Was just watching Wheeler Dealers and they used a waterless lifetime coolant on a rebuilt TR6. I found the company called Evans. It is $32.99 per 1/2 gallon on amazon. You have to completely flush your system and fill only with this stuff. He demonstrated how it runs pressure less on the show by taking off the radiator cap at operating temp with no back pressure or spillage. The stuff freezes at -40F and boils at 375F! It is also not corrosive to engines. Could this be the answer to our HG problems, or is pressure not the main issue of overheating?

 

Haha someone just posted this on my Volvo forum too.... It was posted on this forum a couple days ago. It sounds good for vehicles that sit a lot, but not much history on it here.

 

Must have missed that one, but even it not sitting a lot wouldn't it heating up to say 240-260 and not pressurizing cause the system to run fine? I mean these gaskets don't dissolve in high heat do they? Unless the aluminum is bending this should work. This needs some real world rover testing.

 

Here's a detailed break down of it. It's by an Evans employee, so take it with a grain of salt. It all seems feasible though.
How To Solve Cooling System Problems And Increase Cooling Efficiency - Engine / Clutch / Exhaust - ThumperTalk

 

I'll take the position that while the waterless stuff may work fine for racing or seldom used engines, you'll still have heat problems with Rover. You would still want to change to a 180F stat.

It is not the "boiling" that causes the problems. So running hotter without boiling is still running hotter. I would venture to guess that the engine block and heads two molecules away from the water jacket have no knowledge of the liquid chemistry in the cooling system.

Now if you are worried about the bubbles forming on the walls of the system then the water wetter style products can handle that.

IMHO the older Rovers with English thermostats ran at a temperature of 82c or 88c wide open stat. Right there in the old sections of the RAVE. In the US that is not achieved with a US model marked for 195F, which starts to open around 195 and gets to fully open at 210 - 215. The Rover engine is a late 50's Buick design, rights bought from GM. The 63 Skylark sported a 180F stat. The "modern" stuff is all the things added on (CATS, fuel injection, engine management, SAI) to make it "smell better" so we can all keep breathing.

The D2 packs more stuff under the hood, and shrinks the radiator as compared to a D1. The 180F soft spring stat is a great mod for most D2 owners.

You can run the temp up for fewer emissions, but I'll take cooler and more moderate operation. There will always be some pressure in the cooling system, because you have a water pump, about 2.4 gallons per minute at 10 PSI at 1000 rpm. The head gaskets common point of failure is the "thin" area around the fore/aft water channels. Some will say that water can't compress. But water with air bubbles can. This area of the gasket is way thin compared to other places on the gasket.

So wimpy gasket + neva chainz koolant + sludged radiator + gauge designed to lull you into confidence + owner that likes listening to the bubble music under the dash = higher temps, greater swing, and pretty soon the economy of the local mechanic is improved, or two bottles of stopz leakz are installed just before the auto auction. And it becomes the next owner's problem.

 

Well that was almost poetic. I agree though. These poor engines were not made for all the add ons they have now.

 

Lipstick on a pig...

 

Jay Leno is using it in a few of his older EXPENSIVE vehicles. He's got a couple videos on his web site. He never says he recommends it in normal vehicles though. I'm sure he's afraid of anyone blaming and suing him later. But he does seem convinced it's worth it on some vehicles. He's been using it for over 14 years now.

The Videos are worth watching, then make your own decisions on what you think works for you.

 

owner that likes listening to the bubble music under the dash

I've noticed a sound like sloshing water under the dash of my Discovery. I think it only happens when the engine is cold, but I may be wrong. Any thoughts on what I am hearing?
Since I have driven the truck less than 150 miles since I bought it I am still unclear on what all it's gremlins are and how many I fixed with the coolant hose and heater plate replacement yesterday.

 

A vehicle that is not driven much, but needs to run with minimum maintenance (like museum cars, a once a year change the high light bulbs articulated lift, a Zodiac Rigid Hull Infalatable SOLAS boat with Volvo diesel and sealed coolant to sea water heat exchanger) - could benefit from the coolant. But Rover won't want to run hotter.

Dgosh28 - the sloshing sound is under dash is air in the coolant (which you should bleed out ). If it keeps coming back you have a leak (loss of coolant, like around a clamp). Or it can be exhaust gas from a blown head gasket. The auto parts stores sell / loan a chemical test that changes color if exhaust gas is in the coolant.