So I went to Kragen and did some perusing of their antifreeze offerings. If I didn't know better, I'd think the anti-freeze manufacturers were TRYING to make it as difficult as possible to choose the correct anti-freeze product for any particular application.
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COLOR NOTE:
The color of anti-freeze is no indication that it will work in your system! The color is only a dye, and gives no indication that it is the proper anti-freeze for your particular coolant system.
DEXCOOL NOTE:
DexCool is not a specific formula, it just denotes that the anti-freeze product passed GM's testing requirements. All three brands that have the label (Texaco Havoline, Prestone Extended Life and Zerex Extended Life) are somewhat similar. In particular, they’re OAT (Organic Acid Technology) coolants. All DexCool-approved coolants to date use two organic acid rust/corrosion inhibitors, one called sebacate, the other called 2-EHA (which stands for 2-ethylhexanoic acid).
INGREDIENT NOTES:
The ingredients listed below are found in various anti-freeze products. The notes on the ingredients are what I could glean from various internet resources.
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INGREDIENTS:
NJTSRN QT1:
The ingredient NJTSRN QT1 (New Jersey Trade Secret Registration Number QT1) is a trademark secret, owned by CCI Manufacturing (cci-il.com). Since it is a trademarked secret ingredient, no one except CCI knows the actual chemical makeup of this ingredient. Hence, it is unknown what effect this ingredient might have upon your system. As such, I can't recommend that anyone use any anti-freeze which lists NJTSRN QT1 as an ingredient. This was listed as an ingredient in Kragen's 'OReilly Extended Life Universal' and Peak 'Long Life 50/50'.
POTASSIUM 2-ETHYL HEXANOATE:
DO NOT USE THIS INGREDIENT! This is an OAT (Organic Acid Technology) ingredient. If the least bit of air gets into your system, it will turn into a rusty-colored sludge that will plug up coolant passages (i.e.: Dexcool used it, and has gained the nickname 'DeathCool'). Your coolant expansion tank will sludge up, since it is exposed to air. OAT anti-freeze ingredients take a long time to lay down a protective layer of metal oxide (the passivation layer) to protect the metal. Hence, if your water pump is cavitating and exposing fresh metal (as I suspect ours do, with the high RPMs developed), OAT will not work quickly enough to protect it. The result will be a badly corroded and eroded pump impellar. This was not listed on any of the anti-freeze products I looked at, but is known to be used in some Dex-Cool anti-freeze products.
SODIUM 2-ETHYL HEXANOATE:
This is an OAT (Organic Acid Technology) ingredient. This carries a similar warning to Potassium 2-Ethyl Hexanoate above. In addition, it is a plasticizer (softens plastic) that degrades certain gasket materials. OAT anti-freeze ingredients take a long time to lay down a protective layer of metal oxide (the passivation layer) to protect the metal. Hence, if your water pump is cavitating and exposing fresh metal (as I suspect ours do, with the high RPMs developed), OAT will not work quickly enough to protect it. The result will be a badly corroded and eroded pump impellar. This was listed as an ingredient in Prestone 'Extended Life 50/50'.
SODIUM NEODECANOATE:
This ingredient is an acidic buffer, what is known as OAT (Organic Acid Technology). Laboratory testing is impressive with this stuff, but real-world results are less impressive (i.e.: it's been found that once the OAT technology buffers are contaminated with rust, their buffering capacity falls off greatly, and corrosion rates increase). OAT anti-freeze ingredients take a long time to lay down a protective layer of metal oxide (the passivation layer) to protect the metal. Hence, if your water pump is cavitating and exposing fresh metal (as I suspect ours do, with the high RPMs developed), OAT will not work quickly enough to protect it. The result will be a badly corroded and eroded pump impellar. This was listed on the Prestone Extended Life 50/50, and is known to be used in some Dex-Cool anti-freeze products.
DENATONIUM BENZOATE:
This is what is known as a 'bittering agent'. It is used to make the anti-freeze taste bitter to pets and children, and has been suggested by lawmakers as an additive for said purposes. It is unknown what effects this chemical has on engine components. This ingredient was not listed on any of the anti-freeze products I looked at.
