Distilled Water In Aluminum Radiator

We put around 2 hours on the motor before the dyno an hour on the dyno then 3 hours on it s first track day.

Distilled water in aluminum radiator. The key to maximizing the life of an aluminum radiator is not so much the coolant brand as it is the water type. Otherwise run the motor for several minutes or run a race before removing the radiator. As it chemically removes electrons from the metals of cooling system components distilled water eventually does extreme damage that could lead to cooling system failure. Tap water is.

I think if you read the bottle you will find it says not to run distilled water alone. Distilled water is 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom h2o that is all. Probably because distilled water is partially deionized and it will want to steal ions from the aluminum radiator. You should never put tap water in a cooling system.

Generally distilled water will be a good choice for used aluminum radiators. Using distilled water can prevent this along with a 50 50 mix of quality antifreeze premixed is actually best and thoroughly flushing the cooling system with a non acidbased product stray. Today s engines are loaded with aluminum components including cylinder heads water pumps manifolds and even engine blocks. This leaves distilled water ionically hungry so it will actually strip electrons from the metals in a cooling system as it attempts to chemically re balance itself.

With two gallons already in your radiator top it off and start the engine. You need something like water wetter or anti freeze mixed with the distilled water to keep the aluminum and other metals form corroding. I installed the radiator the first week of june aluminum by northern and filled the cooling system with distilled water and a bottle of water wetter. Concentrated coolants create a potential problem because this lets the installer ch.

With coolant it s a non issue. Distilled water with water wetter or anti freeze is preferred. If you install a new aluminum radiator just to check for leaks before the radiator is stored it must be dried thoroughly inside and out. All coolants sold today will protect the aluminum radiators adequately however distilled water must be part of the package.