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PSA: I was using the wrong coolant mix for aluminum for years
I kept getting a white, gummy residue on my parts and the machine ways. A guy from a shop in Tacoma visited last month, saw my setup, and asked what my water-to-coolant ratio was. I told him I just eyeballed it, maybe one part coolant to ten parts water. He laughed and said for aluminum you need a much richer mix, like one to five, to prevent that exact gunk. Has anyone else had to change their coolant habits for different materials?
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the_seth5mo ago
One part to ten is basically running straight water. I'm surprised you weren't having worse problems with rust and corrosion on the cast iron. That gummy mess must have been a real headache to clean up.
5
felix_thomas735mo ago
Ever wonder why some old timers swear by weak coolant mixes? I used to think they were just being cheap. But after seeing how that thin mix left almost no protection inside the block, it clicked. The rust was minimal because the gunk coated everything first, acting like a nasty sealant. Cleaning that mess was way harder than dealing with some surface rust. Now I get why the right mix matters so much.
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david8213mo ago
Got to agree with you on that, @felix_thomas73 could write a book on the hard way to learn a lesson. I tried a cheap mix like that once on an old Ford truck years back, figuring I was saving a buck. Ended up with a slime factory in the block that took a week of flushing and scraping to clear out. Felt like the biggest fool in the shop, standing there with a coat hanger trying to fish out wads of jelly. Definitely taught me that coolant ratio is not the place to get creative.
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