BENZOATE:
A component of OAT (Organic Acid Technology), an acidic buffer. Using solely OAT coolant is something to avoid with our scooters. OAT anti-freeze ingredients take a long time to lay down a protective layer of metal oxide (the passivation layer) to protect the metal. Hence, if your water pump is cavitating and exposing fresh metal (as I suspect ours do, with the high RPMs developed), OAT will not work quickly enough to protect it. The result will be a badly corroded and eroded pump impellar. None of the anti-freeze products I looked at listed this as an ingredient.
SEBACATE:
A component of OAT (Organic Acid Technology), an acidic buffer. Not as effective at corrosion protection at lower pH levels. Again, using solely OAT coolant is something to avoid with our scooters. OAT anti-freeze ingredients take a long time to lay down a protective layer of metal oxide (the passivation layer) to protect the metal. Hence, if your water pump is cavitating and exposing fresh metal (as I suspect ours do, with the high RPMs developed), OAT will not work quickly enough to protect it. The result will be a badly corroded and eroded pump impellar. None of the anti-freeze products I looked at listed this as an ingredient.
BORATE:
A component of OAT (Organic Acid Technology), an acidic buffer. Can attack aluminum if silicate levels are low (and modern anti-freeze products mostly contain low silicate levels). Again, using solely OAT coolant is something to avoid with our scooters. OAT anti-freeze ingredients take a long time to lay down a protective layer of metal oxide (the passivation layer) to protect the metal. Hence, if your water pump is cavitating and exposing fresh metal (as I suspect ours do, with the high RPMs developed), OAT will not work quickly enough to protect it. The result will be a badly corroded and eroded pump impellar. None of the anti-freeze products I looked at listed this as an ingredient.
PHOSPHATE:
Particularly effective in protecting water pumps from corrosion after cavitation erosion. Phosphate is known to precipitate in hard water, so you MUST use distilled water for any phosphate-based anti-freeze products, or you'll get sludge. None of the anti-freeze products I looked at listed this as an ingredient.
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METALS:
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Aluminum corrosion is best inhibited by silicate and most poorly by phosphate and borate.
Cast aluminum corrosion is best inhibited by silicate and most poorly by phosphate and molybdate.
Copper corrosion is best inhibited by molybdate and most poorly by benzoate.
High-lead solder corrosion is best inhibited by molybdate and phosphate and most poorly by nitrate, silicate and benzoate.
Low-lead solder corrosion is best inhibited by tolytriazole and molybdate and most poorly by nitrate and silicate.
Mild steel corrosion is best inhibited by molybdate, phosphate and nitrite and most poorly by tolytriazole and benzoate.
Gray cast iron corrosion is best inhibited by nitrate and most poorly by benzoate, tolytriazole, and borate.
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CHEMICALS:
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Phosphate is the most ubiquitous and most controversial inhibitor. It is a well known inhibitor of ferrous metal corrosion. Europeans specify non-phosphate coolants because phosphates have a propensity to precipitate in hard water (and most European water is hard water). Also, phosphates can cause a negative corrosion rate of aluminum (i.e.: not only does the aluminum not corrode, but free aluminum molecules in the coolant will re-attach to the aluminum engine components). This beneficial effect peaks at concentrations of about 3 gm/liter and decreases at both lower and higher concentrations. Typical concentrations in coolants range from 0 to 8 g/l.
Nitrate is included in virtually all coolant formulations because of its efficacy in preventing aluminum radiator pitting, with presumably no negative side effects for other metals. A typical concentration is 2 g/l.
Tolytriazole is similarly included in virtually all formulations owing to its effectiveness in preventing cupreous (copper-based) metal corrosion. A typical concentration is 1 g/l.
Molybdate is a broadly beneficial additive. It prevents corrosion in many metals and acts synergistically with phosphates and silicates to prevent corrosion in others. Molybdate also seems to prevent cavitation damage; it is usually selected to perform this function in non-phosphate coolants. Typical molybdate concentrations are 2 to 3 g/l.
