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You shouldn't use distilled water in an aluminum radiator? This is news to me....

33K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  sonny1213 
#1 ·
I just read the directions on the back of a bottle of Purple Ice and it says not to use distilled water in an aluminum radiator.
What then do you use.....regular bottled water? Why can't you use distilled water in an aluminum radiator???? What harm would it do????
 
#3 ·
hmm... i dunno.

what he said ^^^^^^^^^^^^

but i dont normally stock distilled water at home lol
 
#4 ·
I have used tap water and Water Weter in all of my racebikes (30+) and at one point I had two $12K radiators. All the bikes sit, untouched from Oct 1- at least March 1 every winter and I have never, ever seen anything resembling corrosion.

My Mustang has had tap water and that gold Ford coolant in the alumium radiator and heat exchanger in it since Sept. 06' and the car sits from Nov-Mar every winter and never gets started. It also has zero corrosion.
 
#15 ·
Do you use a water wetter. I wondered about this stuff,is it just a gimmick?
 
#5 ·
I can't imagine. The theory behind using distilled water is to eliminate the impurities in tap water that can cause corrosion in your coolant. The coolant acts like electrolyte in the battery and I remember a test where you would use a voltmeter with the + end in the coolant and the - end to ground and check for voltage. More that a certain amount and the coolant needs changing. I don't remember the exact voltage, but it is a measure of electrolytic activity.

Frank
 
#7 ·
because of rebels like you
 
#10 ·
Distilled water is 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom (H2O), that is all. Tap water is ???

Frank
 
#14 ·
I just read the directions on the back of a bottle of Purple Ice and it says not to use distilled water in an aluminum radiator.
What then do you use.....regular bottled water? Why can't you use distilled water in an aluminum radiator???? What harm would it do????
I can address this issue from personal experience. I had always used distilled water in my vehicle cooling systems and never had any trouble. In 1985 I started building a show truck and bought a ZZ4 crate engine with aluminum heads and an aluminum radiator and as usual I filled it with distilled water. Less than 13 months and 20,000 miles the engine started showing steam from the exhaust and I began to lose coolant. Upon investigation I found that both the heads and the radiator were perforated as a result of electrolysis cause by the ionized distilled water. If you must use distilled water it is recommended that you use only de-ionized water.
 
#18 ·
I think the key is not to use deionized water alone in a radiator. If you look at the purple ice disclaimer it states: 'Distilled water and / or demineralized water should not be used if you elect to run a mixture of straight water and Purple Ice in your radiator.'
 
#26 ·
No. I always ran a 50/50 mix of water and Prestone and I made sure the Prestone was the correct type for aluminum systems.
 
#19 ·
I have always used De Ionized water and it seems to work well.
 
#21 ·
dang. just when I think I have a good grasp on most of the scientific aspects of owning and maintaining my vehicles for the past 20 years, y'all throw this at me.

de-ionizing?
electron swapping?
stocking distilled water?

gotta be a rocket scientist to maintain a car these days.
 
#22 ·
dang. just when I think I have a good grasp on most of the scientific aspects of owning and maintaining my vehicles for the past 20 years, y'all throw this at me.

de-ionizing?
electron swapping?
stocking distilled water?

gotta be a rocket scientist to maintain a car these days.
That's just not right. :evillol:
 
#23 ·
I just do what the factory calls for, and with the antifreeze they should not be any problems. Change your antifreeze, and water regularly. Seems pretty simple. Distilled water... I thought was deionized?
 
#25 ·
Exactly what to do. I think people get into additives, and oils way to much.:nogrinner
 
#29 ·
If you go to the shop manual thread in the stickys and look up engine cooling, Ford recommends "deionized" water for their systems. I learn something new everyday on this forum...GA
 
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