Total cooling system capacity for a 5.9 is 14.3 qts. Unless you pull the drain plugs on the block, you won't loose that much coolant. Easiest to buy 50/50 pre-mix and refill that way.

 

The total coolant capacity on the 5.9L & 5.2L setup is the same, from dry it takes 14.3 qts. The 3.9L V6 took 14 qts.

Since yours won't be dry, just grab 3 gallons of 50/50 premix and you'll have some left over.

Total cooling system capacity for a 5.9 is 14.3 qts. Unless you pull the drain plugs on the block, you won't loose that much coolant. Easiest to buy 50/50 pre-mix and refill that way.

The total coolant capacity on the 5.9L & 5.2L setup is the same, from dry it takes 14.3 qts. The 3.9L V6 took 14 qts.

Since yours won't be dry, just grab 3 gallons of 50/50 premix and you'll have some left over.

IndyD

LOL. Great minds think alike.

IndyD

 

Thanks!

If I were to use the flush and fill kit - would it be around 5 gallons? I seem to recall, when I changed the water pump on my Dakota, that it took about 5 gallons to refill the system.

Lastly - can I use the Prestone extended life 50/50 or just stick with the regular green stuff? http://www.prestone.com/products/antifreezeCoolant.php#antifreezeCoolant1

 

Just use the Prestone 50/50, it's good for any car. Great stuff!
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Coolant

Kevin, just remove the lower radiator hose off the water pump and radiator.
You'll drop 98% of your coolant. Even more if the rear of the D is elevated with a floor jack. :cheesy: The 50/50 is great stuff but if you mix more glycol to water you increase your freeze protection. I'm talking 66%G/33%W. See the label on the stout.

PS: Wear a poncho.

Bill

 

If you flush with fresh water and just open the radiator drain, there'll be a good amount left in the block. Fill it up with straight antifreeze. By the time it mixes with the water in the block, you'll be just about right at the 50-50 mix. I did mine a couple weeks ago and testing with the float tester indicates just about right.

 

(specially if the Kansas winter is all it's cracked up to be.)

What parta Junction City you live in? I grew up south of Abilene and will be returnin there next April. Don't underestimate the kansas winter. May not be much snow but it can get nice and cold? specially if the winds blowing.

 

I'm right off Hwy 77 - .4 miles from Coaches if you know where that is (corner of Ash and 77.) It's been getting cold here lately, low 20s in the morning. I need to do this soon!

Neil/Bill - thanks.

 

Kevin, where you going to be in CO?? we live in Keenesburg which is 1 of the exits off I-76 when you're headed west to Denver. if you're gonna be nearby, maybe stop in for a spell. let me know what day you're coming by and I'll try to get the day off. if you're gonna be in CO for a coupla days, I'm off every Sunday except for my drill weekends. we even got a hotel with camper parking here in Keenesburg. across the street from the hotel is a restaurant/lounge and a gas station. besides, I owe a DOCer dinner courtesy of Indy's kindness!! and I'm itchin' to pay up. or, maybe that's the powder my wife put in my shorts? :cheesy:

 

I wouldn't waste my money or time on any additives such as Water Wetter or Purple Ice. They haven't proven themselves to do much, if anything, to aid in cooling system efficiency.

Purple Ice does make a nice degreaser if you have dirty hands though! Since it's basically just a simple detergent/surfactant, it works great to get grimy hands clean. Some guys at the racetrack thought I was nuts when I washed my hands with a bottle of this stuff. I told them it was the only thing it really did a good job at. They probably still think I'm nuts.

 

I wouldn't waste my money or time on any additives such as Water Wetter or Purple Ice. They haven't proven themselves to do much, if anything, to aid in cooling system efficiency.

Applying simple physics and the rules of surface tension, both Water Wetter and Purple Ice reduce surface tension of the coolant thus allowing the bubbles to break the surface more efficiently and thus reduce heat held in the coolant.

