has anybody tried redline water wetter coolant additive on their Q ?

[JOHNQ]

my temp gauge needle is close to midpoint when driving in summer heat for long periods and im thinking about using this product. does anybody know if this works as it should and will it cause any potential damage in the future? whats everybody else needle with a 97-01 Q go up to when driving around in the summer?

[TBrack]

mine is at or slightly above midpoint from spring-fall

dips into 1/4 way when I go up in the mountains in the winter

I would say 1/2 is normal and you shouldn't add anything to your system

[maxnix]

Coolant temperature gauge is almost irrelevant because of lag due to dampening. If you do see meter movement after reaching operating temperature, it is a good incicator your cooling system needs attention quickly. You have no marginal cooling capacity.

Watter wetter is known to be a good product, but it will fool the coolant sensor into over riching the ECU. The most important item is the coolant dilutant, which should be distilled water. OAT coolant is next in priority. Oh, and an OEM coolant tank cap. Also bellts and pulleys in proper tension and condition.

[oldmako]

My indicated temp is a needle width shy of mid point. Year round.

[AZhitman]

Ideal setup (in my experience): 75% distilled water, 25% coolant (not that stupid "blend"), and 2 bottles of RL WW.

Every car I own is set up this way.

All this means NOTHING if your cooling system is compromised.

Fully clean the radiator and condenser, pressure test the system, new cap, t-stat, hoses, and a good, thorough flush.

[Q45tech]

Understand that wetter watter works by increasing the extraction of heat [efficiency] from the head thus cooling the head [combustion chamber to reduce knock] while increasing the coolant temperature.

Since the dash coolant sensor is just after the output of head, the gauge will head higher if it has enough resolution.

Dropping combustion temperature 2-3F is a good trade off if the coolant only gets 2-3F hotter.

But you must understand that the ecu uses coolant temperature in the equation to calculate ignition advance [so called sumer overheat protection] and from 195-200F it begins to reduce advance by 1.0 degrees per 5F .......................so any coolant sensor reading above 195F is bad for performance..................once the coolant exceeds 220F the full 5 degrees has been removed and the engine begins to enter thermal runaway in drive and idle rpm. What works well up to a point then makes matters worse then much worse.

Any overheat means some [non liquid] portion of cooling system is not working as new and needs to be replaced. Assuming the coolant is 100% full and clean.

Pure water is more efficient than 50/50 or even 25/75 mixture in collecting and transferring heat.

In non freezing climates you can buy additives that protect against corrosion without using any or little antifreeze.

[AZhitman]

In non freezing climates you can buy additives that protect against corrosion without using any or little antifreeze.

Dennis, do those lubricate efficiently, or is that archaic thinking?

[Q45tech]

Who knows, why I always use a minimum of 20% AF in summer and 50% in winter. Some years I use 100% distilled and nothing for a week to clean scale and lose aluminum, the drain some and add the additives via antifreeze and a booster shot of additive.

"To ensure that the coolant remains alkaline for a reasonable length of time, there must be enough corrosion inhibitor to neutralize the acids formed from glycol degradation that occur over time. This neutralizing capability is called "reserve alkalinity," and it varies depending on the type and quantity of additives used in a particular brand of antifreeze. "

The trick to preventing internal corrosion, therefore, is to change the coolant before all the reserve alkalinity has been used up.

http://www.babcox.com/editorial/tr/tr110046.htm

[AZhitman]

Makes sense.

Hell, water pumps are cheap anyway, and I've never had an issue with my formula.

[Q45tech]

Neither have I, few water pumps on Q leak and if they do 180k is good service life anyway.

[Infinitiguy19]

What the best New England Antifreeze/Water/Redline Water wetter setup?

Is it 50/50 with one bottle?

[Jesda]

RLWW is an excellent product. By reducing surface tension it increases the effectiveness of the water+coolant.

[Jesda]

What the best New England Antifreeze/Water/Redline Water wetter setup?

Is it 50/50 with one bottle?

Yes, for that region that mixture will work year round.

[Carl H]

redline water wetter and swapping over to z32 tt radiator caps are a good way to keep temps down.this ofcourse is assuming that you dont have sludge in your cooling system and the pump is in good nick.

[qship96]

I dont see how switching to 300zx radiator caps could possibly lower coolant temps.

[maxnix]

I dont see how switching to 300zx radiator caps could possibly lower coolant temps.

Don't get that one at all.

No reason not to use the correct OEM one. Many reasons not to use 3rd party aftermarket ones.

[StarPD]

my temp gauge needle is close to midpoint when driving in summer heat for long periods and im thinking about using this product. does anybody know if this works as it should and will it cause any potential damage in the future? whats everybody else needle with a 97-01 Q go up to when driving around in the summer?

None of the responses here make note of the need to clean the radiator and condenser coils FROM THE REAR. The air passages in both must allow good airflow to transfer heat from the liquid coolant to the cooling air that SHOULD be passing through.

Being careful to not knock any connections loose, blow the coils in the radiator and as much of the A/C condenser as you can access clear of dirt and debris from the rear (with the engine off). (Be sure to check for paper/plastic sucked onto the surfaces of the rad and A/C coils). Then, if you know what to avoid wetting, carefully use a high pressure wash/rinse wand at a coin-op car wash from the rear to remove the oily/greasy film that can accumulate on the rad and A/C condenser and collect a lot of crud.Be careful where you shoot that high pressure water; you don't want to force water into some connectors that could cause problems.

After conquering this issue, apply the same principle to the heater and A/C coils inside the car to improve performance of the Climate Control system. Just be VERY careful removing these components. Read up in the FSM and the many threads in this forum first to learn what to do and what not to, and what pitfalls to avoid. This CAN rejuvenate your Climate Control System and make it perform like new, IF you're careful and know what you're doing. It's not an easy 2 hour job like cleaning the radiator and A/C condenser correctly is though.

Another tip: Make sure all underbody airflow panels are firmly attached, and make sure the radiator shroud is tight and well sealed, all belts are tight and correct for the car, and that the fan assembly operates properly.

[Jesda]

I dont see how switching to 300zx radiator caps could possibly lower coolant temps.

It will lower temps in one place while raising it in another.
Modified by Jesda at 2:11 AM 10/14/2008

[maxnix]

It will lower temps in one place will raising it in another.

How, exactly?

[Jesda]

How, exactly?

Please do a search and read posts by Q45tech.

[Infinitiguy19]

O snap

Just kidding.

[Jesda]

I know this is an old thread, but it seems worth bumping for summer, especially the hottest week some of us have seen in half a century.

I've been using this product with 50/50 green coolant for nearly a decade. It does help. Some say it causes Dexcool and German coolants to turn into a gel, so I would avoid mixing it with those.

[qship96]

Gotta say, as much as I am a HUGE fan of Redline products {have used their motor oil,transmission fluid,diff gear oil, D4 atf in the PS system,and SI-1 in the fuel for most of my 290,000 miles on my Q} Their Water wetter product has just never grabbed my attention as a product that I needed to use,as I have never even come close to ever overheating or having trouble with the cooling system or its capabilities,even sitting at idle for over 30 minutes in 100+ F temps with the AC blasting while eating lunch/returning business calls while in the car.