Vimy101 Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 I think they used to use coolant to lubricate the water pump, but, I am not sure that is so common anymore. with plastic impellers and sealed lifetime-lubed bearings, I am not sure it is as much of an issue anymore. But I could be wrong... and plain water is a decent lubricant, with a lot of film strength and surface tension, especially as long as it is clean. It isn't oil, but I am not sure you want to be adding that to your coolant. Water is one of nature's most powerful solvents. The lowest I would go even in warm climes would be 70/30 H20/AF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 How much does the Subaru genuine coolant cost at your dealer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legasee Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 How much does the Subaru genuine coolant cost at your dealer? $24 or so in Socal... In Taiwan now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 $24 or so in Socal... Per gal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legasee Posted December 6, 2006 Share Posted December 6, 2006 Per gal? ya, I think so...or maybe a little smaller...I think it's the only available size from the dealer, but you still need to add a mix of 50/50 with water so it's ok I guess. In Taiwan now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 I couldn't tell you what matches my factory spec. I get people periodically who ask me what they should use. My factory's system says that you should use their fluids. It's not my job to provide options, just the right parts. To me it's not a spec, just a part number. I keep aftermarket Dexcool on hand for the odd GM and Peak Global for anything-odd else. It's great to see that it's just about an exact match (as opposed to just being compatible) so I can use it for myself. I've been meaning to ditch the Dexcool and just have our stuff and the Peak, but we need GM coolant so infrequently that it's still there. A real coolant flush isn't just with water. It's with a 50/50 mixture, otherwise it's just a rinse, with the ensuing "how do I end up with 50/50?" issue. We use a BG package and 2 gallons of coolant for a flush. We've got a good machine for it, too. Fill one bucket with the new 50/50 and hook it up to the car. Run it until that bucket is empty and the other bucket is full of used coolant. Quick, clean and effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 ^ Good info. Thnx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 A little cut & paste from my factory system. I was looking for something at work today and came across some great background information. The bold print is theirs. DESCRIPTION - ENGINE COOLANT ETHYLENE-GLYCOL MIXTURES CAUTION: Richer antifreeze mixtures cannot be measured with normal field equipment and can cause problems associated with 100 percent ethylene-glycol. The required ethylene-glycol (antifreeze) and water mixture depends upon the climate and vehicle operating conditions. The recommended mixture of 50/50 ethylene-glycol and water will provide protection against freezing to -37° C (-35° F). The antifreeze concentration must always be a minimum of 44 percent, year-round in all climates. If percentage is lower than 44 percent, engine parts may be eroded by cavitation, and cooling system components may be severely damaged by corrosion. Maximum protection against freezing is provided with a 68 percent antifreeze concentration, which prevents freezing down to -67.7° C (-90° F). A higher percentage will freeze at a warmer temperature. Also, a higher percentage of antifreeze can cause the engine to overheat because the specific heat of antifreeze is lower than that of water. Use of 100 percent ethylene-glycol will cause formation of additive deposits in the system, as the corrosion inhibitive additives in ethylene-glycol require the presence of water to dissolve. The deposits act as insulation, causing temperatures to rise to as high as 149° C (300° F). This temperature is hot enough to melt plastic and soften solder. The increased temperature can result in engine detonation. In addition, 100 percent ethylene-glycol freezes at 22° C (-8° F ). PROPYLENE-GLYCOL MIXTURES It's overall effective temperature range is smaller than that of ethylene-glycol. The freeze point of 50/50 propylene-glycol and water is -32° C (-26° F). 5° C higher than ethylene-glycol's freeze point. The boiling point (protection against summer boil-over) of propylene-glycol is 125° C (257° F ) at 96.5 kPa (14 psi), compared to 128° C (263° F) for ethylene-glycol. Use of propylene-glycol can result in boil-over or freeze-up on a cooling system designed for ethylene-glycol. Propylene glycol also has poorer heat transfer characteristics than ethylene glycol. This can increase cylinder head temperatures under certain conditions. Propylene-glycol/ethylene-glycol Mixtures can cause the destabilization of various corrosion inhibitors, causing damage to the various cooling system components. Also, once ethylene-glycol and propylene-glycol based coolants are mixed in the vehicle, conventional methods of determining freeze point will not be accurate. Both the refractive index and specific gravity differ between ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.That part about cavitation was interesting. It had never occurred to me, but it makes sense. It would abuse the hell out of the metal, and a thicker liquid should resist it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 ^ Again, thanks for the info. I believe the major problem with cavitation would be loss of circulation. The AF lowers surface tension of water which prevents bubbles forming. Bubbles also decrease the heat transference of coolant. The NICO site I used to frequent (and still visit) when I had my J was full of AF talk. The Q45 V8 could be prone to overheating. (As an aside, one interesting discussion was started by a guy who thought it stupid that Nissan engineers would have a belt driven fan instead of electric ones. Turns out that the heat generated by the 4.5 was such that the electricty needed to run an apropriate sized fan would require more energy to work than by powering it mechanically with a belt. There was also a weight and space penalty with electric.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT Daddy Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 After 6 year of no post on this thread is there any update? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 After 6 year of no post on this thread is there any update? Just answered this in the timing belt thread. If was was starting out from empty I use Peak Global pre-mix. That's what I topped off my new ej257 with after using up the left over Peak and Prestone I used when I did the timing belt back at 95,000 miles. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMMER DOWN Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 This is what I switch to at my 30k service back in 06. "New Prestone® Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant. I ran it for almost 150k.With no issues. Until I upgraded my radiator & replaced my thermostat around 174k. I switch to Amsoil Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant. Still rocking the original water pump at over 200k. Mike Mileage:331487 Retired/Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT Daddy Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Thank you, I just wanted to double check. The guy doing the work only uses the Subie stuff in his WRX. I will mention this as an option and look at getting some(I called the deal I bought my LGT from and they said as long as its 50/50, I'm good.). I am replacing the normal 100k items, the Radiator and hose will come later. Thank you for updating me and helping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBRRICH Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 One thing to add for you folks that don't need antifreeze for cold weather, you may want to use it for margin in hot weather because a 50/50 Ethetlene glycol also elevates the boiling point of water about 11 degrees. From: https://www.evanscoolant.com/how-it-works/benefits/no-overheating/ "Water turns into steam at 212°F. Mixing traditional ethylene glycol antifreeze with water in a 50-50 ratio increases the boiling point to 223°F, which is close to the operating temperature of an engine." Systems are pressurized which also raises the boiling point. I guess it is a trade off for more efficient cooling vs boil over margin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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