M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Engine + Driveline => Topic started by: johnwoo on July 21, 2009, 05:47:34 AM
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hey guys looking at adding some redline water wetter i just want your opinions on it. i would like the piece of mind of my e30 running a little cooler since its been over 100 for about a month here.
im running a 50/50 mix of bmw coolant and distilled water. is it ok to just add the water wetter into my system? i was going to siphon some coolant mix out and add the water wetter in its place. i've read that water wetter doesn't like the 50/50 mix. i wanted to know if its going to be ok for my cooling system if i added the redline to my system with the current mix that i have.
also any real benifits you guys have seen. im gonna eventually do the volvo fan just haven't gotten around to it. thanks for your feedback.
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I run Water Wetter in my M20 525i. No troubles at all for the two years I've been doing it. I use a 60/40 dist water/Prestone coolant mix. The temp gauge does report a higher temp, no other differences.
I'll be doing the same thing to the M42 when I delete the heater plate & hoses later this summer.
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^^^ thanks for the report
do you know how the redline would be with 50/50 mix? shouldn't the temp gauge report cooler running temps?
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I rand WW on my e36 and 50/50 mix with no problems.
I'd recommend buying the diesel version of WW, it won't leave the gross oily film at the top of your reservoir that the gas version does.
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I rand WW on my e36 and 50/50 mix with no problems.
I'd recommend buying the diesel version of WW, it won't leave the gross oily film at the top of your reservoir that the gas version does.
hmm thanks for the info. yeh i read that alot of people running the 50/50 mix were getting some white specs or globules forming in their coolant. i was afraid of that.
so the diesel version doesn't do that?
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No globs in my coolant. I'm not using BMW though. I didn't know they had a diesel version, I'll have to check that out.
I'm told that the temp gauge should report slightly higher temps if the WW is doing its job correctly. That's always been my experience. It decreases water surface tension, permitting the water to 'adhere' better to the coolant passages, therefore changing the efficiency of the mix. I'd suspect that my ~66% distilled water contributes to higher temps too. Coolant actually lowers cooling effectiveness but prevents freezing and corrosion.
I actually suspect that the temp sensor is getting a false reading from the change in temperature conductivity with the WW. The temp might be exactly the same but the sensor misreads it.
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In the military, we have a saying "you can always add too, but never take from.
(1) Doubles the wetting ability of water.
(2) Improves heat transfer.
(3) Reduces cylinder head temperatures.
(4) May allow more spark advance for increased torque.
(5) Reduces rust, corrosion and electrolysis.
(6) Provides long term corrosion protection.
(7) Cleans and lubricates water pump seals.
(8) Prevents foaming-this has always been a well known problem with pretty much any car.
(9) Reduces cavitation corrosion.
(10)Complexes with hard water to reduce scale.
Make sure that you are aware of this information*
*Plain water with or without
WaterWetter® should not be used in cooling systems
containing *magnesium* - antifreeze should be used -
with WaterWetter®. For maximum temperature
reductions use the most water and the least
antifreeze possible to prevent freezing in your climate.
Even in summertime the use of air-conditioning
can blow freezing air through the heater and cause
freezing of the heater core unless approximately 20%
antifreeze is used.*
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Youll run cooler with the more water you use, especially with the WW. With the Fan Delete Mod I run 2 bottles of water wetter with only 25% coolant, no freezing in FL though.
Coolant is misunderstood a lot of times. Water is the most effective agent at absorbing heat, thats why its used to put out fires. Only problem is its boiling point is rather low, thats where coolant bumps up its strength a little bit. No more than 50% coolant should ever be used in my opinion, your car will overheat for sure.
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FWIW, I prefer to used the factory coolant. The book 101 Performance Projects for Your BMW by Wayne Dempsey (founder of Pelican) says:
"In 1991, BMW issued technical bulletin 17 01 88(1743), detailing problems with what is known as "silicate gel precipitation" in engines. This green goo... is a consequence of antifreeze overconcentration combined with hard water and the phosphates commonly used in antifreeze. BMW factory antifreeze has been formulated to prevent the problem of silicate drop-out without any coolant performance loss. This antifreeze contains no nitrites and no phosphates."
In other words, the coolant has no preservatives. It's healthier for your car. :D
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Modern coolant is far better for you than hot dogs are! :D
BTW, wanted to update my post above. I've been running 66% distilled water, 33% Prestone and a bottle of Water Wetter year 'round. No problems with freezing even here in snowy PA.
