jcthorne

Sorry but your ignorance of this particular product that already existed in industrial cooling systems and adapted to high performance automotive use is glaring. I bet you are a fine mechanic but please, do not bad mouth a product that is well proven for a specific purpose. There are many 'miracle cures in a can' that are every bit as bad as you say. This is not one of them. It does exactly what it claims. Don't deter folks that may need it toward ethylene gylcol antifreeze that will make thier cooling problem worse and provide freeze protection most antique car owner do not need.

I have personally used WW for better than 20 yrs and design industrial cooling systems as part of my profession. WW does what it says, and has no harmful side effects or deposits. I dare say you have never made a cent 'correcting' anything WW has done to an engine.

KMatch

I'm not picking on any one product so much as the thought of patching a problem. There are some good products out there and this one might make the list. I don't know. The problem is in using these as a bandaid when a proper repair is in order. "IF" a car is performing fine and someone finds some of these products to give a push in the right direction, go for it. Too many times someone falls for the leak sealers and other crap to fix a problem after the fact. A car that is running a high temp needs to be fixed - otherwise the problem that lead up to the bandaid will continue to get worse.

Let's say an engine that ran 185* for years slowly starts to run 205* due to calcium buildup. Pour in some WW and it "magically" drops in temp. Do you pat yourself on the back for "fixing it" or do you go to bed knowing full well the calcium will get worse and after a period of time even WW won't work any more? Do you tell the next poor SOB who buys the car about the bandaid or let him just get pissed when he does a coolant service and now it runs 205* and can't figure out what he broke with a simple fluid change (read explanation below)? My problem lies with the folks that pat themselves on the back calling it "fixed" (no one in this thread qualifies. It's a general point of view based on most snake oils)

Let me put it this way: This stuff is total crap for "fixing" cars. To enhance performance on a car that otherwise doesn't need it? No sweat. To call it a "fix"? No thanks...


Explanation to above: A popular case of why these tactics tick me off... One method is with a worn out POS that smokes due to worn out rings. Certain types of oil (not to be mentioned here) won't smoke so the scumbag, er, soon to be ex-owner, changes the oil to this type and sells it. The "new" owner loves his "new" ride and goes to get the oil changed 3-5000 miles AFTER buying it. Yep, he gets the regular oil each of us uses day to day and now his car smokes to high hell. Gee... Who should we blame? Naturally... the oil change dude cause it never smoked until he touched it!

Get back to me with these magic bottles when we're playing with enhancements and not calling something "fixed". Being on the losing end of cases like above, well, sucks.

Starfury

I agree 100%. I sell parts all day and I always get someone asking me "my car burns oil, what oil additive should I use?" or "I'm leaking coolant/refridgerant, which stop-leak should I use?" I hate selling that kind of stuff. I even get the couple customers who have nothing wrong with their car at all, but insist they need some sort of oil additive (ie. Lucas, ugh) for who knows what reason. I try to set them straight if I can, but some people are just too dense.

Change your oil religiously, use synthetic if possible, flush your coolant every 2 years, service your tranny and differential as recommended, fix your a/c system if it leaks, and you'll never need any of these 'fix-in-a-can' products.

jcthorne

I have to say I mostly agree with your feelings about 'fixing' a broken car with any pour in product. The car needs to be fixed properly.

I was coming at this from a different perspective. I own a 65 GT with factory air. Its well known that 65/66s with air could not sit in traffic with the air on on 100+ deg days when they were new. I live in Houston and if I am going to own this car, I am going to drive it. Sitting in Houston traffic with the air on with 105deg air temps is a fact of life here. A few changes to the original design that are well hidden and still look stock make the car able to do this without the gage even moving past 200deg...

The car was not broken. But it is better suited to my uses now. There are many folks here that are dealing with other than factory original situations. WW can help. So can 4 core radiators, lincoln water pump pullies, 7 blade fans, high flow water pumps etc.

JamesW

Same here.... all I've run in my 65 for 10 years. No issues

4reboy

so you all recommend using simply distilled water with water wetter as opposed to the antifreeze and water 50/50 mix?

Right now I have the antifreeze and water mix WITH water wetter and it seemed to keep my temperatures down... there isn't a problem with using water wetter with the 50/50 mix right?

and do you really need to use distilled water? I've just used water from my kitchen with no problems that I know of. Before I take my car up to school I'm probably going to flush all the fluids so I'm just wondering if using distilled really does make a difference.

sorry if i'm hijacking a bit, but to stay on topic I've had water wetter in my car for a a year or so now with no problems... granted it hasn't been driven much since last summer but still haha

KMatch

Tap water works 99% of the time with no issues. It does lead to more problems with electrolysis and mineral buildup over time. Proper service every 2 years or better will reduce these problems. Many radiator companies won't warranty their products without proof of distilled water. It's just better overall. Rarely used in the real world, but better. The last supply I bought was only 83 cents/gallon. Not a big expense, just a pain to have to go buy it when a faucet is so close!

KMatch

We don't really disagree. These issues just need to be clarified in a public forum as so many DIYers read these looking for a quick fix and will run right out to VatoZone and buy all the bling and can-o-crap fit-it-all items they can find all the while trying to convince each other the check engine light is only a maintenance reminder. Some of these bandaids actually work... Hopefully by my being an ***, some folks will take a moment to look past the bandaid and attempt a cure first. The bad part is the car in this thread is probably still unfixed due to a major derailment.

Back on track: BTW, it probably has head gasket issues or a leaking trans cooler (if it's an automatic) in the radiator. "IF" it has a leaking trans cooler, the trans needs to be checked as well since coolant flow into the trans will totally wipe it out. A trans cooler leak will allow flow both ways - oil into the radiator and coolant into the trans - between hot and cold cycles. Just one more thing to consider.

69mach1377

Vatozone = funny

urban_cowboy

You would not say that if you lived in South Texas or the Hill Country. Using tap water in a radiator will cause problems 100% of the time in those areas. When the coolant/water is heated and cooled, it deposited the minerals in it. We used tap water from San Antonio in a work truck. The radiator was 60% restricted in two years.

If you are going to run water or mix your own coolant, use distilled and not tap or filtered water. Distilled does not have minerals to deposit in your block, intake, heads, and radiator. It may not be a big problem if you live in an area with very soft water, but distilled water is cheap insurance.

As for Water Wetter, I do not know if it helps. I run it in several of my older performance vehicles without cooling issues. I still have no issues with Water Wetter, so it may help some or it may just be smoke and mirrors. It is kinda a cool idea though, so I use it.