Coolant additive

[jazzymt]

If Subaru knew what they were doing, brand-new cars wouldn't need any antifreeze conditioner at all!

If an extra $1.39 is all it takes every 30k miles to prevent any problems, I'll be satisfied...nobody's perfect.

[ur a bus]

What about using this conditioner for a 1997 Legacy 2.2 (which never had gasket issues like the 2.5)?

 

thanks

 

 

See post #18, he speak the truth. Yes, according to Subaru, even a 1979 BRAT needs the magic blue bottle. Of course, the dealer that did my cooling system service had never read that TSB......

 

-- Steve

[VTGT]

If the level in your overflow tank is blow the LOW indicator line when the system is cool then you need to add some. I found mine to be low a few weeks ago. There wasn't any obvious signs of leaking but when I swaped out the OEM radiator hoses for Samco ones I noticed that there was residue at the top hose connection to the radiator indicating that there had be some minor leakage when hot and pressurized.

'

 

Mine Is about even with the low line. Should I bother?

[outahere]

If Subaru knew what they were doing, brand-new cars wouldn't need any antifreeze conditioner at all!

 

That is so true! This conditioner sounds like something dreamt up by the bean counters, to avoid the substantial costs of designing and testing new head gasket designs. Subaru does not have a world class engineering group, but even so, I can't believe these engineers would have this conditioner as their preferred solution to head gasket leaks. Subaru needs to spend the bucks and redesign the head gasket. Instead, we are told to dump this weird concoction of linseed meal+borax+resin into our radiators.

[outahere]

If an extra $1.39 is all it takes every 30k miles to prevent any problems, I'll be satisfied...nobody's perfect.

 

But will it create new problems in the process of preventing head gasket leaks? Will regular use of this conditioner cause a plugged up radiator years from now, when your warranty has expired? A plugged up heater core? A leaking water pump seal?

[NYCBRED]

I would recommend against the water wetter stuff. I am unsure of what is in the specific Redline stuff. What it does is modify the surface tension of the water molecules. Rual fire department use similar stuff and dish soap will also break-down the tension to an extent. The water forms smaller droplets so there is more surface area of the water to "work".

 

Not sure how this would really help in a rad since the system is presurized. The water never really separates. Plus there are already so many chemicals between the coolant and additive who knows if there are all compatable?

 

Peace,

 

Greg

 

 

i am not sure of the chemical properties and or science behind water wetter, but what it does is supposedly drops the engine temp of the car at least 10 degrees F when used in a proper mixture of plain tap water and water wetter in the radiator (no antifreeze supposed to be used for optimal performance and temp drop)

[bosco]

this is what water wetter is. bosco

 

 

 

 

surfactant |s?r?fakt?nt| noun a substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved.

[deneb]

i am not sure of the chemical properties and or science behind water wetter, but what it does is supposedly drops the engine temp of the car at least 10 degrees F when used in a proper mixture of plain tap water and water wetter in the radiator (no antifreeze supposed to be used for optimal performance and temp drop)

 

Does Redline say not to use antifreeze when one uses the water wetter? That seems like a really bad idea to me, as antifreeze raises your coolant's boiling point and lowers your coolant's freezing point as well as corrosion prevention.

[bosco]

Does Redline say not to use antifreeze when one uses the water wetter? That seems like a really bad idea to me, as antifreeze raises your coolant's boiling point and lowers your coolant's freezing point as well as corrosion prevention.

 

pure water conducts heat better than water/anti-freeze. if max cooling is your goal ie. race car then distilled water and a conditoner is your best bet. a street car basically needs the anti-freeze to keep from freezing. bosco

[gianspi]

I went to my local subaru parts counter to get the conditioner, and the parts guy said to skip it, as there were no problems with post 2003 headgasket failures. I put in 50/50 OEM coolant with distilled water... and a bottle of water wetter.

 

Only time will tell if I made the right choice

[bosco]

I went to my local subaru parts counter to get the conditioner, and the parts guy said to skip it, as there were no problems with post 2003 headgasket failures. I put in 50/50 OEM coolant with distilled water... and a bottle of water wetter.

