Benefits of using distilled water and anti-freeze

[Tim R]

Five thousand, five hundred (5,500) miles ago we completely re-built the engine in our Series IV. When we put it back in the car we filled it with a 50/50 mix of bluecol anti-freeze and Distilled water.

This was something we had read about on the internet that claimed that it would prevent any corrosion and was good for old cars with aluminium cylinder heads and iron/steel elsewhere in the system. Distilled water is cheap and we couldn't see how it would do any harm so instead of mixing the bluecol anti-freeze with normal tap water as we had been doing for many years previously we followed the advice.

Today I decided to change the thermostat for a new one so I dropped out the coolant.

After 5,500 miles it looks like it is brand new and ready to go in (see photo)! The water is still clear and tinted blue and there is no evidence of corrosion in it at all. I was very surprised, normally it is brown and horrible after much less mileage than this. If you have never tried using distilled water and anti-freeze I thoroughly recommend it. I even dipped a corner of kitchen roll into the coolant and it comes up clear and blue!

Tim R

 

[DanR]

Very interesting!

Now I wonder, What are the distinct characteristics?

 

[hartmandm]

I always use distilled water with antifreeze to avoid adding the trace minerals, metals, and chlorine that are present in tap water.

Mike

 

[Bill Blue]

I always use distilled water with antifreeze to avoid adding the trace minerals, metals, and chlorine that are present in tap water.

Mike

I second that. While I'm not much of a chemist, I do know that even very simple reactions get complex with undesirable secondary components produced when impure materials are mixed. Who knows how chemically active these minute components might be? To make matters worse, the resulting witches brew will vary, depending on the "contaminates" present.

Bill

 

[SoCal'beaming]

I always use distilled water with antifreeze to avoid adding the trace minerals, metals, and chlorine that are present in tap water.

Mike

YEP! .. Distilled is the only water to use in any motor cooling system considering that there are many elements in tap water depending on many conditions and the area of the country you live and population.. including chloramines(as a disinfectant), possibly lead and the worst is the type of fluoride used ... either Fluorosilicic acid, also referred to as Hydrofluorosilicate, FSA, or HFS (which is why we don't drink tap water), Sodium fluorosilicate or Sodium fluoride a dry additive, typically used in small city water systems. With all that in tap water.. reacting to a combination of metals with electrical current running through the system, this a perfect scenario for lots of unwanted issues. .... including poor health effects when personally consumed.


........ David

 

[65beam]

antifreeze

you can save yourself a lot of time and effort and probably money if you just go to the auto parts and buy a preblended 50/50 anti freeze. the blend is exact and is blended using water from a reverse osmosis unit. you should use a green ethylene glycol product in these engines.

 

[skywords]

Distilled water is the best for there are no free oxigen molecules to corrode anything I left some in an aluminum tank I fabricated for over a year with zero effect on the tank.