What is the good, bad and the ugly for considering a RadCap with sacrificial anode? I am currently running my BeCool cap with aluminum radiator/dual electric fans and Waterwetter with distilled water only in my Camaro. In SoCal I do not worry about freezing temps.

I stuck a voltage meter in the radiator water with the engine running and did not get any voltage reading.

Does a sacrificial anode make sense?

Thanks for looking,

Jeff :beers:

i use one and i don't know why everyone doesn't. i had it in for 2 months with the car not even started, sitting still and pulled it out thinking it would look as good as new. boy was i in for a shock! a noticeable amount of zinc was gone with a buildup of what looked like crystals forming on it. the deterioration happens with static electricity, too. the voltage test only works with a digital multimeter and a good ground. ron davis instructions say anything over .3 dcv will eventually cause damage. my setup is right at that threshold, so i went looking for the rad cap. worth every penny in my book. i can't think of any drawback except for the purchase price, which wasn't bad at all.

A little off subject but some very good reading for anyone running an aluminum radiator.
http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28012
FYI porschev8 is Tim from Ron Davis Radiators.

It used to be that the use of aluminum and other dissimilar metals (compared to iron or steel), was scarce and thus electrically eroded (commonly referred to as "electrolysis" or "galvanic" ) parts was a main stay. I can think of the commonly OEM part of the 70 mustang with the thermostat housing that was cast aluminum (and the only aluminum part) would eat up from the inside. It got ate up because it was a very small surface area relatively compared to the iron or steel. Same thing with brass.

But, with the proliferation of aluminum of aluminum radiators, waterpumps, intakes, and even blocks.. plus the modern coolants are very good at acidic balance (which also prevents electrolysis) therefore.. sacrificial anodes are NOT needed because the surface areas are fairly balanced thus.. any electrolysis will happen over such a huge area.. not going to affect much period. Plus, zinc is really not a sacrificial anode for aluminum anywho!

But, the best protection is actually magnesium.. not zinc.

Great info.
What thoughts are out there on the best mixture for ultimate cooling? Is the Evans coolant as good as they say? Is the cost worth it?
I am currently running a distilled water with one bottle of Waterwetter mixture in the HOT So. Cal. oven.

Thanks for your time.

Jeff

So I have a BeCool radiator and I am using regular water out of the hose and Water Wetter. Plus, when BeCool sent me the raditor, they sent brass fittings. Should I change the regular water to distailled and remove the brass fittings? According to Water Wetter, that products helps with corrosion and erosion.

S Should I change the regular water to distailled and remove the brass fittings?

Yes and yes.

I looked at my drain plug and it is brass. If it was a problem why would all these radiator maufacturers be using brass? I don't think it's a problem unless you don't maintain your cooling system. If you change your antifreeze regularly like you're supposed to then the brass is not a problem. For someone that neglects their system, then I can see the brass being a problem, but if the coolant is changed say every two years, then it's not in the system long enough to create a problem.

What about all the brass freeze plugs, drain plugs, temp senders, cooling fan switch bungs? Like HOTRODSRJ said, when the content of brass was so minescule it was a problem, but now with there being so many items that are brass being used on an engine, as long as you maintain your cooling system you will be ok. The distilled water is probably still a good thing. Right now I run straight water and Water Wetter, but I am going to switch to propylene glycol(20%) and distilled water with Water Wetter.

Great info.
What thoughts are out there on the best mixture for ultimate cooling? Is the Evans coolant as good as they say? Is the cost worth it?
I am currently running a distilled water with one bottle of Waterwetter mixture in the HOT So. Cal. oven.

The recommended coolant these days is either GO5 or HOAT mixture with distilled water. I can tell you that all of these major brandnames have excellent products with lots of hours and $$$$ for R&D. So, don't second guess them! Unless you have freezing issues.. a 25% to 30% antifreeze mixture is best for cooling because the specific heat number is not too decimated by this ratio.... and there is enough good additives to help with corrosion and acidity issues. In fact, if you can get by with 40%.. I would go there.

Evans is a good choice for some applications but is expensive, lowers your system's ability to move BTUs, and is not available if you want to top off. And.. adding any kind of water taints the whole batch. back to square one. The advantages are that it's non-toxic... won't expand.. therefore no pressure, lower freezing protection and higher boiling protection. Forget about all the claims of increase hp and all that BS!


I looked at my drain plug and it is brass. If it was a problem why would all these radiator maufacturers be using brass? I don't think it's a problem unless you don't maintain your cooling system. If you change your antifreeze regularly like you're supposed to then the brass is not a problem. For someone that neglects their system, then I can see the brass being a problem, but if the coolant is changed say every two years, then it's not in the system long enough to create a problem.

Bingo! If you keep your system up to snuff.. then no problems. Make sure the components are grounded adequately and the coolant is not supporting galvanic action.