I have a 1970 SII that heats up when I get in slow traffic.
Out on the open road it is fine. Does anyone have any experience
using water wetter and will it help resist overheating in my
situation? Any suggestions will be appreciated.–
Terry789tt
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Terry789tt sent Sun 11 Jun 2006:
Terry,
‘‘heats up when I get in slow traffic’’ does not sound like a
problem to me. How hot does it get? Have you verified the
accuracy of the temp gauge (they are notoriously unreliable).
A properly operating and maintained stock cooling, especially on
a S2, should be just fine in any conditions you throw at it. If
it’s truly overheating, you’ve got a problem that needs to be
addressed, not band-aided with something like WaterWetter(which
will have a very, very minimal effect).–
Ray Livingston - '64 OTS Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz, CA, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Terry789tt sent Sun 11 Jun 2006:
If you read the instructions for Water Wetter, you’ll see
that its effectiveness is lessened in relation to the
amount of antifreeze in the system. Little or no antifreeze
means increased corrosion in the engine. I second Ray’s
advice that if it’s truly overheating find the real cause
and fix it instead of perhaps making the situation worse.
Have you checked that your fans are operating properly?–
The original message included these comments:
I have a 1970 SII that heats up when I get in slow traffic.
Out on the open road it is fine. Does anyone have any experience
using water wetter and will it help resist overheating in my
situation? Any suggestions will be appreciated.
–
Jack Terrick 66 FHC
Greensburg, PA, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
I experienced the same issues you described…it was solved by replacing the
twin square fans with higher velocity round series 3 fans. Before the
changing out the fans, I tried water wetter…it made no noticeable
improvement. If my memory serves me correctly, allen jones has also changed
his fans.
I have a 1970 SII that heats up when I get in slow traffic.
Out on the open road it is fine. Does anyone have any experience using
water wetter and will it help resist overheating in my situation? Any
suggestions will be appreciated.
Terry789tt
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
Contrary to what’s been said, WW is an effective additive. If you are
just on the cusp of a problem, it may cure it. For eight bucks, it’s
worth a try.
S2’s do creep up in traffic, no surprise there. There are several
things to look at:
Overall condition of the car, especially carb and distributor tuning.
Condition of the thermostat.
Damage to the bypass passage. The design of the bypass in these
cars is especially bad…S2 thermostat housings tend to get blown
away due to cavitation. You would need to look inside the housing to
see this. See:
The reason damage occurs specifically here is that the highest
temperature in the cooling system occurs at the thermostat housing,
while the lowest pressure occurs at the bypass. As a result, there is
localized boiling just at the lip of the opening. Correcting this may
be as simply as grinding the seat, while replacement of the housing
may be needed in extreme cases. Prevention is accomplished by using
50/50 glycol mix. Never use pure water or a weak antifreeze mix.
Water wetter doesn’t fix this.
Do not plug the bypass passage. It’s purpose is to keep coolant
circulating when the thermostat is closed. Without it, temperatures
will build unevenly in the block, especially towards the rear of the motor.
Airflow. In good condition, the fans on an S2 are adequate, which
is more than I can say for S1 cars. If you suspect your fans, the
first thing to do is disassemble the motors and clean out the
bearings. Sometimes this is all it takes. There is supposed to be a
piece of foam glued to the top of the radiator to seal the bonnet,
this helps air move through the radiator when the car is at speed,
although it has less relevance to traffic situations.
Radiator. The radiator tends to build deposits of silicates
because it is the coolest part of the system. A flush with a
commercial radiator cleaner may be helpful. If it’s bad, then a
replacement radiator or new core would be the choice.
Jeff’s right, I replaced mine with Coolcat fans about 2 years ago. A pair
of Coolcats was less expensive than what a local motor shop wanted to
rebuild one of the square motors that failed. And, the Coolcats use less
current and move more air.
I experienced the same issues you described…it was solved by replacing the
twin square fans with higher velocity round series 3 fans. Before the
changing out the fans, I tried water wetter…it made no noticeable
improvement. If my memory serves me correctly, allen jones has also changed
his fans.
I have a 1970 SII that heats up when I get in slow traffic.
Out on the open road it is fine. Does anyone have any experience using
water wetter and will it help resist overheating in my situation? Any
suggestions will be appreciated.
Terry789tt
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Allan Jones sent Mon 12 Jun 2006:
…and the Coolcat fan is silent
Ernesto '62 FHC–
The original message included these comments:
Jeff’s right, I replaced mine with Coolcat fans about 2 years ago. A pair
of Coolcats was less expensive than what a local motor shop wanted to
rebuild one of the square motors that failed. And, the Coolcats use less
current and move more air.
