> As a "lurker" I felt compelled to put in my $.02 when the subject of
> long-life coolant came up. I have been involved with cooling components
> recently, and there has been quite a debate about the long-life coolant
> lately. GM switched to this coolant a while back, but Ford has been a bit
> more cautious, for several reasons:
>
> 1. It is believed that the long life coolant is detrimental to certain
> plastics, including Nylon. This may not be an issue on a Tiger, but it is
> on newer cars with plastic radiator end tanks, as they are made out of
> Nylon. The effect is slight, and the coolant passes all durability tests,
> but after 10 or 15 years, you could have a mess on your hands, as there
> are many plastic cooling parts on a modern engine. Nylon is impervious to
> the "green stuff"
>
> 2. There is also a belief that the long life coolant is detrimental to
> solder, which is bad news for radiators and heater cores. Once again the
> effect is slight, but it could be a big problem after several years
>
> 3. The long-life coolant formulation is not universal (like the green
> stuff) and there are questions about the compatibilty between brands. For
> those of you who own GM cars with this coolant, I would recommend only
> using the brand that came in it-- Havoline, I think.
>
> 4. The long-life coolant is supposedly incompatible with the green stuff.
> When I say incompatible, I mean that when the mix they can result in
> increased corrosion or deposits.
>
> 5. The long-life coolant is more likely to cavitate in the water pump.
>
> 6. The long-life coolant does not transfer heat as well.
>
> Given this, I would stay away from it-- especially because of #6, which is
> a concern on a Tiger. The advice I got from those in the know is stick
> with the green stuff, and change it every two years. The only advantage to
> the long-life is exactly that-- it can go longer without breaking down.
> For the extra effort of a flush & fill every two years, it's not worth the
> risk.
>
> Jeff
> 64 Mk1
> email: jfeit@ford.com or jfeit@mediaone.net
>
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