Borate is the most commonly used buffer for coolant systems. Off the shelf, American coolants tend to have a pH of 10 or higher (this is an alkaline pH), while European coolants tend to have a pH of 7 to 8.5 (which is near neutral to very slightly alkaline). In service, the pH of American coolants often drops to 8. Unfortunately, borate tends to have a direct and negative effect on aluminum corrosion. In spite of this, the importance of keeping coolants well buffered is great enough to keep borate in coolant formulations. A typical concentration is 4 g/l.
Benzoate (and Nitrite, which is not mentioned here) are part of the British Standards Institute's [BSI] Corrosion Inhibited Ethanediol Anti-freeze formulation. Benzoate is more common in European coolants than American coolants and is described as a ferrous metals corrosion inhibitor.
Silicates are necessary in the protection of aluminum. The problem is that silicates are not indefinitely stable in solution. Other additives can be used to stabilize silicates somewhat. The lifespan of coolants could be considered by the presence of an adequate silicate concentration. 2 g/l is an effective concentration of silicate.
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Here are the anti-freeze products I looked at:
Oreilly Extended Life Universal -
Ingredients: Ethylene Glycol, Di-Ethylene Glycol, Water, NJTSRN QT1
Peak Long Life 50/50 -
Ingredients: Ethylene Glycol, Di-Ethylene Glycol, Water, NJTSRN QT1
Prestone Extended Life 50/50 -
Ingredients: Ethylene Glycol, Di-Ethylene Glycol, Sodium 2-Ethyl Hexanoate, Sodium Neodecanoate
OReilly Antifreeze and Coolant (Black Bottle) -
Ingredients: Ethylene Glycol, Di-Ethylene Glycol, Water
NOTE: Most ethylene glycol antifreeze contains a few percent diethylene glycol, present as an inadvertent byproduct of ethylene glycol production.
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I chose the OReilly Antifreeze and Coolant (Black Bottle), simply because it doesn't list any ingredients known to be harmful to our type of engine.
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I also bought some Water-Wetter. The basic marketing premise behind Water-Wetter is that it reduces the surface tension of water. It also contains anti-corrosion ingredients.
Should localized boiling occur in the cylinder head coolant passages, the steam bubbles would form, come into contact with cooler surrounding coolant and collapse, which creates shock waves that can strip the protective metal oxide layer from the coolant passage.
Should your water pump cavitate (i.e.: turn so fast that it literally lowers the suction pressure so much that the liquid flashes to steam), the same effect would take place, with the collapsing steam bubbles stripping off the pump impellar's protective passivation layer.
Water-Wetter claims to attack this problem in two ways:
1) It reduces the surface tension of these bubbles, allowing for smaller bubble formation and hence smaller shockwaves, and hence less metal oxide (passivation) layer erosion.
2) The anti-corrosion ingredients help to quickly form a new protective metal oxide layer in those instances where the old layer has been stripped off.
Here are the ingredients of Water-Wetter, according to its MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet):
http://www.redlineoil.com/content/files/tech/WaterWetter%20MSDS.pdf---------------
1) Di-isopropyl alcohol ether: 1-40%
(Note: They mis-spell this in the MSDS as 'Dilsopropyl alcohol ether'.)
(Note: The listed CAS #25265-71-8 is for dipropylene glycol.)
2) Tri-isopropyl alcohol diether: 1-40%
(Note: The listed CAS #24800-44-0 is for tripropylene glycol.)
3) Sodium molybdate: 2-10%
(Note: The listed CAS #10102-40-6 is for molybdic acid sodium salt dihydrate.)
4) Tolyltriazole: 1-3%
(Note: The listed CAS #29385-43-1 is for tolyltriazole.)
5) Polysiloxane polymer: n/a
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NOTE: There is no such thing as Di-isopropyl alcohol ether (or Dilsopropyl alcohol ether). The CAS number on the Water-Wetter MSDS is actually dipropylene glycol.
