that’s true, but I didn’t intend to say that. My understanding is that a 50/50 mixture of water/anti-freeze provides better cooling capacity for keeping the engine cool on hot summer days compared to pure water. That’s why for this “theoretical” question where you must use pure water 6 months and water/anti-freeze mix the other 6, as long as you were sure to not experience freezing temperatures in the winter, to handle the hot driving conditions in the summer you’d be better off to use the water/anti-freeze mix in the summer 6 months.
And another case for an inactive thread that should have been left that way.
Water transfers heat better than coolant. With problem vehicles we have been advised to drain the cooling system and fill with 40% coolant/60% water.
Coolant provides little in boil over protection, usually rated at 265F with a 15 pound cap. Water boils at 257F with a 15 pound cap.
Interesting. I didn’t know that.
George, thank you for correcting my misunderstanding of your post.
It’s true that water transfers heat energy better, but sacrificing coolant’s anticorrosion, lubricating, and enhanced ability to prevent boilover properties is a huge price to pay.
My feeling is that if a system requires pure water to stay cool, even in hot climates, the system has a problem that needs diagnosing and correcting. Using pure water is a temporary solution and a dangerous (to the engine) one.