1365 replies to this topic

[Shiney005]

DMax will piss it in. Our kids are gone, so I am expecting to find something around that size with the shower and toilet inside. (Doesn't bother me, but the missus won't do without it)

We will also be following the good weather with a bit of luck, so a slide out external kitchen is high on the list as well.  The Perth caravan and camping show is on in November, so we will have a good look at them all then.

[RallyRed]

Hi Brad, we have a 21 ft late model Jayco.
2 x batteries, 2 x solar, 2x 90l water + 90l grey water.
( Jayco must assume you drink 90l?..as 180l does not go into 90l). lol.
I think the limiting factor with all this is Water. You can always find electricity ( plug into idling car, solar, genny..whatever). But clean fresh water is not always easy to come by.
p.s. nice van

Edited by RallyRed, 01 September 2021 - 07:31 PM.

[hanra]

Pretty embarrassing situation. I’ve not touched the cooling system in this car since 2012. So I’ve removed the radiator and tipped it upside down and given it a flush. A few calcium looking rocks came out. I’m worried they might still be in the tubes. I’ve had a single outlet water pump rebuilt so I’ve removed the Gates pump. I’ve also removed the thermostat and was shocked what I found there. I’m going to fit a 160 deg thermostat. I’ve put the hose in the thermostat hole and flushed through that way. And also hose up the heater hose. I feel like I’ve got all the old coolant out. Previously I’d had a 13psi cap fitted. I had no issues with that. I’m going to stick with a 13psi cap instead of going 15psi. Hopefully the 160 deg thermostat dosnt give me any problems.

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[dattoman]

Maybe try a coolant/rust inhibitor with no glycol next time

They don't really like sitting around

[hanra]

This is what the radiator shop initially suggested I use. In 2012 I also used tap water.

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[Uncle Chop Chop]

What I have seen is that if you top up with a different coolant, the difference in the chemical formula can cause the coolant to turn to jelly. Not saying you did this, but just make sure you take extra care to get the last remnants of the old stuff out.

[hanra]

The entire system was bone dry when I did the resto in 2011/2012. I used tap water and that QGuard coolant back then also. I’ve not touched the system ever since. Possibly topped up with more tap water at times? I’ve now used distilled water and the same QGuard coolant this time.

[hanra]

Job done.

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[Shiney005]

Now I can sleep at night. 

[claysummers]

This is what the radiator shop initially suggested I use. In 2012 I also used tap water.

I always try and use rain water or distilled. May be the source of the calcium deposits.


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[308 Sunbird]

Engine bay still looks great Brad.

[Heath]

Haven't seen that before. Does the car get regular use?

 

The water pump in there now has a proper impeller, not like the shitbox sheetmetal agitator photographed in the last post?

[hanra]

Ive done 2,600klms since getting it on the road at the end of 2012. Its a GMH water pump. 

[axistr]

Brad did you send the radiator out to get the tanks removed and tubes rodded. ?

[hanra]

No. The radiator was built new when I restored the car. NOS tanks and a new core. I then 2-pac'd the entire unit. So yes, I agree that the best would have been to rod the core. I didnt want the tanks removed etc and have to re 2-pac the unit. 

 

The car has done 2,600klm since rebuild. 

[axistr]

I didn't even read the text Brad, one look at the photo and instantly recognized you were using Glycol. Glycol base coolants need to be changed every 12 months. The tubes in the radiator is the first place the Glycol coolant crystalizes. I stopped using Glycol in customers car in the late 90s. The only benefit of Glycol is has the very low freezing point. But that wouldn't be a problem for you. I know you don't want to have to re paint the radiator but I wouldn't cut corners here. I don't know how many times I have looked in the top tank and thought na it look good, but only to find the vehicle overheated. Cheap insurance.

[Heath]

Ive done 2,600klms since getting it on the road at the end of 2012. Its a GMH water pump. 

The one you posted the photo of has a sheet metal agitator in place of a proper impeller. I can't imagine that GM-H would ever sell a thing like that.

 

The tubes in the radiator is the first place the Glycol coolant crystalizes. I stopped using Glycol in customers car in the late 90s. The only benefit of Glycol is has the very low freezing point. But that wouldn't be a problem for you. I know you don't want to have to re paint the radiator but I wouldn't cut corners here. I don't know how many times I have looked in the top tank and thought na it look good, but only to find the vehicle overheated. Cheap insurance.

I've not experienced this before. But what are your recommendations for coolant options that do not need to be changed so frequently?

[yel327]

Use corrosion inhibitor, not Glycol based coolant.

[hanra]

The one you posted the photo of has a sheet metal agitator in place of a proper impeller. I can't imagine that GM-H would ever sell a thing like that.

 

I've not experienced this before. But what are your recommendations for coolant options that do not need to be changed so frequently?

 

That was the old Gates pump pictured. Ive now fitted a GMH pump with cast impeller. 

[hanra]

I didnt think this Type B had Glycol in it? 

 

https://auschem.com/...S-Sept-2022.pdf

[Heath]

That was the old Gates pump pictured. Ive now fitted a GMH pump with cast impeller. 

