austinrobert

Well is think I have found out part of the water overuse problem,I have bubbles coming up in the radiator,car still runs good but uses alot of water,does this sound like a head gasket,also the bottom of the intake manifold bolt is broken and the hole part is broken,though have been driving it like that for years guess i might look for a 79 280zx manifold if i got to get the head gasket done,any help out there

SHADY280

bubbles are common in the cooling system, especially if the werent bled out, just squeeze the top hose when its running and COLD to get the air out. the bubbles dont mean its using water. get it pressure checked first

nismo619

radiator flush ? start up your car with your radiator cap off then top it off and start up your car let the bubbles come to the top of your radiator turn off your car after about 2 minites of idileing under 750 rpm.. the bubbles should circle threw the system and raise to the servise of your radiator.. thats how i do it and it works great for me.. try 70/30 mixture of anitfreeze and water.. ? check for leaks...

lww

Why would you run 70% anti-freeze? You live in Alaska?

WildmaN

Yeah no kiddin' man, I run 50/50 prediluted, and my Z stays nice and cool, in the hot sun. But yeah 70% anitfreeze is quite a lot for New Mexico.

jfairladyz

Bubble can be no big deal, but they can also be a sign that something is wrong. If the bubbles are on going (never ending, not just a result of air trapped in the system) then there could be a leak in your system. This leak may not be enough to let coolant out but if it's enough to let air in then the pressure in your system will drop and the coolant can boil. When liquid boils it turns into a gas. That could be where your coolant is going. Listen for steam hissing after you drive the car. That's a given that you have an air leak in your cooling system.

SHADY280

if you get hand pressure tester (pump type) you should be able to locate the leak, keep it on the cap spout and see if it looses pressure, if it does keep it pumped up and begin looking every where, start with the rad itself, then follow everything, specially pass. side by the firewall, there a sort of junction there, i couldnt find my leak there till the hose completly blew

nismo619

i run 70/30 in my turbo because i want to run cooler 70/30 is ok no matter what year it is or month.. 50/50 is normal.. yes 70/30 is better.. and i have a friend thats just useing straight antifreze with no problems at all..

SpeciallySpiked

Yeah that's the same with the windshield wiper fluid, i'm sure it doesn't really matter
just watering down is cheaper

jfairladyz

straight antifreeze is actually known to decrease the effeciency of the coolant mixture. Coolant alone doesn't have the disipation properties of water. Coolant is meant to do three things: First and foremost it's meant to lower the freezing point of the water so it doesn't freeze in really cold weather. This would be the only reason to use more coolant to water ratio. Second reason to use coolant is to prevent corrosion in the cooling system. And finally, the last reason to use antifreeze mixed in with your water is to raise the boiling point of the water so that the water doesn't turn to vapor. Using a 70/30 mixture isn't going to lower the temps any more then 50/50. In fact, it's probably doing a lesser job of lowering the temps. Antifreeze is just not that efficient at dissipating heat. Sorry.

entropy31

also, straight antifreeze does not protect against freezing as well as a mixture. water molecules freeze with other water molecuels; anti freeze molecules freeze with antifreeze molecules. water and antifreeze molecules wont freeze to each other. by mixing the two, the fluid needs to be much colder to freeze solid than either one by its self. the water and the anitfreeze will crystalize, but the consistency of the mixture will be somewhat like that of a slurpee, rather than one solid mass.

lww

If that were true, don't you think REAL race car drivers would be using straight anti-freeze in their race cars? I'll tell you a secret, they don't!

Sorry Nismo, your friend is an idiot. There are some highly specialized non-water coolants out there, but they are used in very specific applications. Just because a little of something is good, doesn't mean a lot of it is better.

The best 'conventional' coolant out there is water. Straight water is less effective than water and anti-freeze because the anti-freeze increases the boiling point of the water and also inhibits rust in the cooling system as stated previously.

If you want to understand how this works, go to:

http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp

These guys actually know through practical application (in REAL race cars) of their scientific methodology.

Please don't parrot something unless you know it's true. One of the reasons I have the inaccurate reputation of being knowledgable on this board is because I try not to say things I don't know conclusively to be true and verifiable.

I don't contribute in a lot of threads because I don't know for a fact what I think is true and I'll wait until someone who does know contributes and can back up their statement with verifiable facts.

A simple test everyone should use to help you verify your technical statements prior to posting is "Would or do they do this in a REAL race car?"

Think of the most extreme circumstance where your idea would apply and do some research to see if it's used in that application. If it isn't, unless you're WAY ahead of the automotive brilliance curve, it probably isn't a good idea and most likely, additional research will show the truth.

Skully

actualy here in the colder climates...it will gel up hard core if you use too much antifreeze and it will freeze if you dont use enough...so it matters alot.

lww

^^ I'd call that a verifiable fact. Saskatoon is freakin' COLD!

Skully

haha yes its a fact...i had her gel up on me last winter...it was -50c and i forgot to plug her in at work DOH! geled right up...towed it home, got the heater right on the engine there was about 1/8" thick ice all around the block. so mix your antifreeze dependent on how the climate is going to be around you...

jfairladyz

oh come on, how many other ZDrivers can claim to have an engineering degree

lww