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is green anti-freeze bad for aluminum heads?

Kain

Kain

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I was told since i run aluminum heads i should run dexcool or something besides green anti-freeze.He told me it would eat the aluminum.
Is this true or is he full of c h i t?
 
Truth. There could be electrolisys(sp?) issues between aluminum and iron components. I don't know that color is the true tell but there are coolants specifically made to fight the electrisys. When I worked for Toyota the ONLY coolant we would use was Toyota or Dex.
 
well i know the test to stick the volt meter in the fluid to see if you have current and i did
and it was .02 the guys on trucks (the tv show) said anything over .04 you have problems
Volts that is
 
My understanding was that the water used is what carries the current. That is why tap water is bad. If you test staight fluid in an engine, no power transfer. 50/50 in an engine with deionized water, no power transfer. 50/50 with tap water, power transfer.
 
I drain the Dex out of my newer stuff, flush real well and refill with green. The tap water is what contains the harmfull stuff that corodes and eats away at things. I use pure water (I get it from my RODI filter from my fish tank), has 0 TDS. Have 6 motors running like this. Some all iron, some iron and aluminum and some all aluminum.

Dex has a service life. If it isn't changed at the correct time then bad things can happen. Also, don't mix the two, they can gel up.

Green won't do any damage to the aluminum if used correctly. Cars from the late 80's early 90's had green in them when aluminum heads stwrted becoming more common.
 
No it's not true.

I run green with aluminum heads, no problem.

The dex is supposed to be better for the water pumps and last longer, but you still have to change it.

If you ever mix the two you will see sludge buildup, so don't do that.

Whichever kind you use, make sure you use distilled water because if you keep the coolant pure you will have less issues with corrosion and seals as well. Also, make sure everything is grounded properly.
 
Ok. I understand the water part of this and it allowing you to use regular coolant, fine.

What do you do if you have a problem on the trail and you DON'T have any distilled water? If you use regular water won't you now have to flush (lose) the coolant? If you carry distilled water are you stingy with it for others in case you need it?

I agree this prevents you from having to use expensive coolant but does anyone find that it may over complicate things?
 
On the trail and don't have the needed type of water you're using, is not being prepared. :wink1:

Distilled water is not that hard to come by, tons of stores sell it. :D
 
Running regular water, or straight water is not going to kill the engine in a matter of hours. If you need water on a trail and the only option is straight water, or piss, I think you'd be inclined to use it and have to flush out the cooling system later, than lose the engine altogether. :D
 
Old style straight green isnt' always good.

There are SO many out there by prestone and others that are safe to mix, and safe to run on all engines.

Why not spend the extra $2 and run those?

Just my $0.02
 
For a trail fix, do not be concerened. We have peed in radiators to get home. Then flush it when the repair is done correctly after you get home.
 
If you drank energy drinks throughout the day, it's the same color anyway :D

I carried 2gal of distiller water while in Moab. Easier to split up the bottles into smaller Gatoraid bottles. Less likely to open also.
 
Dumb question.... wouldn't this also be a problem for every aluminum radiator out there too?

ktmoutfront said:
For a trail fix, do not be concerened. We have peed in radiators to get home. Then flush it when the repair is done correctly after you get home.
Click to expand...

That's right out of Red Dawn. WOLVERINES!
 
To answer the OP question no it is not bad.

The color is not an issue, dont be a green hater :whistle:

Many companies make a universal that mixes with any type of color that your system may have.
 
I had to mix some of the red stuff in with my green stuff once in the burb, back before the engine needed rebuilt. It didn't "sludge up" but there was definitely some excess stuff floating on the top of the water after I did it. It almost looked like some sort of very thin wax substance.

It was a temporary solution to get me home, it was out on the highway somewhere, pulling a heavy trailer.

Ended up being a minor leaking headgasket as to why I was losing coolant for the past several months. It was rebuilt a few months later. :doah:
 
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