Engine coolant

[vito84]

Hi Guys

I'm going to finish the restoration of my Europa so before to start the car I want to ask you which kind of engine coolant do you use for your cars. I saw some discussion about Evans waterless coolant but i'm not sure to use it.
Any advice?

Thank you

[BDA]

You got me to review the video on it with Jay Leno (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PykrgzWPQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRLXKW2ph0w). The thing that wasn't discussed is lubrication of the water pump. I assume that since it wasn't discussed is because it isn't an issue. I think the reason I decided against it back then was that I already had water/antifreeze in my engine and it was going to be kind of expensive - you'll need 10.8 liters - roughly 3 gallons. I was also concerned that I might want to change the water hoses or something.

I think it's best if you start with a dry motor, radiator, and heater.  If you make changes to your system, you'll definitely want to recapture as much as possible so it's probably best to know that your system is very stable. They make a prep fluid to help clean out the cooling system. They say it's pretty much required if you're engine had water (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoqxFhNboM4). That's probably another reason I didn't choose to use it.

It looks really good and maybe better if you have the standard steel water pipes (like me) since it's non corrosive, but you have to know what you're getting into.

[vito84]

I've rebuilt the engine, cleaned the radiator(also heater smith) and rebuilt myself the cooling pipes in steel inox.
So all the cooling system is new but I want to be sure there aren't no leaks.
Furthermore the engine block is in cast iron and the head in aluminium, so which color of cooling liquid is the best choice?
I found an offer of 110£ for 10 liters of Evans in UK.

[EuropaTC]

Hi there,

Waterless coolant has been discussed (very heatedly) on the Lotuselan.net forum several times now, with no definitive conclusion. It seems if you've got it, you love it but if you haven't, you don't.

I think JBCollier on here was going to use it in his restoration and as his car is running now maybe John can offer a comment.  BDA has pointed out the pitfalls of converting an aqueous based system but John was starting off with a clean, dry and new system so he had the very best conditions to use it.

Personally I just use conventional glycol anti-freeze, I think it's around 25% but honestly I can't remember.   It seems to work well enough, the engine doesn't overheat and provided you change it every couple of years then the inhibitors will minimise corrosion. Cheap and easy to replace from any motor factor in town, that's why I stuck with it.

Brian

[vito84]

Hi Brian

Thank you for the advice, which colour is your?

[BDA]

 I don't know what color it is, but I would think you need the High Performance formulation. http://www.evanscoolant.com/products/high-performance-coolant/

[EuropaTC]

Hi Vito,

The coolant I'm using isn't the Evans waterless coolant, it's just plain water & ethylene glycol and is the (UK) traditional blue. In fact the brand I bought was called "Bluecol", similar to this on Amazon;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BLUECOL-YEAR-ANTIFREEZE-SUMMER-COOLANT/dp/B003NVBCDM/ref=pd_lpo_263_tr_t_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J9BXBJEH93A9WQQ61X5A

If you're considering Evans or another waterless coolant then I'd ask John for his comments now he's got his car on the road. 

Brian

[jbcollier]

I tried the Evans waterless coolant on a fresh, dry, system with new hoses, new pipes, new alloy rad, and a overhauled engine which had been tanked.  So it was all spotless and there was absolutely no water in the system.  I had nothing but grief with leaks from hose connections.  I tried special HD clamps and repeated tightening all to no avail: it would slowly drip out even when the system was cold with no pressure!  Finally, I drained it out, flushed it thoroughly with water and refilled the system using current BMW/Volvo coolant (long-life, blue, 50/50 mix) and the leaks went away.  Annoying as hell as the Evans coolant is mega-expensive.

[BDA]

Bummer! It sounds so good. Thanks for your experience, John!

[EuropaTC]

I tried the Evans waterless coolant on a fresh, dry, system with new hoses, new pipes, new alloy rad, and a overhauled engine which had been tanked.  So it was all spotless and there was absolutely no water in the system.  I had nothing but grief with leaks from hose connections.  I tried special HD clamps and repeated tightening all to no avail: it would slowly drip out even when the system was cold with no pressure!  Finally, I drained it out, flushed it thoroughly with water and refilled the system using current BMW/Volvo coolant (long-life, blue, 50/50 mix) and the leaks went away.  Annoying as hell as the Evans coolant is mega-expensive.

Heck, I remember you saying you were going to try it and mentioning a hose leak but I would never have guessed it was as bad as that. Thanks for sharing.

Well Vito, if John can't get it to work (and he's a proper mechanic) then I would go with conventional water/antifreeze.

[jbcollier]

Wait a minute, there are lots of people successfully using the stuff so it's not impossible.  Just want to give a heads up with regard to potential issues.

[Grumblebuns]

Hey Vito, I just did a very quick look at your Facebook page and it appears that you're doing some really excellent work on your Europa restoration. It's coming along real good.

Using Facebook to document your restoration got me thinking of doing the same for 3631R, my Cosworth powered Europa. I've resisted joining Facebook all these years, I may have to re-think this after seeing what you are doing.

Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook, Ca

[vito84]

Hi Joji,
thank you very much, i'm happy that you appreciate my job,  for me is rewarding to share my passion with you all beacuse i hope this documentation can help everybody.
I think i'll use a coolant similar to the one Brian suggest me,  i will check the chemical properties to find one similar available on the italian market

Best regards
Vito

[Gmg31]

I have used Evans waterless coolant in my Elan for years and it is superb. It lowers the boiling point and puts a lot less pressure on the system. I will be using it in my Europa but not until it is completely finished. It's essential to use the conditioner first and although it's expensive the conditioner can be used over and over again.

[jbcollier]

Raises, not lowers, the boiling point.