Antifreeze in the "old" days

[goose-em]

So I was over on the hamburger reading a debate on distilled water in the old radiator, pros/cons.

I dug out my old Pontiac shop manual and looked up the recommended coolant and this is what is said:

Denatured alcohol and methanol are extensively used for anti-freezing solutions. The various types of alcohol anti-freeze are widely distributed, afford protection against freezing, and are not injurious to the materials of the cooling system.

Here are the ratios:

+10 F, 2.5 pints of denatured alcohol to 5.5 pints of regular water

0 F, 3 pints of denatured alcohol to 5 pints of water

-10 F, 3.5 pints of alcohol to 4.5 pints of water

-20 F 4 pints of denatured alcohol to 4 pints of water

-30 F, 5 pints of denatured alcohol to 3 pints of water.

Cons are evaporation and damage to car finish if it comes into contact with paint.

Just thought this was interesting.

They also speak about regular antifreeze.

Benefits include, no loss by evaporation and most likely won't ruin your paint.

Cons are, expensive, less effective at cooling and keeping your engine from freezing up and the tendency for these solutions to loosen scale and other debris from inside the engine block, thereby plugging the passages and causing overheating issues. Also more prone to leaks and if allowed to get into the crankcase will lead to gumming and sticking of the moving parts.

Pretty interesting huh? I guess grandad knew a thing or two about cooling his engine.

 

[bob w]

Back when I was young antifreeze was alcohol and permanent antifreeze was ethylene glycol (then), which is what is in common use today (unless the formula has changed somewhat). I am a grandad, that's how I know

How did the distilled water debate come out?

 

[sgtpontiac]

I believe the distilled water issue deals with....

Back when I was young antifreeze was alcohol and permanent antifreeze was ethylene glycol (then), which is what is in common use today (unless the formula has changed somewhat). I am a grandad, that's how I know

How did the distilled water debate come out?

All the minerals and such in regular water... creates rust and deposits and such so distilled was recommended as mixing with the alcohol and or permanent antifreeze...would be my guess.....jmho

 

[goose-em]

Actually the debate was that since distilled water was neutral ph and had no minerals, and as any solution wants to get back to its normal state it would leech minerals out of the block leading to corrosion.

Regular filtered tap water was the best.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Not being a chemist...

Actually the debate was that since distilled water was neutral ph and had no minerals, and as any solution wants to get back to its normal state it would leech minerals out of the block leading to corrosion.

Regular filtered tap water was the best.

I can see / understand how that could possibly happen.... never knew anyone who actually put distilled water in that I can remember..... [S

 

[goose-em]

I suggested the old standby that everyone of us has used....the HOSE....

 

[Got Rust?]

I have heard of people found dead in the morning, under the front of early cars after drinking the alcohol, especially in the colder areas. Early cars often had a drain in the lower radiator hose, just turn the spigot and enjoy!

 

[izzy]

i drive truck for a little company called absopure water, i see the inside of my cust water coolers and i have to say i would not put anything in my radiator but dist or double dist, if it is a new radiator, have anyone seen the water at the bottom of a hotwater heater. That being said the water in this town is the worst i have ever seen or tasted. just my two cents from the water boy[dr

 

[Willowbilly3]

My great uncle told me they used grain alcohol. It wasn't unusual to have a drunk drain the radiator and drink it. He was at a dance and found an indian passed out under the petcock and the radiator empty.

 

[sgtpontiac]

We have 13 wells in our city....

i drive truck for a little company called absopure water, i see the inside of my cust water coolers and i have to say i would not put anything in my radiator but dist or double dist, if it is a new radiator, have anyone seen the water at the bottom of a hotwater heater. That being said the water in this town is the worst i have ever seen or tasted. just my two cents from the water boy[dr

they actually are pretty good... hard but tastes good... I still use/drink water from the local water to go.... reverse osmosis or whatever they call it..... doesn't have all the minerals and such in it.... tastes better than the treated water from the city.....

 

[hotrodbill]

Alcohol was common.

Here in texas, as far as farmers go, Kerosene was the antifreeze of choice.
It was very cheap, has a slow evaporation rate, and would not contribute to any corrosion.

A lot of tractors right up untill the 80's were designed to be Bi-Fuel, runable on Kerosene or Diesel. Another benifit of running kerosene, it was plentiful and sold by many fuel suppliers and farmers Co-Ops.

Many of the "coolant enhancers" on the market, that are supposed make you coolant work better and cool more efficently, are simply concentrations of some sort of "xxxx-ol" (alcohol, ethanol, methanol.)

 

[goose-em]

Well seeing as how I am running the original motor, and have a supply of denatured alcohol I think I may just run it instead of antifreeze. Sounds safer.