How well does PG coolant protect metals? Aluminum?

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I searched and didn't find much info. At our shop we use the standard green stuff almost exclusivly.

Had a customer come in with some Sierra antifreeze that they wanted us to put in their car. A test strip showed that it contains a lot of SCA's that are generally only needed in Diesels with wet liners and should be overkill for a gas powered engine.

Anyway. Can anybody tell me how well the PG stuff protects Aluminum?
 
I haven't run anything but factory fill and Prestone Low Tox for maybe 15 years, my 77 Chevy LUV with an aluminum head, a 92 Grand Am HO Quad 4 with an aluminum head, and my 02 Cavieler with the all aluminum Ecotec since dumping the Dex Cool a couple of years ago. No know problems.
 
I'm asking because we ocasionally get cars with Electrolosis problems in and we can't find the problem. I wonder if the PG stuff would protect the Aluminum parts any better than the EG stuff does.
 
I don't know how PG coolant compares to EG when it comes to electrolysis, but I have worked with PG coolant. I worked at a Cummins dealership for several years, and we sold Cummins PG coolant almost exclusively- it was blue at the time. Might still be. Seemed to work fine in heavy trucks and such, including those with aluminum radiators. The water jackets and radiators in those applications that had run Cummins Compleat PG were always squeaky-clean inside, but this PG coolant left a weird blue coating on all metal surfaces. It wasn't thick or sludgy- it was thin and wouldn't wipe off... like the parts had been colored with a light blue marker.

I will say that in general, electrolysis used to be a fairly common problem on heavy trucks. Several years ago, brass/steel radiators were common in these trucks, and the radiator ALWAYS had a ground strap. If I came across a nasty sludged cooling system and/or pitting in the water jackets around the liners (similar in appearance to cavitation, but not the same phenomenon), I'd often find that the ground strap was broken or missing. But the newer trucks made since 2000 or so mostly have aluminum radiators, which usually aren't grounded. Don't know why. But I've seen far fewer problems with electrolysis and nasty coolant with these systems- even with high mileage.
 
amsoil sells theirs as well, pg. It states in Amsoil's site that it does coat things, I too experience alot of electrolysis using dexcool and I'm done doing intake jobs on my own personal stuff so I am trying the PG. The coating may help with the corrosion at the water ports, and if you ever done intake gaskets on Venture vans you'll probably try it too!
 
Fastr1,

Switching to PG coolants isn't going to eliminate intake gasket replacements. I've had another failure on my '94 Grand Am 3.1L. This 2nd time it was filled with AMSOIL & NEO PG.
 
Fel-pro "problem saver" gaskets (the metal/rubber ones) are the permanent fix for that 60-degree v6 intake gasket problem. If you put the old-design plastic gaskets in, they'll just fail again... usually much sooner than the originals.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142

Anyway. Can anybody tell me how well the PG stuff protects Aluminum?


The glycols are present to alter the freezing and boiling points of the coolant. It's the additives that protect metals.
 
Originally Posted By: PeteTheFarmer
It's the additives that protect metals.
That makes sense.

I'm just trying to find fixes for certain customers that have problem cars.
 
We have tried everything that I can think of to stop the problem in some cars with no luck.

One guy has an Expedition that eats a radiator and a heater every 20,000 miles like clockwork.

I have flushed the truck, used distilled water and new coolant. Used standard green and then Go-5 but the problem continues.

I can flush it, fill it, run it and check for Electrolosis and it won't have any. Disconnect the battery cables and in the morning the truck will have .9volts in the cooling system.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
We have tried everything that I can think of to stop the problem in some cars with no luck.

One guy has an Expedition that eats a radiator and a heater every 20,000 miles like clockwork.

I have flushed the truck, used distilled water and new coolant. Used standard green and then Go-5 but the problem continues.

I can flush it, fill it, run it and check for Electrolosis and it won't have any. Disconnect the battery cables and in the morning the truck will have .9volts in the cooling system.


try a zinc anode. You might be able to find an in-block plug at http://www.westmarine.com Boat engines are almost the same as car/truck engines. I have also seen a zinc anode you hang from the inside of the radiator cap opening. JC Whitney use to sell them.


anode@westmarine

42173f-p.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Loobed
Chris142 said:
try a zinc anode. You might be able to find an in-block plug at www.westmarine.com Boat engines are almost the same as car/truck engines. I have also seen a zinc anode you hang from the inside of the radiator cap opening. JC Whitney use to sell them.


anode@westmarine

42173f-p.jpg



The truck was back again for another radiator. This time we went to a boat shop and they gave me a piece of Zinc. It's part of a boat I guess and it goes in the water. I dunno.

I cut a piece off and put it in the upper hose. We will see if that helps any.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Loobed
Chris142 said:
try a zinc anode. You might be able to find an in-block plug at www.westmarine.com Boat engines are almost the same as car/truck engines. I have also seen a zinc anode you hang from the inside of the radiator cap opening. JC Whitney use to sell them.


anode@westmarine

42173f-p.jpg



The truck was back again for another radiator. This time we went to a boat shop and they gave me a piece of Zinc. It's part of a boat I guess and it goes in the water. I dunno.

I cut a piece off and put it in the upper hose. We will see if that helps any.



you can't just put it in the hose. It has to be grounded to the other metal. If it is not, then it is useless. you need to make the zinc the weakest part of the chain link.

http://corrosion.ksc.nasa.gov/galcorr.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Forms-galvanic/galvanic-corrosion.htm
 
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