Engine coolant is more than just antifreeze

[FieroJimmy]

Well, since I've moved up here to the great semi-frozen North I've discovered the miracle of engine coolant. (Not really, but I will probably be a little more religious about using it.)

After not driving my Fiero for a couple weeks, I decided to drive it to work the other day. So, I get in it and take off down the block, only to discover a cloud of steam following me down the street. Oh, damn, not good , back home quick, and swap cars, go to work, etc.

Now, I know better than this (ASE Master Tech), but recently I've been dealing with a slight coolant leak by just adding water when necessary, rather than pressure testing the thing and just fixing the problem, and I must have added water once too often. During a cold snap a few weeks ago I was being lazy and didn't feel like putting the car back into the garage, so I left it out...

I'm sure you can imagine what happened to the "antifreeze"... yup it froze.

But the engine hasn't suffered any major damage since I wasn't too careful about using the coolant back when I lived in Tampa, and I'm sure the previous owners of my car weren't either. Instead of damaging the heads or block, pushing out a freeze plug, bursting the radiator, or a hose it blew a hole in my intake manifold. See below...





Now what does this have to do with the subject of this post? Here's the inside of the manifold...



And a replacement (what it should look like)...



In case it isn't clear, the manifold on the car had corroded almost the whole way through, due to just water being in the system.

So, for all of you still somewhere it doesn't freeze, don't be lazy (or cheap) and make sure you've got enough coolant in your cars. Aluminum doesn't like water by itself.

Just a friendly reminder :thumbleft:

[CincinnatiFiero]

Ew that looks nasty.

[p8ntman442]

your idea of "what it should look like" is very disturbing.

[Xanth]

your idea of "what it should look like" is very disturbing.

Yeah, that replacement is kinda nasty looking too.

[FieroJimmy]

your idea of "what it should look like" is very disturbing.

The "what it should look like" picture is immediately after getting it home from the junkyard, without cleaning it. There's still bits of the old gasket I hadn't scraped off, and some sludge from the other engine under the manifold. But, I didn't mean the coloration, I meant the condition of the casting. When you look at the replacement you can still see the original casting texture. In the old one the aluminum has been flaking away and you can see the top of the passage is clearly rounded near the top, the replacement is a flat surface, except for the casting texture. Yes, I should have fired up the compressor and sandblasted the inside to make it all pretty for it's picture, but I didn't feel like it. And, I really don't think it would have photographed any better.

[Kohburn]

if you don't use anti-freeze then you should atleast use water-wetter which has anti-corrosion additives.