straight distilled water (not tap)

[Cesarlcase]

Was just wondering is it safe to run straight distilled water? I heard Some people saying it isn't safe,but I think they've failed to realise its not the same as tap... No minerals. Prefer answers from guys that have experience with running distilled. Thanks.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

Are you talking about putting this in your rad? Well its very safe, ive used it for many years and it helps keep your water pump cleaner along with the coolant, and you dont get build up in your radiator aswell.

 

[NHerron]

I've only run it straight for a few days just to do a flush. Yes it has no minerals but if minerals get into the system (eventually they will) then there will be nothing to combat against corrosion/rust/electrolysis which is what the additives contained in a jug of coolant are for. You'll also hear about the coolant lubricating the water pump seal but I'm not sure about that anymore from some recent reading.

 

[Ozone302]

Yeah its fine. But why? Just get 50/50 and be done with it.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

I've only run it straight for a few days just to do a flush. Yes it has no minerals but if minerals get into the system (eventually they will) then there will be nothing to combat against corrosion/rust/electrolysis which is what the additives contained in a jug of coolant are for. You'll also hear about the coolant lubricating the water pump seal but I'm not sure about that anymore from some recent reading.

Yeah ive heard that about the seal but i think its bull, straight water will still help lube it, maybe not as good as oil etc but as its fluid then it will do something. I only run a 30c 70w mix which keeps it cooler, ive had this in my car for 2 years and i also had straight distilled water in my run about for years with out no issue

 

[Cesarlcase]

Are you talking about putting this in your rad? Well its very safe, ive used it for many years and it helps keep your water pump cleaner along with the coolant, and you dont get build up in your radiator aswell.

Yeah, I'm talking about in the radiator. I'm just running it temporarily as I've heard it keeps the temps lower especially now that the summer is coming. But once the weather starts dropping, i plan on putting in the 50/50 mix. Glad to hear your car has run well with the distilled.

 

[NHerron]

Ec17pse nice license plate by the way saw it in the plates thread.

Yeah I read some things lately about modern water pumps but on the fence about it still. Besides, we need antifreeze over here, its cold!

I do the same 30a/70w in the summer time but also throw in a bottle of water wetter

 

[Cesarlcase]

I've only run it straight for a few days just to do a flush. Yes it has no minerals but if minerals get into the system (eventually they will) then there will be nothing to combat against corrosion/rust/electrolysis which is what the additives contained in a jug of coolant are for. You'll also hear about the coolant lubricating the water pump seal but I'm not sure about that anymore from some recent reading.

Yeah, that's true. I guess I'll add some water pump Lube which is supposed to also protect the system from rust etc. Just curious, what water temps do you guys generally see with weather in the high 70s? I'm seeing 199.4F average to 201f every now and then.

 

[NHerron]

Well I have the stock thermostat and use the stock gauge for now (in the process of learning to tune so I dont have numbers) I also have a fairly large FMIC but with the proper ducting and the needle never goes above halfway. Which is an awesome improvement. Temps are 70*f lately

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

Its over 100* here everyday pretty much from May to October, plus i have a big FMIC. I run my coolant/water at a 25/75 mix. The easy way to do this is by the 50/50 mix and dilute it 50/50 with distilled water. This will give you 25/75. You get the better cooling from distilled water and the protection from coolant additives. Win, win. This combined with a healthy cooling system (Good fans as in no ebay slim fans, no air in the system, ducting on the FMIC, good thermostat and radiator cap, good head gasket, etc) will prevent any worries of overheating ever.

Just curious, what water temps do you guys generally see with weather in the high 70s? I'm seeing 199.4F average to 201f every now and then.

Cruising on the highway in 100* ambient temps I see coolant temps of 180-190*. At idle I see temps of 203-206*, which is when my fans kick on.

 

[Cesarlcase]

Its over 100* here everyday pretty much from May to October, plus i have a big FMIC. I run my coolant/water at a 25/75 mix. The easy way to do this is by the 50/50 mix and dilute it 50/50 with distilled water. This will give you 25/75. You get the better cooling from distilled water and the protection from coolant additives. Win, win. This combined with a healthy cooling system (Good fans as in no ebay slim fans, no air in the system, ducting on the FMIC, good thermostat and radiator cap, good head gasket, etc) will prevent any worries of overheating ever.



Cruising on the highway in 100* ambient temps I see coolant temps of 180-190*. At idle I see temps of 203-206*, which is when my fans kick on.

I've never heard of ducting the fmic, how would I go about doing this and what benefits are we talking?

Well I have the stock thermostat and use the stock gauge for now (in the process of learning to tune so I dont have numbers) I also have a fairly large FMIC but with the proper ducting and the needle never goes above halfway. Which is an awesome improvement. Temps are 70*f lately

I have stock t stat too. Around between the second and 3rd dash, you're seeing 204 degrees. At operating temps, It's 93c when the fan kicks on with stock thermostat.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Distilled water is hydrogen and oxygen.Tap water contains minerals, and over a long period of time, you can develope mineral deposits on the water pump..

Could be harmless or could cause problems. I stared to not use tap water about a year ago..So only distilled for me now.

 

[NHerron]

Is your profile up to date? A FMIC is a front mount inter cooler which is placed in front of the condensor/radiator. A lot of people slap one on but dont seal the gaps so the air ends up bypassing the condensor/radiator due to the path of least resistance. So if the gaps are sealed, the air is forced/channeled to go through all three cores instead of flow through just the FMIC and then escaping out the sides and around condensor/radiator

 

[LiquidX]

50/50 is preferred and the antifreeze raises the boiling point of the water and is also both a corrosion inhibitor and a lubricant for the water pump.

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

I've never heard of ducting the fmic, how would I go about doing this and what benefits are we talking?

As mentioned, you route the air passing through the FMIC up into the radiator, thus forcing it to cool the coolant as opposed to escaping. I made mine out of sheet metal.

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Distilled water is hydrogen and oxygen.Tap water contains minerals, and over a long period of time, you can develope mineral deposits on the water pump...

Water is H2O Bud, so 2 hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom. That is not what makes distilled water distilled. Distilled water is water that has been boiled into steam and then condensed back into a clean container to remove all impurities. That is the only type of water that should be used in an automotive coolant system. That is a given. The OP is asking about running only water, as opposed to a coolant/anti-freeze mix.

 

[boost97gst]

Ive done it on my old camaro for a few months of summer. It ran fine. Not sure if it caused any problems but the car lasted til 175k miles and i sold it. Of course in the winter i used 50/50 mix.

 

[1fastlaser]

I run almost all distilled water with a bottle or 2 of water wetter and a tad of coolant....spring summer fall. Water at 16-18 psi has a 250-260 boiling point.

 

[HadesOmega]

Dependent on where you live and the temperature you can run more water than coolant. Like some above me said you should always use distilled water when you mix your coolant. I don't suggest running straight water because even though the water is pure your ALWAYS going to have impurities. Coolant is a rust inhibitor and it helps lubricate your water pump. Its also good for your head gasket.

So I don't recommend straight water. You can do like 80/20 or something as long as you have some coolant in there.

 

[hediki12]

I agree with hadesomega. In jamaica my car runs distilled h2o with enough coolant to give it a hint of green . In the summer i ran a 80/20 mix in ny and winter pre mixed 50/50.