Type of Antifreeze for Daimler V8

[ELL1SSS]

While part draining the cooling system on my 1966 Daimler 2.5 V8 to change the thermostat I have found that the antifreeze is orange, which I believe is an OAT antifreeze designed for newer vehicles. All that I have read suggests that this is not good for older cars. I have had the car 2 years and have spent most of that time doing restoration work, running the engine for a short while every 2 or 3 weeks. The change of thermostat (and the temperature sender) was prompted by high engine temperature - when the thermostat opened the temp goes fairly quickly up to 100 degrees! Admittedly the coolant level was low but what drained out does look really clean.
I know that I should not mix the older IAT antifreeze with the orange OAT as this can lead to sludge formation, but it is, from all I have read, quite difficult to flush out ALL old antifreeze.
So my choices are to top up with OAT antifreeze or do extensive flushing to remove all the existing and replace it with IAT.
Is it safe to continue using OAT antifreeze in this particular design of 50 year old engine or should I fully flush the system and replace it with traditional IAT antifreeze?
Stuart

[piman]

Hello Stuart,

I would flush thoroughly and revert to the original type anti freeze.

Alec

[J44EAG]

This makes for interesting reading although antifreeze type not defined. Pictures speak a thousand words!

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... CGOuAlcFeg

Mike K

[oldtimer]

Mike ,
What an interesting little article you dredged up. Excellent.

Martec refers to the performance he had clearing the water jacket on his 3.8 Mk ii .After investing considerable time and effort along the lines of the above article it appears he permanently resolved the problem .

I live in a hard water area resulting in lime scale build up in everything including the central heating system. I have dosed the central heating system with Furnox on several occasions over the years which appears to have kept things under control.

On reading the problems folks have had to content with I have toyed with the idea of a rig to circulate a Furnox / water mixture to remedy such a problem !!?? I wonder

As for Anti Freeze I would not hesitate to revert to an Ethylene Glycol based anti freeze, this contains an anti corrosive package which goes some way to protect the internals. A 50/50 mix is the industry standard and should be used through out the year. A spare quantity ready mixed at 50/50 should be available for top up purposes.

Mike, We could write a book on this subject

Oldtimer

[J44EAG]

Give me a couple of evenings, Phil and i might well do just that!

Is that lovely little Edward Turner V8 not aluminum throughout? Surely if it is, then would not a modern OAT orange/pink antifreeze not be better suited? I don`t think the brew was around when the car was manufactured.

Of course one could I suppose totally clean out the block and have the radiator overhauled or replaced together with a full hose set change, (which I would favour given the age of the original radiator and ancillary gubbins) and then use Evans Waterless coolant. No more corrosive free oxygen radicals etc, etc to cause repeat corrosion and no antifreeze content to worry about.

Just my humble take on the matter. Thats what I would do.

Mike

[Martec]

Hi,

As Oldtimer has said I moved onto the orange 5 year stuff but having read of problems catalogued by the FBHVC I repeatedly flushed it out with water and now probably after 6 or more changes most of it has gone.

As I see it, it is down to the design of the engine, the XK engine has a CAF joint where the water pump back cover (Aluminium chain cover) meets and seals to the CI entabliture, the orange stuff (can't remember which letters are used, but you are probably right) has been known apparently to pass through this gasket and so water can get into the sump????

I went back to Bluecol (blue not clear) 2 years and used that for a few years. A year ago I was asking an industial chemist friend about this situation and he sorted me out with 5 gallons of Nalfleet chemical that is used in JCB's. I have that in now, but there again I check the oil colour and level every day it is run.

If your antifreeze is clean after it has run for a while and you know the history of your engine then you should be OK (I stripped, had it machined and rebuilt my own engine so I know its condition and history).

I would say you pays your money and takes your chance (as I am doing).

More importantly you say your engine is running at 100 degrees, how do you know that, as the temperature gauges are old and unreliable. My XK engine needs to run just above 70 degrees and I used a themometer in the top of the radiator header and a remote electronic sensor to get a close range of temperatures. I also fitted the new type thermostat from Watjag which is good......so far.

I don't know your Turner engine (supposedly better than the 2.4 XK), the thermostat you fitted would have been stamped with the OPENing temperature so hopefully run a little higher. You didn't say what that was??????

I assume Lyons would have saved money by using the same radiator accross all cars, this could well be where the assumed raised/overheating is, cheapest first:-

Do you have the correct pressure cap in, as there were two types (lengths) take the cap off and if the rubber face is umpressed with the raised ring of the rad then it is OK.

Radiators clog up if the antifreeze hasn't been changed at the designated times and may need a recore (cheaper than Aluminium). The antifreeze element last for ever, but the anti corrosion package has a limited life hence 2 or 5 years. I take my old anti freeze to the local council tip for them to recondition it.

How good is your water pump, its not unknown for the pump impellor to come loose and not turn enough.

The XK engine went through 3 designs of thermo stat......have you go the correct type and temperature in.

Did the engine run hot before you changed the stat??

As far as I have seen the type of antifreeze makes no diference to the operating temperature, the flow, pressure and surface area does.

Sorry to ramble on so much.
Brian