NOTE: There is no such thing as Tri-isopropyl alcohol diether. The CAS number on the Water-Wetter MSDS is actually tripropylene glycol.
The anti-corrosion ingredients are Sodium Molybdate and Tolyltriazole.
The Polysiloxane polymer acts as a stabilizer for the silicates in the propylene glycol, preventing it from coming out of solution.
So, it would appear that Water-Wetter is nothing more than propylene glycol anti-freeze (silicate-based), with sodium molybdate and tolyltriazole anti-corrosion ingredients, with a silicate stabilizer.
Note that you can mix ethylene glycol and propylene glycol together, but doing so makes it impossible to check the coolant's strength using a hydrometer, owing to the differences in the specific gravities of the two coolants.
RedLine makes the following claims:
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CLAIM: Unique agent for cooling systems that doubles the wetting ability of water
Yes, of course it increases the 'wetting ability', if compared to straight water with no additives. So does regular old ethylene glycol and propylene glycol anti-freeze.
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CLAIM: Rust and corrosion protection allows for use of straight water in racing or reduced antifreeze levels in warm climates
Water-wetter does provide corrosion-protection chemicals that may not be in your existing anti-freeze. If those chemicals are already in your existing anti-freeze, then Water-Wetter provides no additional benefit in this regard.
As for the 'reduced antifreeze levels' (which should read 'reduced antifreeze concentration' to avoid confusion) claim, that's because Water-Wetter IS primarily anti-freeze. You're simply swapping ethylene glycol for propylene glycol.
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CLAIM: Improves heat transfer and reduces cylinder head temperature
Again, over straight water, this would be true. While straight water has greater heat transfer capabilities than either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, that is only up to the boiling point of water. Once you exceed that point, the heat transfer capability of straight water declines precipitously, because the boiling leads to less metal being exposed to water and more being exposed to steam (note that if you had enough coolant flow to strip the bubbles from the metal surface, you would actually see an increased heat transfer capability when boiling occurred, but then you'd also have high enough flow to erode the aluminum oxide passivation layer, which would result in rapid corrosion).
So by adding Water-Wetter to straight water, you're increasing the 'wetting ability' of the water, allowing smaller steam bubbles to form during boiling, and as such, increasing the capability of the fluid to transfer heat. That said, regular old propylene glycol will do the same thing (as would regular old ethylene glycol).
In addition, in older engines which have only run water as their coolant, there may be scale lining the radiator tubes and cylinder coolant passages. The addition of Water-Wetter may help to loosen and remove that scale, thereby increasing the heat transfer capabilities. For new engines, Water-Wetter would provide no benefit in this regard.
Extensive dyno testing has proven that the heat transfer capabilities fall within the margins of testing error when comparing straight water to water + Water Wetter, and when comparing a 50:50 antifreeze:water mixture to that same mixture supplemented with Water Wetter.
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CLAIM: May allow more spark advance for increase power and efficiency
This would be true for straight water based coolant systems that are 'on the edge' in regards to being able to dump engine heat. For systems that are capable of dumping engine heat easily, or for ethylene glycol or propylene glycol based coolant systems, Water-Wetter would provide no benefit in this regard.
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CLAIM: Compatible with new or used antifreeze (including DEX-COOL and long-life versions) to improve the heat transfer of ethylene and propylene glycol systems
For ethylene glycol based coolant systems, I can see where this would be true. For propylene glycol based coolant systems, I can't see how adding more propylene glycol (which is the primary component of Water-Wetter) would make a difference.
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CLAIM: Satisfies ASTM D2570 and ASTM D1384 corrosion tests for glycol-based antifreezes
This much is true.
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Another aside... it has been said that some motorcycle tracks don't allow ethylene glycol or propylene glycol coolant when racing, because a crash leading to a coolant leak would leave a slick spot that could be dangerous to racers. Yet, they allow straight water and Water-Wetter. Considering that Water-Wetter is primarily propylene glycol, perhaps those race tracks should rethink this policy.
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