In my tropical “paradise”, temperatures never fall bellow 59°F (15°C) at the coldest, and usually hover between 72°F (22.2°C) in winter and 98°F (36.7°C) during the summer. It could rise to 104°F (40°C) on the hottest of days. Obviously, I don’t need the stuff in the system to have any sort of antifreeze properties.

I was wondering if, when I replace the radiator soon, instead of refilling the system with Dexcool it would be a good [or bad) idea to fill the system with distilled water and a bottle of Redline Waterwetter? Would this cause any problems in the future?

 

I'd definitely stick with the coolant mix.

You may not need the antifreeze properties, but you do want the corrosion inhibitors.

 

Doing a quick read through the Water Wetter spec, it looks like they definitely support cooling systems with just water in warmer climates, so you are likely covered for the basics. I would definitely consider it for my own car in that climate.

Biggest generic downside I can think of is that it is near certain Jaguar never tested/certified what you are suggesting.

The water wetter page has a compatibility checker, and comes out "recommended" for a 2005 XKR, FWIW.

 

if you use de-ionized water and the manufacturer's recommended corrosion inhibitor, this should not be a problem. Contact a Jaguar service department. Since they sold cars in very warm climates for many decades, this will not be an odd question. Another option would be to consult with a qualified technician in the area as i am sure that other owners do this.

 

Why? The contents of the coolant aren't just to lower the freezing point, but also serve to raise the boiling point as compared to just water, so you're losing on the "top end" too.

 

So the consensus so far seems to be: as long as you have the proper corrosion inhibitors, go ahead, but better be safe than sorry and stick with the Dexcool. I will keep mulling it over until my radiator arrives.

 

I think you are playing a risky game by not running the recommended coolant, but hey, it's your car.

 

Distilled water under a car’s radiator system pressure of 15 psi has a boiling point of 257 F. A 50/50 antifreeze mix which has a boiling point of 267, only 10 degrees higher. Not enough to warrant using antifreeze if boil over protection is the only criteria, imho.

https://durathermfluids.com/pdf/tech...ling-point.pdf

just using distilled water with waterwetter gives plenty of lubrication to cooling system seals. It’s being used by many tens of thousands in the vintage car world with zero ill effects.


Z

 

What he said. Take this advice. It is good advice.
Why on Earth would you want to see what bad things can happen if you run straight water?

 

It's not straight water. The WaterWetter has corrosion inhibitors. But I digress, I'm going to run coolant. I don't want to be the one to travel into uncharted waters here. I would've expected someone to have already been the guinea pig here, but I guess not.

 

you might call me a Guiana pig, but I doubt I’m the first.

I’ve been using distilled water and water wetter in all my cars 9 months or more out of the year. Most years in Texas, all year around.

Both of my e types never saw an antifreeze mix, and the XKR has been on H2O and water wetter 9 - 10 months of the year for the past two years.

To use it or not use, its not really a problem worth a debate. Water wetter has been around for a long time.


Z

 

I have used Water Wetter as an additive to a regular mix (maybe 60/40 w:af) in the past on motorcycles. Seemed to help. My .02 TM

 

NO!!

 

Guinea pig here, I have ran just water with 2 bottles of water wetter with no issues. I Live in Tampa, FL; and the climate is similar to my homeland in PR. Maybe more humid though. Water is more efficient than coolant in heat extraction and transfer up to a certain point, so there's a plus. I run a lower temp thermostat, and the combination has worked very well at least for my climate.

Some winters I change back to the regular Tstat, but usually it might only cool into the 40's here on a rare occasion. I do this just to avoid carbon build up and have the heater work quicker on the cooler days if i need it.

I dont think you will have any issues running the water and WW mix. I haven't. Just make sure you bleed the air out of the system really well.

 

Saludos! Yo también soy de PR, Guaynabo. I didn’t know they made a lower temp T-stat for these Jags. Do you have the part number?

 

Saludos brother. Nací en Santurce.


Its not an oem Jag part. Its from Euro Toys website which makes a few aftermarket parts and accessories for Jags. Here is the link:


https://www.eurotoysltd.com/product/...ormance-parts/



I watch the temps with my scanner and it will keep them between 180-190 maybe a little higher on the very hot days. Florida's 110F heat index and traffic makes for killer heat soak. Tstat and upgraded coolant/intercooler pumps helps balance it out a bit.

 

there is a small downside to running the lower temp rated thermostats, but only if the car is being used for short trips, say under 20 minutes.

one doesn’t want the engine, and especially the engine oil to be too cool. Engine oil that doesn’t get over 200 F will not be hot enough for the condensed moisture in the oil to evaporate out of it. If your engine’s coolant never gets to 180, then your oil is not getting to 200 F. On my car with the Autool 60 installed I can monitor the oil and coolant temperatures simultaneously. The coolant temp is generally 16-20 degrees F cooler than the engine oil temperature.

on short trips, and with a thermostat rated to open at temperatures under 180, there is a likelihood that the moisture in the oil will not get hot enough to fully evaporate . This will cause the oil to form sludge. Not the ideal lubricant.

Z

 

Good point there Z. I think in the OP's specific case since its a pretty hot climate, it shouldn't be an issue with coolant/water temp dropping or staying under 180 and retaining moisture. Especially if you give it the good old "Italian tune up" here and there too.

Honestly I would not recommend the low temp Tstat to Northern states where its cooler year round and flat out cold in real winter. I say that based on the very few days we have had it drop to 40's here in Florida, with the low temp Tstat it took a while for temp to get to normal operating temp. Actually I could make it from home to work before it got over 180 like you mentioned. Since I noticed that 2 years ago, I just change back to the stock Tstat on Thanksgiving week when I have a few days off. I cant imagine what it would do in below freezing temps.

Same would apply for the whole water vs coolant thing though. I can run water here where I am at, and so can the OP where it wont get much lower than 60F in winter. So I guess its on a case by case basis for each of us. Driving conditions, traffic, climate, even altitude vary. Of course add modifications (if any) to that list. Smaller supercharger pulley generates more heat. I personally spray a 125 shot of nitrous which will generate a good amount of heat for a short period of time.

What you mentioned in your post supports the point that we should do our research before just throwing on any modification or replacing something oem with aftermarket if the specs are different. Took me a while but I sure learned that the hard way over a few years

 

Surprisingly divisive topic and some good information being shared. I should have made this a poll...

 

Gents,

Good info in GD’s thread. Never really thought about using distilled water with WW. I did a recent R&R of my coolant system for my XK8 running in the super hot desert heat of Bahrain. It’s the 2nd car I had as a project in the Middle East and lowest temps are ave. 12degC (54degF) in the short winter months here. Both cars I overhauled their cooling system using green coolant (only thing readily available) and putting back stock for their missing thermostats. Seems to be the way here for people to remove the thermostat, but in our Jag’s high pressure system, radiator actually runs better with a thermostat.