Surface tension on the top layer of a liquid is what allows bugs to walk on water and allows small things to 'sit' on the surface of water. The water is like a sheet. When in a cooling system, this sheet prevents bubbles from breaking through and dissipation of heat. Reduce the surface tension and increase the heat loss of the cooling system.

When boiling water, if you add a drop of soap to 'hot and ready to boil' water, it instantly boils. No soap, you sit and wait for the heat to become greater than the surface tension holding back the boil. That could be a difference of minutes. The soap drop reduces the surface tension. Water Wetter type products do the same thing. Note: Don't add soap to your coolant system. Agents like Watter Wetter are formulated to not foam and bubble. Soap foams and bubbles and would be horrible in the coolant system.

Since this thread is more about being concerned with not getting enough heat, an additive allowing for a cooler running engine may not seem appropriate. However, a cooler engine itself is more efficient and produces more power, thus an acceptable trade. If the rest of the cooling system is up to par, you'll get to temp nearly as fast (within a block or two more literally), retain running temps to maintain heating temps, produce more power and cool down quicker. For the $4 a bottle spent, it's a no-brainer actually, even if it gains you a non-noticeable percent or two of benefit.

From my experience, my D with 180 stat performs nicely with the Water Wetter and does run cooler. Watter Wetter specs 180 stats while Purple Ice, which tends to cater to more race related crowds, specs a 160 stat. That's too cool for our Ds and the PCM programs.

Wikipedia's = Surface tension. Interesting stuff.

Watter Wetter Demo. Also interesting stuff.

IndyDurango

 

Mike/Indy, thanks! Didn't know that Purple Ice is a good hand cleaner, haven't cracked open these bottles yet.

I'm a big fan of the Water Wetter. It's worked well for me, however, I couldn't find it in Germany. I found the Purple Ice so I had two bottles on the shelf ready to go in when I got around to doing the radiator job. None of the do-it-yourself shops there accepted anti-freeze so I couldn't do it myself. Here, the auto craft shop does recycle the stuff and I'm just now getting around to maintaining my neglected machine!

BTW - I get plenty of heat, this thing puts out enough BTUs to peel paint (not really but you get the idea.) I'm more concerned with just updating my old fluid for more overnight freeze protection in the harsh Kansas winter :cheesy:

 

Here's a good thread from some knowledgeable people on the topic of cooling system additives:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=610550&an=0&page=11#Post610550

 

Here's a good thread from some knowledgeable people on the topic of cooling system additives:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=610550&an=0&page=11#Post610550

Whatever Mike. Just because you don't believe in the physics of surface tension doesn't mean the properties affecting it don't exist or work. Those bugs that run across water, they must be friggin' devine! Glad to see everyone else you deal with over at Bob's are experts on everything. As for us, we must be chumps then for buying Water Wetter.

BTW, the sun is held in place by superglue and the moon is made of cheese.

IndyD

 

Water wetter works! It seems to keep my temps about 10° cooler than without it and that's with a 50/50 ant-freeze.
If you're in warmer climates and run like a 70% water to 30% anti-freeze and water wetter, I believe you can drop 20°.
Indy play nice! Mike is entitled to his opinions :wall: :wall: :wall:
Steve
DOC Pres

 

LOL :cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:

We have a sun expert in the group, just ask him! At least I thought it was held in place by superglue I think I read that somewhere!

"The sun is held in place by superglue."

There! I did read it somewhere LOL

IndyD

 

Not to play the devil's advocate, but water trapped in an enclosed (and full) cooling system has a water-to-air interface zone? (which would be necessary for surface tension to be an issue??)

 

Didn't know I was kicking the hornets nest.

