Re: Water Pumps in Model A Ford and Antifreeze

Posted by Doug Linden on Oct. 30, 1996 at 17:32:38

In Reply to: Re: Water Pumps in Model A Ford and Antifreeze
posted by Bob Johnson on Oct. 30, 1996 at 12:12:40

: This is a can of worms. The Model A does have a water pump but it also cools by convection.I have read the following
: 1) Antifreeze is only useful in modern pressurized cooling system.Since the Model A is an open system the antifreeze will not cool the engine correctly. However it will prevent the water (coolant) from freezing.
: 2) If you do not have a problem with freezing then straight water with an anti-rust additive.
: 3) The chemicals in antifreeze will harm the gaskets, babbit etc. (Have not seen any proof of this)
: 4) If you use antifreeze use an overflow container connected to the overflow tube. Do not want to spill antifreeze all over the place.
: I am sure that there are many more opinions on this.
I agree with this, antifreeze in an old car is like the age old question of what type of oil to use.
The heat transfer capability of antifreeze is less than that of water and as a result can lead to less efficient cooling.
A disadvantage if you live in a warm climate.However, the
capacity of a Model A radiator is very large and is all parts
of the cooling system are working properly you should have
no problems using antifreeze.
Antifreeze is great in a pressurized system of a modern car,
but it also provide protection in a Model A.It is less
likely to evaporation than water, has a higher boiling temp
and also has rust inhibitors added.
Antifreeze does have a lower coefficient of friction than water so it will seep out where plain water wouldn't.This
may cause leaks between the block and head and around the
water pump.
I have found that since I had my engine rebuilt and boil
cleaned, the radiator leaks fixed, installed a thermostat,
and added an overflow tank I have had no cooling problems in
over 15K miles of travel, 8K of those miles during summer
cruises of 2K each.
Doug
p.s. we did try an experiment by soaking a connecting rod
in antifreeze for over a year and saw no deterioration of the
babbit.But I never did put it in an engine to see what
would happen. Chicken I guess!

Follow Ups:
Re: Water Pumps in Model A Ford and Antifreeze michael stahl Nov. 09, 1996 at 03:49:00(0)

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