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6.5 over heating

Water wetter works. Been proven time and again in testing. There's a reason why racers use it - it aids in the transfer of heat from block/head metal to the coolant and from the coolant to the radiator metal because it's a surfacant and that helps the engine run cooler.
 
This was just the first review that popped up in a search. Was not engaged in adverse selection (ie trying to find a negative reveiw).

www.thetruthaboutcars.com

Redline WaterWetter(R) Review

TTAC's Michael Posner reviews Redline's WaterWetter
www.thetruthaboutcars.com www.thetruthaboutcars.com

Redline WaterWetter(R) Review​

February 22nd, 2008 10:36 AMShare


redline waterwetter r review

Inexpensive products that promise significant improvements to your car’s performance are almost always fool’s gold. This is especially true for engine additives (*cough* STP *cough*). However, there’s one company with a sterling reputation for delivering on its promises: Redline Synthetic. Since 1979, the Benicia, California company has been selling coolants, fuel additives and lubricants to the automotive, motorcycle, marine and industrial markets. As part of their range, Redline offer a product called WaterWetter®. They claim their potion can reduce car coolant temperatures by as much as 30ºF. That’s hot! I mean, not.
I reckoned it’d be a doddle to test the bottle. I’d simply run my car sans Redline’s additive and check the coolant temperature. Then, following the instructions on the bottle with my usual precision, I’d give my mount the magic potion, drive the same test loop and measure the temp again.
For the mechanically challenged, installation of WaterWetter® could not be easier. Assuming you can open your hood, open your hood (when it is cold, otherwise prepare for a scalding). Locate the radiator fluid intake point (RTFM if necessary). If you have too much fluid in the overflow tank (above the line labeled max), simply siphon off 12 ounces before installing, as overfilling is a really bad idea. Open the radiator cap (or on most modern cars, the overflow tank) and pour in the full bottle of WaterWetter®, funnel optional.
Before I reveal the results of my test, let’s look at Redline's claims for WaterWetter®'s effects on your cooling system:
• Doubles the wetting ability of water

• Improves heat transfer

• Reduces cylinder head temperatures

• May allow more spark advance for increased torque

• Reduces rust, corrosion and electrolysis of all metals

• Provides long term corrosion protection

• Cleans and lubricates water pump seals

• Prevents foaming

• Reduces cavitation corrosion

• Complexes with hard water to reduce scale
According to Redline, WaterWetter®’s greatest benefits accrue to those cars running straight water in their cooling system– which doesn't include anyone living in snow country. Translation: WaterWetter® offers all the normal protection benefits of regular coolant to people who don't use regular coolant. Oh, at a lower temperature. Well, theoretically…
Strangely, Redline’s own test results don’t square with their ad copy. Their technical literature only shows an eight degree Fahrenheit drop in a car with a 50/50 mix of water and coolant, and an eighteen degree Fahrenheit drop for a car running 100 percent water.
I used a VagCom system (reads sensor data directly from the ECU) for my tests. The pre-WaterWetter® installation delivered temperatures between 96 and 98 degrees centigrade (or 205 to 208 degrees Fahrenheit for the Americans). The post-installation temperature stayed steady at 96 degrees centigrade. Clearly, not the results advertised.
Other websites have tested WaterWetter® and also concluded that the overall decrease in coolant temperature is marginal. So WaterWetter®’s benefits either lie elsewhere (or nowhere). That assessment requires a certain level of trust with Redline products. In my experience, based on their oil products, they deserve this trust.
In reviewing the technical literature on Redline’s website, WaterWetter® claims to reduce hot spots in a car’s cylinder head. In theory at least, this reduces the possibility of localized overheating, improving engine longevity. Supposedly, WaterWetter® also protects aluminum products in the cooling system from excessive heat and cavitation caused by vapor bubbles forming inside the cylinder head and water pump.
In addition, for cars running straight water, WaterWetter® provides some additional protection. This includes traditional coolant roles of reducing corrosion and lubrication of water pump seals. For cars caned on the track or driven in the summer only, a water-only engine and cooling system solution will lead to problems. However, for cars with a tradition 50/50 mix of water and trad coolant, these benefits are already present without WaterWetter®.
WaterWetter® is available at auto parts stores and online for less than $10 a bottle. One bottle is good for an entire cooling system, and lasts as long as you properly keep fluid in your system (assuming you follow the recommended practice of flushing your cooling system every two years or 30,000 miles).
Since WaterWetter® has no readily measurable benefit, should you consider putting this in your car? That depends on your personality and your relationship with your car.
If you’re like me, you like buying stuff for your car in the HOPES of improving power, performance, mileage or longevity (I put Chevron Techron in my tank every 1000 miles). It’s true: I’m a sucker for products that have the POTENTIAL to improve the car, even without any possibility of measuring the results. This is doubly true if the cost isn’t prohibitive and there isn’t any risk of a downside.
In other words, fool’s gold is as good as gold to a fool.
 
@Stoney, when's the last time you cleaned out the stack on it? I mean really clean, like using detergent, a soft bristle brush and a hose sprayer/power washer and cleaned out the gunk between the cooling fins of the oil cooler, A/C condenser and the radiator, cleaned out all the crap like leaves, dirt, bugs, etc that build up in the space between the radiator/coolers/grill? Also, making sure the fan shroud has a good seal around the radiator and a good seal around the components of the stack helps to make sure the maximum amount of air is pulled through it all by the fan.
 
