Great topic.
The Miata Club has always recomended the 50/50 mixture (as does Mazda), but
the club also says that in the summer months, pure water (distilled, of
course) can be run, and that water wetter helps keep things cooler. Also, for
the Miata drivers, a 160 degree thermostat can help. I don't know if Neon
drivers want to switch thermostats to keep things cool or not, Eric. I have a
friend who uses one of two thermostats in his Ford pickup depending on the
season.
My '90 Miata runs hot. I am finally getting a 160 thermo. and water wetter
(on order now). I am planning on flushing and filling it myself, but as an
environmentally conscious consumer (I voluntarily recycle) I'm concerned
about disposal. Just because the EPA says Propylene Glycol is more friendly
than Ethylene Glycol doesn't mean you can dump it in the driveway. Is it less
appetizing to animals? That's been a problem with antifreese forever - it
tastes sweet.
So how do you dispose of used antifreeze? Take it to one of the quick lube
joints like you do your used motor oil? And how do you flush your own
radiator? Do I have to take it to the quick lube joint to get the radiator
flushed and filled? Will the radiator fin straightener I got from Harbor
Freight help at all? (Which begs the question, "Do I have time to straighten
radiator fins?")
Since it's still winter here, I'll probably go for a 70/30 water/antifreeze
mixture and mix it with the recomended amount of water wetter, whatever that
will be.
Jonathan Kniskern
nmiata@aol.com
'90 Silver CSP Miata
'99 Silver Sport Miata
'89 Mazda 323 Workhorse
Smokerbros@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 1/10/01 1:52:11 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> elinnhoff@smmc.saint-lukes.org writes:
>
>
> > So, is it safe/wise to run only water with or without the Redline Water
> > Wetter type stuff (which I heard was nothing more than soapy water) in the
> > summer months?
>
> My understanding is that you should also add some water pump lubricant
> (present in antifreeze/coolant, but not in Water or Water Wetter).
>
> CHD
|