–
growling66
Cagliari, Italy
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
On my SII, they aren’t silent but aren’t really noticeable when the car is
running. If the engine isn’t running and the fans are, Larry’s description
isn’t far off.
In reply to a message from Michael Frank sent Mon 12 Jun 2006:
WaterWetter worked for me.
Three weeks ago I drove to my mechanic to pick up a part. About 25
miles in moderate traffic. The needle was to the right of the N in
normal.
Coming back after a 5 minute stop, the ambient temperature was the
same 80 degrees fahrenheit, traffic was somewhat heavier; but the
needle was now pointing to the left of the N in normal.
For me, WaterWetter was better…by a capital N.–
Bruce Bellrose, '71 SIII 2+2, Florham Park, NJ, USA
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
From: “Bruce Bellrose” bellrose@ix.netcom.com
Coming back after a 5 minute stop, the ambient temperature was the
same 80 degrees fahrenheit, traffic was somewhat heavier; but the
needle was now pointing to the left of the N in normal.
80 degrees is quite cool really. I would think that even a moderately
capable cooling system should be ok. Try it at 94 degrees going along in
slow (15 mph) traffic. I did just that at the weekend out here in suburban
Atlanta. Needle went to the “A” but no further and came down as soon as we
picked up speed again…and oh, no water wetter and original cooling
fans (S1.5)
Now, the ability of the charging system to keep pace with the amp sucking
original cooling fans is another issue!!
In reply to a message from Bruce Bellrose sent Tue 13 Jun 2006:
Bruce,
What convinced you that the Water Wetter made that difference? The
cooling system is very variable, and just variability in the gauge
could have given you that result. Of course, if it makes you
happy, use it by all means. I do.
Jerry–
Jerry Mouton '64 FHC
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from mouton sent Fri 16 Jun 2006:
Jerry,
It certainly isn’t scientific. I know how variable my guages are.
Two reasons. I had a near identical, though brief, experience with
Water Wetter 3 years ago and my guage is, for whatever reason,
lower over similar weather conditions than it was last year when
everything else was equal except for the Water Wetter. For example,
yesterday it was 95F and in stop and go driving it never got above
l. In similar conditions last year, I’d be above l.
Anecdotal information I know, but good enough for me given the cost
of Water Wetter and the fact that nothing else on my cooling system
has changed.
Does anyone know how it works, if it does? I thought I remember
reading it breaks down water’s normal specific gravity so more
water touches the metal surface of the radiator. True?–
Bruce Bellrose, '71 SIII 2+2, Florham Park, NJ, USA
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Bruce Bellrose sent Sat 17 Jun 2006:
Bruce,
Over a long period (three years?) using Water Wetter, I didn’t
notice any difference one way or the other. OTOH, Mike Frank has
done some experimentation on it and reckons it may have some
advantages in extremis, and I like Red Line’s other products, so
what the heck?
I thought it changed the surface tension and so changed the
characteristics of bubble formation so’s it might help.
Jerry–
Jerry Mouton '64 FHC
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
“As I recall…” (see me waving my hands) it works by the process of removing surface tension, allowing molecules to slip into tighter gaps. Hence… the same results would be derived from putting a tablespoon of liquid detergent in the radiator.
LLoyd@CleanBlock.com–
Insofar as mathematics applies to
reality it is not certain, and
so far as mathematics is certain
it does not apply to reality.
Einstein
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: “mouton” jerry@moutons.org
In reply to a message from Bruce Bellrose sent Sat 17 Jun 2006:
Bruce,
…> I thought it changed the surface tension and so changed the
characteristics of bubble formation so’s it might help.
In reply to a message from mouton sent Fri 16 Jun 2006:
As long as coolant is in the system and it keeps its cool,
there is nothing to hurt the jag engine.
I think the best thing that any jag owner can do is to cover
the temperature gage, this way it would certainnly help the
nerves.
Walter
69E ser.II--
The original message included these comments:
What convinced you that the Water Wetter made that difference? The
cooling system is very variable, and just variability in the gauge
–
Walter Schuster 78XJ6LFI Ser.II, 69Eser.II 2+2
Albuquerque/New Mexico, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
I did the experiment. Dawn dishwashing liquid will give you about 50%
of the benefit of WW. Since surfactants only work on water, in a
50/50 mix, dishwashing liquid would probably have too small an effect
to measure.
It’s actually interesting to see this at work. Fill an aluminum pie
pan with water, and place it on the stove. When it starts to boil,
add a little WW. It’s quite convincing.
Mike Frank
At 06:48 PM 6/17/2006, you wrote:
“As I recall…” (see me waving my hands) it works by the process
of removing surface tension, allowing molecules to slip into
tighter gaps. Hence… the same results would be derived from
putting a tablespoon of liquid detergent in the radiator.