I have used it before and didn't notice any difference.

I think the users mileage may vary, but I feel it has to do with a "if" the cooling system is working as good as it can and it's in near perfect condition. anything blocking air flow or plugging the innards of a radiator hurting the cooling ability, water wetter won't do a thing to help.
 
You guys do realize in a functioning system with a thermostat that the thermostat is going to maintain that temperature regardless of how well the cooling system operates. To add a bottle and expect the temp to drop lower than the stat is not a reasonable test. If you're consistently running above the stat is where you'd see the most reduction.
 
ak diesel driver said:
You guys do realize in a functioning system with a thermostat that the thermostat is going to maintain that temperature regardless of how well the cooling system operates. To add a bottle and expect the temp to drop lower than the stat is not a reasonable test. If you're consistently running above the stat is where you'd see the most reduction.
Click to expand...
That was/is the case on my son's '94 and saw no reduction.
 
I think I recalled reading on here somewhere to NOT use the diesel version of water wetter in the 6.5 for some reason...can anyone speak to that?

I've found that foaming engine cleaner & degreaser is great for cleaning any kind of radiator/ cooler with aluminum fins. Whatever is in that stuff really dissolves dirt caked in between the fins. Spray the cleaner on, let the foam do its thing for a few, then gently spray with a garden hose from back to front and it all comes out clean

Also using any air box that pulls outside air through the fender instead of underhood heat will make a massive difference in coolant temps. At least that's been my experience.
 
@Husker6.5 I haven't cleaned it probably in 2+ yrs.. that's cheap and easy( like my ex ) lol.. so probably good to do that this coming week and flush the system at same time and put green bug juice in..and gonna get that Preston flush to use.. is regular Preston green antifreeze fine to use or should I look for a certain one?
 
@Stoney when you go to clean the stack, do you have an air compressor and blow gun? what I do is remove the front grille and the upper half of the fan shroud. blow out both coolers, then the condenser and radiator from both sides. look in between the condenser and radiator for grass and leaves. I usually do this first before getting anything wet. Learned this from my work. our equipment get so dirty that if we wash the coolers or radiators out with water before blowing out, the dirt turns to an adobe brick!
 
The diesel one is high nitrates. So for cummins and such it is the one. Our engine causes the nitrates to build up in the heads, and drop out of suspension turning into a mud like substance. We need the one for gasoline engines.

Water wetter is a surfactant. This means It lessens the surface tension of the water.
When you look at water on metal under a microscope you see that just more than half of the water is there and the rest is suspended ever so slightly above it. This is surface tension. Adding a surfactant to it literally makes more of the water get in contact with the metal. The more water in contact means the hot engine metal can transfer the heat into the water better. Then when the hot water has more contact with the radiator, it will transfer more heat to the radiator.

Then there is a thing called the Leidenfrost effect. Basically when you heat up metal to anything above 300f, the water barely touches the metal, and a layer of steam keeps the rest of the water from touching the metal. A surfactant really helps fight the Leidenfrost effect.

You might not think your engine is over 300, the gauge says 200, right? Wrong ElCapitan. Your temp probe is 200, but the top of the pistons is 750f at points. The cylinder walls are around 650f on the piston side for a moment when the fuel burns. The water side of cylinder walls are 550f. The head around the valves and “steam pockets” are living in the 600f range 1/4 of the time. So rethink how hot the metal is where the water comes in contact with it.

If mentioning surface tension and Leidenfrost didn’t spark memories of high school science class, YouTube search them- it is pretty cool thing to learn.

Water Wetter doesn’t always make the numbers lower where you can see it. Most user, myself included, will notice a faster time from higher heat to cooling off. Climbing a long hill here I would only go as fast as the temp would stay at 210. Then top of the hill it would take me the 2 miles on the flat top to get back to 200.

Adding the water wetter, i still drove based on the 210 temp reading climbing the hill. So it got just as hot, but now it would bot take all 2 miles to get back to normal, only 1.5 miles.

There was a video with a high perf small block Chevy on a dyno with NO thermostat. He ran it for something like 5 hours at high rpm loaded by the dyno so he was putting out like 400hp (can’t remember numbers). Using water & recording the temp.
Then he did it again with water wetter. The first 5 minutes were the same. Difference came after running continuously a long time- the temp drop was 30°f.
This was their evidence used in advertising the 30° drop. When people had regular trucks that had the thermostat- (a 190 stat will get you up to 190 like AK mentioned) they don’t see the temp drop because the stat forces it to retain heat.... the Technical description of a thermostat. So the people tried suing redline and lost.

I have ran thermostats from 180 to 205. When it is 190 and higher stat- you will never see any difference unless you tow hills and monitor before and after adding water wetter and how long it takes to recover. You run 180 and tow that hill- you will DEFINITELY see the difference. Even running on cold days and the truck was empty, driving easy- I could see the difference also.
 
Adding water wetter is not a fix all. No magic bullet.
It is one part, one item of many things you can do that all up for more efficient cooling.

@Stoney
It is a final step to do- in your current situation, do not spend the money on it.
Backing your foot off the throttle 20% is a better option currently.
 
dbrannon79 said:
I have used it before and didn't notice any difference.

I think the users mileage may vary, but I feel it has to do with a "if" the cooling system is working as good as it can and it's in near perfect condition. anything blocking air flow or plugging the innards of a radiator hurting the cooling ability, water wetter won't do a thing to help.
Click to expand...
 
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