Annual Antifreeze question

[94q45t]

I have a 94Q which needs a new water pump, and I want to know the "best" (meaning cooling performance, aluminum protection, easy on hoses, water pump lubrication, etc) antifreeze for it. the car has 95K miles, and based on the internal passages I can see, the cooling system is pristine. When I searched on "antifreeze", there were a few opinions, but no consensus, and nothing from any F50 owners.

There are some new formulations out since the last time I did this, so wanted to know your thoughts on this. thanks!

[maxnix]

Read Q45tech's comments on OAT coolants.

[qship96]

"prestone all makes and models" will work fine

[Q45tech]

To me the best method after you replace the coolant is a twice yearly service.Drain rad in spring and replace the 4 quarts with 100% distilled water then in October drain the rad and replace the 4 quarts recovered with 100% non diluted Antifreeze.

Just use a plastic pan under the car and let the coolant drip down on the belly pan and out into pan, wash everything with a hose to clean.......the whole process takes 15 minutes. and cost $1.29 for distilled plus the gallon of AF.

The above gives you 40% new anti corrosion additives each year and thins the coolant in summer to improve heat transfer.

How is your radiator after 13 years is ample time for it to get crudded up inside and for the cooling fins to get well bent and the exterior to build up a coating of corrosion and oily dirt.

If you are a perfectionist replace the corrosion anode the shinny metal pipe between the drivers side hoses plus thermostat housing cover.

These metal things are designed to corrode [preferentially] to protect engine and water pump.

Whatever coolant you decide always use distilled water to dilute.

[94q45t]

Whatever coolant you decide always use distilled water to dilute.

That's an interesting point. We work with fuel cells around here, and they produce utterly pure water. Chemically, pure water is very active and will leach atomic components from metals quite quickly, weakening and destabilizing them. Years ago (I was driving a new 280Z at the time), there was a big debate about this in the auto industry, and the consensus seemed to be to use filtered water ("pure"), but not distilled. Has industry thinking on that changed?

As a demonstration, we sometimes wash very dirty cloth in fuel cell produced water, and it comes out far cleaner than when washe normally with laundry detergent. Even after than, and subject to the kind of dirt in the cloth, the old wash water is safer to drink than tap water.

It's not that distilled water acts like an acid, but over time it will deteriorate anything but inert materials (like glass). Sounds like opinions have shifted?

[maxnix]

It's not that distilled water acts like an acid, but over time it will deteriorate anything but inert materials (like glass). Sounds like opinions have shifted?

Opinions maybe, but not science.

Distilled water is nothing but water. It doesn't deteriorate anything. Water, oxygen, and reactive metals will swap electrons around and form salts.

The reason distlled water cleans better in a soap solution than non-distelled is that it better forms mycell groups because it is not contaminated with mineral deposits. Remember, it is only water, nothing else.

[Q45tech]

Distilled water sold in the grocery store is less pure than 100% USP Distilled water..........there are single pass and multiple pass distilled waters. For 1-1.30 per gallon retail you don't get much compared to the $10 per gallon USP 100% distilled water.

Not sure if grocery store distilled is even sterile in the real sense of the word..........99.99% pure doesn't mean much when:

One gallon is 3.79 liters, a gallon has 3.79 x 3.34 x 10^25 = 1.27 x 10^26 molecules of water. So you could have 1/10,000 of that amount of non water in a gallon and still be called DISTILLED WATER.

The plastic bottle is worse than a glass lab bottle, machinery that fills the plastic bottles imparts some ions, the air in the factory.

Tap water is most locations is so bad that a little cleaning is good.

Factory fill in Japan is probably a higher quality distilled than US can get in the grocery store.

[94q45t]

Thanks to both of you . The info on grocery store water is very helpful. Although I'm clearly not a chemist, I do work with PhD's who specialize in water, and they've always warned me not to use the fuel cell output for anything (they hydrolize it for fuel). The water itself isn't harmful, it's just a super dissolver and actually leaches minerals out of its host. Over time, it deteriorates its host. It's obviously not an issue these days, but on early aluminum blocks there was a good bit of debte over it. I'm cool now. Just want the Q to go another 100K as well as it did the first.

[Q45tech]

So far mine has survived on 281,000 miles of distilled + AF [various brands] first used in 1992 at 30,000 miles ------------ 311,000 today.

Remember I reinforce the additive package every year [just like diesels do]......remember engine and rads are made from aluminum alloys not pure aluminum and these alloys are created to deal with corrosion with the correct additives.

[94q45t]

Thanks for that. Do you have a favorite additive brand(s)? Just noticed where you are. Can you (me being your customer) add a rear sway bar to the standard 94Q? I had a T (wrecked), replaced it with this one. don;t miss the rear steer, but do miss the rear bar. If so, can you estimate the cost (if you suppley parts?)

[maxnix]

I had a T (wrecked), replaced it with this one. don;t miss the rear steer, but do miss the rear bar. If so, can you estimate the cost (if you suppley parts?)

Don't bother with the minimal t model rear bar. With increased diameter front bar of standard, only gain is with rear a model rear bar (20mm). Read Q45tech's posts. Mount all new rubber while you are there.

T-3 Automotive Ltd.5322 S. Cobb Dr.Atlanta, GA 30080(404) 794-7700

Get the rubber from http://www.infinitipartsusa.com

Get the rear a bar from pop pop or DetroitJazzMan in Infiniti Parts Forum.

[Q45tech]

By additives I ways refering to what ever is included in Nissan or Prestone [OAT] or Halvoline [OAT] or Toyota AF.

It is not as much WHAT but HOW OFTEN you replenish so that the additive levels stay reasonable.

I always use a paint filter screen to check the amount/size of aluminum particles dislodged in the drained AF.