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Best Anti-Freeze for Aluminum Radiators? 200

I have two cars with aluminum radiators, a 940 and an MBZ. I use the Xerex GL05 antifreeze. This is the same as the MBZ antifreeze. It has a different additive package than in the Prestone. GL05 is a bit hard to find so I just grab it whenever I see it. I have read that this antifreeze is kinder to the plastic parts of the radiator as well. One of the most important functions of the antifreeze is to chemically put a protective layer on the surface of the aluminum which would otherwise corrode quickly. In older antifreezes silicon did this job but silicate deposits were a problem hence the two year life cycle of these antifreezes. The 5-yrar antifreezes use a non- or low-silicon formula.

Another problem you might have is electrolytic corrosion. This can ruin a radiator pretty quickly. It is caused by different metals connected by an electrolyte (the antifreeze mixture). If the water used in your antifreeze has dissolved minerals, it could be the problem. You may use distilled water to avoid this. I live in a very soft water area so this isn't a big problem here.

Another possibility is electrolytic corrosion due to poor grounds in your car's electrical system. If you take a digital voltmeter and connect one probe to the engine block and then dip the other into the antifreeze in your overflow tank, you should read only a few millivolts. As I recall less than 3 mv. Do this several times with different accessories turned on: ignition, heater, lights, radio. If anytime the reading jumps up, trace out the grounds for that accessory and clean/retighten that ground.

If you want to get lots of information on all this, just Google 'radiator corrosion', 'antifreeze', GL05, Xerex, etc. and you can read for hours.






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