 

Only time will tell if I made the right choice

 

use the conditioner. that is all good luck. bosco

[outahere]

I went to my local subaru parts counter to get the conditioner, and the parts guy said to skip it, as there were no problems with post 2003 headgasket failures.............

 

My service advisor told me the same thing. Also told me my warranty would not be jeopardized if I declined to use the conditioner.

[gianspi]

use the conditioner. that is all good luck. bosco

 

What makes you think it is imperative to use?

[bosco]

a factory trained Subaru Technician that i trust and the Service Manager who has been straight with me so far have both recommended it. btw i have a $30k+ car a few bucks either way is not a big deal for piece of mind. bosco

[outahere]

The coolant conditioner requirement started, as best as I can find out, with the WWP-99 service campaign that targeted 1999-2002 Subarus, with the 2.5L motor, that were experiencing external coolant leaks past the head gaskets. Here is a quote from the WWP-99 document:

 

"Only early Phase II 2.5 liter engines are affected by this campaign. Phase I 2.5 liter engines (some 1999 model year and prior years) are not affected. Countermeasures applied to the manufacturing process for those 2002 and later VINS not affected by this campaign have eliminated the need for this campaign to be performed on those vehicles."

 

This implies that "manufacturing process countermeasures" have eliminated the need to use the conditioner with later model year vehicles.

 

But now it seems that Subaru has changed their mind about this. Does Subaru's right hand know what its left hand is doing?

[deneb]

pure water conducts heat better than water/anti-freeze. if max cooling is your goal ie. race car then distilled water and a conditoner is your best bet. a street car basically needs the anti-freeze to keep from freezing. bosco

 

I would assume a race car also needs corrosion protection? Does the water wetter have this? I know antifreeze has anti-corrosion additives. It seems to me that for a daily driven street car that water wetter and water only in the cooling system would be a recipe for disaster down the road (pun not intended). Dunno about a race-only car, I have no experience with care and upkeep in that scenario.

[TRS]

Label on Water Wetter says "at least 15% antifreeze should be used in street vehicles" and also that "Water Wetter provides excellent corrosion protection for modern cast iron, aluminum and brass systems".

 

As far as the Subaru coolant additive, my Owner's Manual says to use it so I did. The Peak 50/50 I refilled with says nothing about containing any conditioner. Using the additive is cheap preventative maintenance, It's probably not needed yet with the 23,000 miles I have on the odo but why allow seals to start to deteriorate, even if it would likely only by minimal at this point?

[Beanboy]

Most modified cars I know, especially FI ones, run around with Water Wetter. Been out and used for years by many folks.

[subawang]

I'm pretty sure water wetter is only for use in applications where the cooling fluid is only water. Its purpose is for lubricating and conditioning the water pump.

 

I'm not sure where the idea of adding it to a mixture of coolant/water would be beneficial. I would just follow subaru's recommendation: distilled water, coolant, conditioner.

[jazzymt]

Subaru Service Manual says to add conditioner on fluid change. It's just over 1 whole dollar people - what's the reasoning behind not adding it?

[TRS]

Water Wetter can be added to your typical 50/50 mix but the affects are much reduced. Greatest cooling benefit is when you are running only water plus Water Wetter but this is for race applications only. Since you don't need the antifreeze properties of the glycol during thr summer you can run a seasonal blend with less coolant and more water, down to 15% coolant & 85% water (plus the WW) for the greatest additional cooling benefit from the WW in a street car.

[deneb]

Does anyone feel they benefit from the water wetter product in a street application? My temp guage runs right about the halfway point regardless if I'm cruising in 5th gear at 45 mph in 35 degree weather or idling in traffic in 90 degree weather. I don't know that reducing coolant temps a few degrees will really gain much as far as extending the life of the cooling system/engine, etc. I could see it as a band aid solution for a cooling system that runs hot.

[REM87O]

I like what TRS suggested above. I do my coolant twice a year and it's not a big deal to switch the mix fo summer winter. I also use water wetter in the summer. Good link below.

 

http://e30m3performance.com/myths/more_myths1/Water_Wetter/water_wetter.htm