coolant oil or water ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jon Robertson
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J

Jon Robertson

Why can't we use transmission oil as a coolant for our radiator ?Even a
modified coolant based on oil .It seems so many water pumps wear out or
corrode ,radiators leak ,engines and head gaskets are destroyed by water and
still have issues when glycol is used .
If a non flammable oil was used costs would be down as well as potential
damage .
Serious question serious answer please .
 
Jon said:
Why can't we use transmission oil as a coolant for our radiator ?Even a
modified coolant based on oil .It seems so many water pumps wear out or
corrode ,radiators leak ,engines and head gaskets are destroyed by water and
still have issues when glycol is used .
If a non flammable oil was used costs would be down as well as potential
damage .
Serious question serious answer please .
Click to expand...



I believe water/glycol has a much higher heat carrying capacity than
oil. It's also a lot less messy when it leaks, it is non-flammable, and
it will boil instead of burn if the engine does overheat.

I don't think water pump wear has much to do with it being used to pump
water, rather it has a relatively small bearing area compared to the
length of the shaft and the stress placed on it by the drive belt. If it
had a bearing on each side of the impeller it would likely last a lot
longer.

Most coolant related head gasket problems have to do with improper
coolant being used. If you use the right stuff with the right additives,
it's rarely a problem.
 
Thanks James I just firgure there has to be a better way of cooling the
engine ...
 
Jon said:
Thanks James I just firgure there has to be a better way of cooling the
engine ...
Click to expand...


The water/glycol cooling method for the internal combustion engine has
had a long time to mature. Honestly, I think it works pretty well, is
relatively clean and easy to deal with, it's cheap, I think effort would
be better spent coming up with alternative energy sources.

I know I'd rather have water leak than oil leak. Leaked and spilled oil
makes an awful mess when it picks up dirt and turns into engine grime,
and that's not even considering the environmental impact.
 
Thanks James I just firgure there has to be a better way of cooling the








- Show quoted text -
Click to expand...

air cooling! toss in a flat-opposed cylinder layout for perfect
balance without counterweights. maybe stick it in the rear of the car.
 
air cooling! toss in a flat-opposed cylinder layout for perfect
balance without counterweights. maybe stick it in the rear of the car.
Click to expand...


Having spent some time messing with air cooled engines, I can say that
while they do offer advantages, they are no panacea. It's just hard to
remove enough heat using air alone, so they tend to run hot, and it's
even more difficult to provide even cooling, so some parts run a lot
hotter than others. The air cooled VW's and Porsche's are fun for sure,
and granted they are relatively simple to work on, but the catch is that
they *need* to be worked on frequently.
 
Actually I use a well known brand of glycol pure with clean pure water so I
have had no issues .I see many are using diluted glycol with any water when
they even think of it .In Tasmania I saw normal water used only with the
thermostat taken out ,so imagine on a below zero morning what happened
besides engine wear and LPG gas problems .Hot water is needed to stop the
LPG gas from freezing .When a sudden cold morning hit the water would flow
so quickly it didn't cool so parts froze and other parts boiled .Besides the
fact the heaters didn't work too well .
 
I was told last night at a Volvo car club meeting the Japanese are using
100% glycol with no problems and very corrosion free motors after importing
them to Austalia .I had heard using 100% glycol caused temperature to rise
,but if it works according to a Volvo tech I am happy .Any thing to stop
corrosion as my car sits a lot nowdays .We get the Japanese motors which are
low milage as the cars are taxed off the road as the car gets older, so very
good
engines can be got for a song.They are right hand drive as well
 
Jon said:
I was told last night at a Volvo car club meeting the Japanese are using
100% glycol with no problems and very corrosion free motors after importing
them to Austalia .I had heard using 100% glycol caused temperature to rise
,but if it works according to a Volvo tech I am happy .Any thing to stop
corrosion as my car sits a lot nowdays .We get the Japanese motors which are
low milage as the cars are taxed off the road as the car gets older, so very
good
engines can be got for a song.They are right hand drive as well
Click to expand...


Pure glycol will work, although the boiling point is lower and the
freezing point higher than a water/glycol mix, and it is less effective
at transferring heat. Volvos tend to have oversized cooling systems
though so you *may* not have any problems. I don't see much of a
corrosion problem running the standard mix though.
 
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