Fsandefur

Okay maybe I've put this in the wrong place, if so someone just tell me.

Recently I've noticed several product being marketed as cooling system rust inhibitors and enhancers... the most common seems to be Hyper Lube Super Coolant/ Just reading the labels makes my mind immediately kick into disbelief/you-have-to-be-kidding-me mode.

Primarily over the assorted claims that they can improve cooling efficiency soo much as to lower the operating temp by as much as 20 degrees.

My question: Has anyone had any personal experience with these products? On the off chance they actually work, it seems to me they would be essentially cheap insurance against over heating ...or at least delay the onset of overheating in situations that really tax the cooling system.

My curiosity really wants to know about real world experiences with these additives.

dave1123

Well...All I can tell you is what I've used when drag racing in the early 70s. At our local barely-sanctioned NHRA track, I ran a G/Stock 67 SS Camaro. This was during the times everybody was running Pure Stock cars so the staging lanes were long and tedious, with lots of overheats while waiting in line for the grid. There was a silicone additive you could use that delayed the overheat, for a while, but really didn't help much because by the time you got to the starting pad, the engine was so hot, it generally bogged off the line. The SMART guys brought help and pushed their cars rather than kept them idling and inching forward. Remember, these were carburated cars and the fuel would boil in the float bowl.

Remember the Jeep injection system requires engine temp to be 195* to 210* for proper fuel trim. It can go up to around 230* and still function, but once the coolant boils, steam pressure builds exponentially and blows hoses and radiators! I think I remember a 50/50 solution of coolant and water boils at 260* with 18 psi pressure. The old straight-weight motor oils used to start breaking down at 190*, but modern oils are way better than that!

SO, getting back to your question, most of this stuff is just snake oil in a different bottle. My opinion is if everything is functioning the way it was designed, you shouldn't need an additive. Having said that, I don't feel the clutch fan is adaquate at low speeds and needs the help if a electric fan.

Fsandefur

You just told me pretty much what I was thinking..and yes I do remember those carburated cars . a particular 69 Roadrunner with a dual 4bbl fed 383 that pretty much had to be pushed through those staging lines or suffer a meltdown.

That magic additive that didn't really work is one of the things that makes me so skeptical at this point.
Good point about the required operating temp range. I still cringe a little when engine temps climb over 200. I think that reaction is just ingrained too deep for me to completely get over it.

I am considering appropriating your Ernie Pyle quote - truer words have rarely been spoken.

dave1123

Hey, Ernie Pyle said it! I stole it from someone else on the Military Jeepers forum! All those guys think about are CJs and TJs.

Emission standards was the demise of the 4.0. It wouldn't produce cylinder temperatures high enough to meet lower nitrous oxide emission levels, so it was replaced with the 3.7 V6 which is spin higher to get the torque. Today's engines seem to be getting smaller and higher stressed with turbo or super chargers to get max power at low compression. Gone are the days of big V8s running 12:1 compression on leaded gasoline! Those days we didn't care what came out of the tailpipe as long as we didn't have to breath it!