MTAS

Hey every one - couple of questions about the coolant system in our cars.

1. What kind of coolant is installed at the factory? Is it the ethylene-glycol or propylene-glycol?

2. I know the S197 GT's run hotter than they should IMO, especially with that huge grille up there, a factory 180* thermostat and the fan settings I have with my Predator (I routinely run 195*F or so - I have an Autometer electric temp gauge). I've read on other forums where folks have put in aftermarket radiators and saw temps drop around 10*F or so - hardly worth the expense and hassle IMO. And others who saw the biggest drop after installing a hood that exhibited some sort of heat extracting ability. So my question is this - if I were to keep the OEM radiator and hood, could I safely do the following: drain 2 gallons of the coolant/water mix from the radiator, then add 2 gallons of distilled water ( minus 12oz from each gallon) and 2 bottles of Redline Water Wetter (12oz each)?

Thanks for any tips/advice!

RadBOSS

IMHO you will be wasting your time.

195 F is not necessarily excessive. How accurate is the Autometer ... ever calibrate it against a known source? May not be a accurate as you think.

You only need to resort to water wetter if you are on the ragged edge because you are developing so much more horse power than Ford intended. Various people are running superchargers and blowers and still running the factory radiator.

Why would you ever want to dilute the coolant?

metroplex

Forget the water wetter. It typically gunks up my cooling system.

The factory uses a 5-year "Gold" anti-freeze that is ethylene glycol based.
195F is NOT excessive. Your engine needs to run at normal operating temperatures.

Contrary to popular belief, the engine makes the most power when it is hot/warmed up. That could mean 220F, 210F, or 230F depending on the metallurgy of the internals/block. This is so that there is as little friction as possibl on the rotating/bearing surfaces. The Air and Fuel Mixture needs to be as cool as possible so that you get as dense of a mixture as possible (squeeze more oxygen into the combustion chamber).

dustindu4

I disagree with "Contrary to popular belief, the engine makes the most power when it is hot/warmed up." and I have the dragstrip timeslips to prove it. The PCM pulls timing as the car gets hotter. My car runs the fastest the colder it is. My best time ever was after I let the car sit off for 2 hours, roll up to the starting line and go. Datalog your car and you can see the timing get pulled back as coolant temp goes up

The only real danger of running water in your system is freezing. If the water freezes your block is toast. Living in FL, you shouldn't have that problem, but you still run the risk. In the summer here in NH I run 25% coolant, 75% distilled water, a bottle of water wetter and a bottle of prestone water pump lubricant. Car temps are a lot lower. Just dont put a different thermostat in, keep the 180. The 25% coolant should keep your freezing point low enough to not have to worry about it in FL temps. Freezing point with a 25% mixture is about 10 degrees F. The 25% mixture also adds the needed corrosion protection

metroplex

The PCM looks at ECT/CHT and IAT to see if it needs to pull/increase timing. Assuming your cooling system is working properly, it won't pull timing unless you are on the threshold of overheating. Heat soaking your air intake WILL cause the timing to be pulled. Ford designs the cooling system to keep the engine running as efficiently as possible. You are confusing heat soaking of the air intake stream with a hot engine, which is quite common since they go somewhat hand in hand. My best times have always been the 2nd or 3rd hot lap after driving right up to the staging lane after driving to the drag strip where there has been constant airflow to reduce the IAT but the engine is still fully warmed up.

Water is the coolant. The anti-freeze is just the additive package and anti-freeze to prevent freezing or boiling. Keep in mind the coolant system is under pressure too, so that raises the boiling point a little (an ECT/CHT of 212F doesn't necessarily mean that 100% water is boiling in your cooling system since at that temperature it would be under some pressure).

Cheese302

def. keep some coolant in the car. I too feel that 195 is not an excessive temp at all for a street car. I think that the car can make more power when cooler. but an average of 195 isnt going to make me worry about the life of my engine.