 

It's just good interaction. We all have our beliefs in one thing or another, or one product or another.
No harm done. It's great to just have discussions.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Water wetter works! It seems to keep my temps about 10? cooler than without it and that's with a 50/50 ant-freeze.
If you're in warmer climates and run like a 70% water to 30% anti-freeze and water wetter, I believe you can drop 20?.
Indy play nice! Mike is entitled to his opinions :wall: :wall: :wall:
Steve
DOC Pres

I'm not stating if water wetter does or doesn't work but what are you basing your statement on Steve? Under normal operating conditions, and assuming your cooling system is keeping up, water wetter or any other additive isn't going to make your coolant any cooler. The thermostat is controlling the water temperature. If the water wetter did indeed increase the heat transfer rate, the thermostat is just going to adjust until it maintains the designed temperature. If the ambient temperature is so great, your cooling system is in poor shape or your engine is generating so much heat that your thermostat is fully open and the cooling system isn't keeping up to the point where the temperature is rising (like in my Mustang on a hot summer day stuck in traffic.) Is water watter going to do anything? With that said, yes I have used water wetter in my Mustang and no I haven't seen a noticable difference. The enging I have in it has run hotter since I put it in 7 years ago. In the summer when not moving it'll start getting hotter. I've tried so many things, huge alumunum radiator, high flow pumps, different pulleys, fan clutches, 100% water (in the summer) and water wetter. Does it take longer to get close to over heating, yes. I've run with and without water wetter and I couldn't tell a discernable difference but yes, I still do have it in there.

 

Neil, using water wetter usually allows your cooling system to just be able to handle a little more heat generated from Addittional HP.
Even with a clean cooling system and a 180 stat, my D would climb past 200 all the time. The tstat was open etc., etc. After adding water wetter, it never went above 190. I've since returned the truck to a 195 stat (that's another topic) with a new radiator, new water pump, and electric fan set up, and the engine temp never goes above 185.

Is it a miracle cure? Probably not. You're correct, the tstat will control the flow of Water/anti-freeze hence maintaining the desired temp but the actual opening and shutting of the tstat may change intervals with the water wetter.
I hope you get what I'm saying here.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

I agree that if your Tstat is wide open, then water wetter or equiv will help with heat transfer and keep the temp under better control.
But, Steve, if you have a 195 stat in your D and the temp never gets above 185, either your stat is stuck partially open or you've got a bad temp sending unit. No way will water wetter keep the water temp below the Tstat set point.

Joe

 

With a proper system, indeed you should/will get to the stat opening temp. Water Wetter won't keep that from happening, but simply increases the thermal efficiency of the coolant, via surface tension reduction. Again for the 2% or 98% or anywhere inbetween there, any increase in efficiency in my D is worth less than the $10 and 3 minutes spent!

IndyD

 

Joe the temp indicated on the gauge I have on the upper hose (special rad cap) says 185, gauge in the D says about same if I guestimate where the level sits.
The temp where the T-stat that's on the bottom of my engine in the front opens is 195. It's 195 there but as the stat opens the fluid temp is reduced due to cooled water coming from the radiator. The sending unit for the gauge is on the top front of the motor. The T-stat in a 4.7 actually reads water temp much closer to the water jacket in the engine block.

The engineer in you Joe is telling you the gauge in a perfect world is actually telling you the entire engine temp. To say what I mean in simpler terms, the water temp in the system isn't always the same everywhere in the system. I hope you get what I mean. I'm also sure it may be possible this time of year for the T-stat to be opening and closing in cycles.

My system is finally working perfect with no problems at all. The water wetter is also supposed to be a great rust and corrosion inhibitor so, as Indy stated, for less than $10 I'll definitely keep using it. My D actually sits a lot for extended periods of time so that factor alone is good insurance for me.
Steve
DOC Pres

 

Thanks for all the input on this. I've got it on the shelf in the garage, it's paid for so I'll be throwing it in the next batch of coolant. Techinically - I probably would only benefit from it once every few years, when either running multiple trips down the 1/4 mile or yanking the horse trailer up the Smoky mountains at 70mph but I like having the peace of mind!