I also updated the thermostat and the fanstat to hotter versions. Once I finally bled the system properly, the car runs just slightly hotter then before (maybe a tick over the middle mark).
Highly recommended mod, though YMMV.
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water wetter is fantastic. i've been using it for years. i've found that on avg the water temp will be about 5 degrees F cooler and more stable with the water wetter. it's great. and if you lie in a non freezing climate, then the 66% water and 33% coolant is an excellent choice
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We're definitely in a freezing climate...Pittsburgh averages an annual winter low of zero degF. We had a lot of snow here the past two years. I park outside too, no block heaters or anything like that.
Never a problem with the highly diluted coolant.
It might even cut the pump's parasitic drag, definitely helps with bleeding.
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I have always considered using this product. Want to know what you recommmend for those that are using this product. I am in Miami, FL, so it nevers freezes but of course lots of heat and humidity. I just rebuilt my engine due to a cracked head. Found out my coolant temp sensor was bad and guage was reading incorrectly. Then bad timing happen. I have fan delete and use a Spal instead of OEM aux fan. My radiator dual temp switch died, after only 2 years, not BMW made and drving in rush hour traffic cause my engine to run much hotter. Guage was reading 3/4 but was close to in the red due to bad sensor. Everything is good now with new head and proper bled system using 50/50 BMW blue coolant and distilled water. Should I just use 1 bottle and keep it 50/50 or should I go something like 60/40, water/coolant? Also the instruction say to use 1 bottle for a 3-5 gallow system but the m42 is not even 2 gallons. Should I use the measurements they state or stick with 1 bottle. Lastly, would now the temp guage really read higher due to a more cool engine?
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I used a half bottle, that's all I had left over from my bike. Adding too much won't make a lot of difference, though $9/quart it's pretty expensive compared to the $0.89 gallon of distilled water. Seems to have raised my gauge temp slightly but the car runs just as well as it ever did.
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Thanks Dave. Tomorrow I will get a bottle at Autozone while I am there buying a glow plug. Making a homemade smoke machine to detect intake leaks. My dad and I get friends e46s to work on, on the side and most issues is the computer saying codes that are related to intake leaks. Much easier to fine using a smoke machine.
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Post some pics if you get a chance. That'd be something most old car mechs would be interested in. Air leaks are the Achilles' heel of Bosch systems.
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Will do. Bought the water watter, and will add it tomorrow. Going to try first was the directions say which is ~8 oz of the liquid for the cooling capacity for our cars.
I tested the plug and air pressrue reguator on my air compressor today. So now just need a metal container, and looking for one in specific. Found it online but going to check local places first. Then some fitting and hose and ready to go.
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Update: Only driven to and from work the last 2 days with 8 ounces added as per instructions for our cooling size system. The car does run cooler. Even in stop and go traffic, not a long time, the guage has not gotten to the usual high point but then again my SPAL kicks on at high at that same point with the 80/88 switch. When driving the temp cools down faster.
I wonder if everyone has the same experience with my setup or OEM. I have fan clutch delete, new coolant temp sender for guage and aftermarket Spal 14" fan in place of the OEM aux, using OEM circuit, no added switch or relay. I added the sender after last rebuild 2 months ago, everything else more that a year on the car. My car normally runs from past the 1/4 part of the guage to the a little past half, like a needle thickness or two past half. It has always kept moving since I have gotten my car. I normally see the m20s or other BMWs just sit in the middle and not move around unless during the initial warmup or overheating. I have chaned tstat and water pump plus new hoses and also flush every 2 years. I just wonder if the guage moving is normal. I like the dynamic aspect but want to make sure it is normal.
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I've also noted that the M42s are more "active" than the M20s, probably just due to our under-engineered cooling system. Never seemed to cause me trouble as long as it doesn't move over the last white mark.
The needles are pretty heavily buffered to stay in the middle, could be a cluster issue. Somebody posted an article on here about the wirewound resistor and a zener diode that keep the needle centered.
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I guess having it "active" means it is working, at least that is the way I see it. If it ever gets to the last white mark, I will shut her off and figure out why as that to me is not normal unless the car is on, non-stop for many hours and it is 100 degrees outside. Also, the car runs much cooler even in long rush hour traffic if not using AC, barely makes it to the middle. The strain and extra heat produce raise the temp I believe.
In conclusion, very happy with this product so far. Now to fix idle/roughness issue. Test AFM and O2, and both within spec. Next are spark plug wires and checking plugs. Only thing I did swap during last rebuild were plugs as they were only 2 weeks old.