Oh! Okay. I did not understand that from your earlier post at all, lol.

 

Cool bananas.

[hanra]

I had this one rebuilt.

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[axistr]

This has been my experience with coolants on a wide variety of vehicles over the past 44 years.

 

Glycol is a byproduct from the glass manufacturing process. Its a poisonous product which the manufactures were glad to get rid of, but it has a very low freezing point so the automotive industry took it up. At 50% mix with water it has a freezing point of around -45c but can vary slightly between manufactures. Some manufactures will state that their coolants must be mixed with distilled water. I don't use distilled water (or very rarely) with coolants, basically because I have never had a bad enough tap water source to warrant having to buy in distilled water. Most of the coolants we changed in heavy vehicles took 60 plus liters of coolant so finding outlets that carried distilled water of more than 10 lts was rare anyway.

 

Glycol based coolants can be beneficial in some engine where cavitation is known to be a problem to protect against cavitation. Long stroke high compression engines mainly Large diesel engines suffer from cavitation pitting on the coolant side of cylinder Linners due to the quick expansion and contraction during the power stroke.  Cummins & Cat engines suffered from this problem and could erode a hole in the liner leaking coolant into the cylinder in 12 month using water only.

 

We religiously changed Glycol coolants every 12 months, thoroughly flushed and retreated the system with 60% Glycol and 40% tap water. Every 4 years we removed the radiator top & bottom tanks and rodded every tube. Dimpled tubes were almost impossible to clear. It was very common to find 30%-60% of the tubes were blocked. We tried reverse flushed heaps of cooling systems with water pressure and air at the same time. We always noticed crap being flushed out and keep flushing till we noticed a clear stream of water. We still removed the radiator tanks and regularly found more than 30% of the tubes blocked. Looking into the top tank that looks nice and clean is absolutely no indication of how clear the tubes are. I have been fooled more than once. And you had to trust your local radiator shop. We sent car and 4wd radiators out because they needed the tanks soldering. On more than a few occasions the radiator shop cut corners by flushing, chemical cleaning and then painting the radiator. Then we spent umpteen hours trying to track do a overheating problem only to find the radiator shop charged top dollar but took the easy short cut. Make sure you read the label, some coolants are premix and others are to be mixed to a chosen ratio. Cheap coolants are generally premix. 

 

Never change coolants without properly draining and flushing the system. Remove the heater hoses and thermostat and do it properly.

 

I use the GM approved orange long life coolant in just about everything over the past 20 years. I change the coolant every 8 years if I have the car that long. This coolant is a inhibitor and not designed to protect against freezing, however some manufactures state their coolant  does lower the freezing point to -8-15c

Unless your planning trips to the snow then stay away from Glycol coolants if you can, or be prepared to change them regularly and get the radiator serviced every 4 years.

 

I have only touched on the surface with the coolants and there is much more information that probably should be covered but it would be take up a couple of dozen pages.

[hanra]

This type B coolant is what was recommended to me from the radiator shop that built the radiator. I initially put 1L of this in along with tap water when I first got the car on the road back in 2012. I’ve not touched the cooling system since…… the car has travelled 2,600klm in that 11 year period. Over the past 7 years the car has sat un started for long periods. During 2020 it was only briefly driven on one occasion as it was in a storage shed facility whilst we were homeless.

Edited by hanra, 28 April 2023 - 08:20 PM.

[axistr]

I should have added there are two Glycol based coolants, ethylene and propylene glycol. Ethylene Glycol was the first to be introduced. Propylene glycol was a hybrid that was supposed to extend the replacement intervals. I started using Shell long life Propylene glycol which was listed as having a 3 year 500,000 km service interval. It's a time thing Brad, not many vehicles clocked up half a million km in 3 years so it was a bit of a con. We still experienced the same issues if not changed and flushed after 3 years. We actually still changed this long life coolant every 2 years. Glycol got a bad rap in the industry so coolant manufactures started listing chemicals by alternative names or simply used different wording, propylene and dropped the Glycol off. 

 

You have probably heard of damage to cooling systems due to incompatible mixing of coolants. If you notice any stains on the outside of cooling system components particularly aluminum radiators, and has a pink colour to it this is generally related to incompatible mixing or possibly not being drained and flushed correctly. Incompatible mixing generally etches parts causing leaks, and aluminum is the first metal that gets effected. The 3rd problem in cooling systems is stray currents. This is from electrical circuits not being earthed properly and takes an earth short cut through the coolant. It can sometimes be miss diagnosed as mixed coolants. Put a electrical test meter lead on the positive terminal and the other in the coolant through the top tanks. Start the vehicle and switch on all the accessories and see if there is an ohms reading on the test meter. If there is I start by looking at the chassis, body and engine earth cables first, then any aftermarket accessories that customers have had fitted. I have found on numerous occasions that someone has fitted an amp or UHF radio and fitted the earth side to a screw under the dash that is connected to the heater core.

 

However Brad your photos look like the coolant has some Glycol in the mix and it's a time related problem, and has no bearing to km driven.

 

Cheers Lenny.