adding Water Wetter...: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Aug. 7, 2011 10:10 a.m. integraguy SuperDork

With all the recommendations this product gets, here and in the magazine, I thought I would give it a try.

This morning, while changing a headlight on my car I noticed that the coolant overflow "bottle" was empty. I checked the radiator and the coolant is the correct color and up to the correct level. So I went for a walk to get some more coolant for the overflow and at the first place I went to, they had a famous brand of green but the bottle said for 1989 or OLDER GM and Ford and 1990 and older foreign. My car is a foreign but is NEWER than 1990, so I kept walking. At Wally World I found the "correct" coolant (how long have they been putting the water in the mix for you?) but I don't shop at WW on general principle. So at Advance I found Water Wetter.

My question, sorry it took me so long, is this:

can I just add the W W and water mix to the overflow bottle? Or do I need to wait til the next coolant flush and add it into the "general" mix? Directions on the bottle say to "...add a few capfuls to a quart of water" or the whole bottle to a coolant system of 12 to 20 quarts. I feel stupid asking, but better safe than sorry.

BTW, car has always run just above 1/2 way on the temp gauge, but to my knowledge, never overheated.....at least not while I owned it, and I'm about to go on a very long interstate trip.
Aug. 7, 2011 11:39 a.m. Woody SuperDork

You're overthinking this....
Aug. 7, 2011 11:41 a.m. integraguy SuperDork

The story of my life....

Overthinking the trivial and not giving any thought to the important.
Aug. 7, 2011 3:36 p.m. 44Dwarf Dork

Around here we've had already mixed for about 2 years..You notice its not much cheaper then the straight up stuff....Expencive water but then again millions of Americans are willing to spend $1.20 for 16oz bottle of water everyday....but bitch about $4 gallon gas.... My were a dumb ass country at times.

As for water wetter yes you can add it to the overflow it will mix at some point just fine with whats in the engine. It will just take a few heat cycles. But the big question is why was it low....
Aug. 7, 2011 4:25 p.m. Feedyurhed HalfDork

44Dwarf wrote:

Around here we've had already mixed for about 2 years..You notice its not much cheaper then the straight up stuff....Expencive water but then again millions of Americans are willing to spend $1.20 for 16oz bottle of water everyday....but bitch about $4 gallon gas.... My were a dumb ass country at times.

Well put. I have thought the exact same thing. Another way for the big companies to scam the consumer. Like all the crummy *^%&$ made in China for the cheap labor but the final cost to the American consumer is exactly the same. Don't get me started.
Aug. 7, 2011 5:17 p.m. Travis_K SuperDork

If you are losing coolant you have a problem that needs attention. Most of the time the best coolant for a given vehicle is what you find at the dealer.
Aug. 7, 2011 8:45 p.m. jstand New Reader

When was the last time you looked at the overflow bottle?

While it could be a sign of a leak, it could just be a sign that its been a hot summer and it's been a while since you checked it.

Put tape or a marker line on the bottle after filling and driving for a day. That way you can tell if it's dropping and how quickly.

Depending on the location, a slow leak may never even leave a drop on the ground.
Aug. 8, 2011 2:26 p.m. 4eyes HalfDork

I would just dump the WW directly into the radiator and let it mix with the rest of the coolant, any extra mix will go into the overflow as it runs.
Aug. 8, 2011 9:32 p.m. Tyler H Dork

Never tried it....completely hearsay...but I heard that 3 drops of Dawn in the radiator accomplishes the same thing.

If you're wanting to add the WW and get the effects quicky...turn the drain petcock (hehe) on the bottom of a cool radiator and let a couple of pints drain out, then refill with the WW.

It will take a while to get it into the system through expansion/contraction in the overflow.
Aug. 8, 2011 10:50 p.m. donalson SuperDork

i've read the same thing as tyler... from what I understand is WW just reduces the waters surface tension.
Aug. 9, 2011 5:57 a.m. integraguy SuperDork

To answer some questions:

I rarely look under the hood, last time MIGHT have been in January after I ran the car into a shopping center light post. The bottle was completely empty, but the tube sticking into it was wet about halfway down.....or it looked wet?

The car has 200K on the odo, not sure if it's the original engine, tho.

Why drain out water from the radiator to add more coolant. As I said in the beginning, it was okay in the radiator, good color and up to where the radiator cap would seal it.

I thought I would try Water Wetter, as I said, because it was highly recommended here. On the bottle, it shows the temps at which different solutions will turn to steam/boil over in your radiator. It starts with plain water and shows water & coolant, water and Water Wetter, and just plain Water Wetter....if I remember correctly. Water Wetter straight (no water added) is not the best coolant, but water and Water Wetter is better than water & coolant.

Yeah, I figured that coolant and water in one bottle was a scam to keep prices from spiralling out of orbit. I said it on here before and I'll say/ask it again....if oil is sold by the quart and by the gallon jug, why don't they sell coolant by the quart? It isn't really all that often you want even a quart. Selling coolant by the gallon only, is about as stupid as paint companies selling house paint by the 55 gallon drum ONLY!!!
Aug. 9, 2011 1:22 p.m. Flogger00 New Reader

I would think Jet Dry would be a better replacement for WW than Dawn as it's basically a surfactant. Can't say I've ever tried it, though.
Aug. 9, 2011 4:32 p.m. wbjones SuperDork

selling coolant pre-mixed is nothing more than slick marketing ... as many / most folk really don't know enough to figure out how to convert a gallon of coolant to two gallons of half-n-half... or why they need to...

my sorta sponsor ( a parts house , under their own label ) says I'd be amazed at how many people ask why it's premixed .....
Aug. 9, 2011 6:15 p.m. Cone_Junky HalfDork

Having it pre-mixed does reduce the chances of putting hard water in to the cooling system though. I only use de-ionized or soft water in my cooling system or washer fluid. Most people don't have access to the proper water or don't take the time to buy a bottle of distilled water to mix with.

But I do think it's a scam on pricing.
Aug. 9, 2011 6:28 p.m. internetautomart SuperDork

IMO the pricing variance shows what you are really paying for. the bottle, what's inside only makes up a minute part of the total cost.
Aug. 9, 2011 7:39 p.m. TIGMOTORSPORTS Reader

Water Wetter does work. It will be more effective in straight water than a antifreeze/water mix. Personally, 5-10 degree drop in temps. Some circle track guys I used to live by swore by the stuff to drop 10-20 degrees off in straight water. I found a 10 degree drop in my bracket car with straight water.

As far as the coolant level - even the smallest crack in the overflow or radiator can be hard to find at first