Does anyone have any first hand experience using EVANs coolant that can enlighten me with the results? I have heard lots of "I have heard" statements but now personal use. Possible use in my blown 276 flathead. Thanks, Fourdy
First hand use? No, only my thoughts on Evans. If your blown engine is a new build then that would be a plus, you won’t need to buy the Evans conditioner treatment that eliminates all water from every hidden pocket in the castings. Then there is the cost of the products themselves along with the fact that if you should be on the road and somehow suffer a coolant loss you cannot just add water to top off the radiator. But you can always carry another $50 gallon with you. Are you possibly concerned with what some say about a blown engine running hotter? I have not had any issues with that and I think if the carbs, timing, radiator and fan are right everything will be fine without the $$$ of Evans. JMO
You need to understand how it works. I spent about 30 minutes talking with them at an NHRA race. Your temperature gauge MAY actually read a higher number than with water..! The reason, it's pulling more heat from from the system, mostly the combustion chamber area (the hottest part of any running engine). IF...you have a really well designed coolant system, you may not notice this. It's other and "main" claim to fame, is that its boiling point is higher than water or any mix of water and other chemicals. So...at 230° on the temp. gauge, there should be no coolant on the ground, again, as long as your system is up to the task. Waters boiling point - 212°, no cap pressure. Waters boiling point under pressure - depends on the pressure. Evens boiling point - 375°, no cap pressure. WAY above any water under pressure. So, as you can see, your engine will have to get AWFUL hot to boil, and leave it's "stuff" on the ground. Mike
The "if it leaks out for any reason you have to have more with you to refill it" would be a big deal killer for me. An expensive roll back ride home or having to figure out how to get my truck and trailer to where I was with the broke down vehicle rather than grabbing a couple of jugs of distilled or drinking water and topping it off and heading home would be a real pain in the ass. Maybe on a trailer queen show car that seldom sees freeway miles except in the cozy confines of the enclosed trailer behind the dualie it would be viable as it wouldn't be as likely to puke while playing pro fairground at and event.
Ran it in my 34 pickup with a 53 flattie for several years. I was impressed especially when pulling off a high speed run....no steam. Also I was sold on what they said bout steam pockets in older engines, the cause of cracks around exhaust valve seats. If I recall, they said you could top it off with water in an emergency. It's expensive but good insurance.
Not arguing with you, just some thoughts that come to mind when reading this. So, think about the rest of the engine at that temp. The coolant may not boil, but what happens to the head gaskets? How much pressure is that in the system? Is the cap rated for that much pressure? Are the rest of the cooling system components able to stand that pressure? So if the coolant expands enough that system pressure opens the cap relief and coolant spews out of the system, does it matter that the coolant doesn't boil? What happens to the pistons at that temperature? The stuff may be really great and advanced coolant, but if the rest of the engine components and cooling system components are not equally as advanced, is it really effective to use it?
I agree with Gman0046 comment and not to be argumentative but.......If you're running a ford flathead with a stock radiator ('39) as I was the temp is going to run from 195-200 with the stock 2lb cap. Coming off a 60mph run to a stop the radiator is probably going to blow some steam. I tried a higher pressure cap and blew the top tank out. I finally had an aluminum radiator made(a copy) and it still ran as hot before I put in Evans Coolant, but I could us a higher pressure cap. It ran cooler after Evans. Anybody who fools with ford flatheads knows they don't have the best cooling design going.
The question to ask is "what is the specific heat of Evans Coolant" ? Their literature states that it is "0.64 to 0.68" Water is has a specific heat of 1.0 Just because it boils at a higher temperature doesn't mean that it transfers heat better, as a matter of fact it is less efficient than a 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol and water that has a specific heat of 0.815 (varies with temperature) Do you want to transfer heat or not boil over? If you don't mind everything at a higher operating temperature...use it I like to run 30% ethylene glycol and water it has a specific heat above 0.90 and still has a freezing burst protection of minus 50 degrees F
One of the great advantages of Evans is that when you have an engine that is a combination of materials ( ie: cast iron block, aluminum head(s) or water manifolds, copper head gasket, etc) you are going to get massive amounts of internal corrosion with regular antifreeze or water. With Evans, there is no corrosion issues. It is extremely protective of aluminum, brass, bronze, iron, etc and will not cause rot or corrosion like most other coolants. The other advantage is that Evans gets to operating temperature quicker than normal coolants as it stays "thick" until it warms up. This is great if you are driving your car in colder temperatures or you have a car that takes a long time to get to operating temperature, which is a typical characteristic of some prewar engines. The above two statements come from nearly 15 years of MY PERSONAL USE of Evans coolant in a variety of prewar, vintage engines. If your engine is running hot. FIX IT. Evans-or anything else-is not going to fix an engine that is prone to overheating or overheats on a regular basis. Engines aren't supposed to overheat. Even the engines that are prone to overheating are not supposed to overheat. If your car overheats, it's got a problem, simple as that. If your car is prone to leaking or tossing coolant out of the radiator, fix the problem before you try to use Evans. If you are not going to fix the leaking or water tossing, don't use Evans because you will be wasting product and money. Evans is a great product to enhance and protect your cooling system and all of the areas that coolant passes through on your engine. It is not meant to be a band-aid in a bottle.
We're missing one of the main advantages of Evans here. Those of us who have built rebuilt flatheads know that cracks appear around the exhaust seats. This is caused by steam pockets that form in high heat areas like exhaust seats preventing the coolant from cooling around the seats. Evans is not as likely to boil away as other coolants.
Does Evans pressurize the Radiator like regular coolant tends to? Sent from my SM-N950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The high boiling point may be good... unless you get it too hot, the melting point of the solder in a copper/brass radiator can actually be below the boiling point of that coolant. Ouch.
As Winduptoy already pointed out, the apparent "specific heat"of Evans sacrifices the ability to transfer heat which is sort of the whole purpose of a liquid cooled system
I built a 471 blown 8BA, .125 over and while I don't have a lot of drive time in summer weather I have had no issues with temperature yet. I have 2 temp gauges and they monitor a sending unit in each head (electric senders). I have 2 185 temp t'stats in the heads and a 180 degree trigger in the radiator for the electric fan. I have had the fan cycle on and off while idling but I have noted no overheat conditions. I know my post isn't answering your question as I have no working knowledge of the product but I offer the post as evidence that these motors are forged in the river styx. I also worry about any product that cant be found easily when a breakdown occurs like Dot 5 fluid or Evans coolant. Good luck and remember the picture rule.
The liquid viscosity of Evans is about 18% greater therefore it more pressure to flow thru your motor (reduced flow means lower heat transfer) lower specific heat water 1.0 Evans .74 ) Water by itself is about (18+26) better but Evans has other pluses than a "coolant" go for it. 36fordguy
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