4 life coolant

[GSouthee]

Hi all,

I am thinking of using the 4 life coolant in the ol' girl, it is a water based system 'not the water less type'.

Has any body used this?, had any problems?

https://4lifecoolant.co.uk/

Cheers  Gary

[Flyinghorse]

I looked at the Evans water less coolant and decided it was not worth it.

Most of these products claim to cure what are in my opinion underlying issues ( such as overheating).

I recall you have a triumph engine now so is that all steel- they advise against grease/ gland water pump use and in unpressurised systems? Is there an issue you want to solve by using this product?

AC alloy engine users would have to check it provides suitable alloy protection. I like it's ph sensor in fluid to detect head gasket failure.

It's expensive relative to regular A/F but can likely be drained and reused if a problem occurs. Higher boiling point of 180 degrees could be useful but they don't give enough technical info to compare with a regular antifreeze mix or state at what pressure this boiling point is at ( 5psi ,10psi).

I appreciate you sharing this and the vinyl paint in other thread as it's good to be aware of new products( did Toyota /shell not do a 4 life af?)
Graham

[Jam2]

From the website - "Not recommended for unpressurised cooling systems or for systems on early vehicles fitted with grease filled (Gland type) water pumps."
I'm not sure how this product reduces running temperature, is its specific heat higher than pure water?  I wonder why it's unsuitable for unpressurised systems?

[GSouthee]

Hi Graham

I used Evans in my V8 land rover  it was very good, but had to have a couple of litres in a bottle for emergencies. Also you need to purge the system and use their cleaning fluid first.  I noticed an approx 5% rise in fluid temp on the gauge, I assume this was due to pulling more heat from the engine. I would not use it again.

However, this, whilst a bit more expensive does have the advantage of being compatible with water in an emergency. Also allegedly pulls more heat from engine, no bad thing. As you state there is the ph indicator, you do not have to purge the system as with Evans and it can stay in much longer than regular AF. It is IAT compatible. Also allegedly helps with prolonging life of hoses and components etc.

Yes Toyota did do a for life but I understand it was OAT based.

The pressure is measured at 15psi for the boiling point quoted.

I am going to give it a go, advances in technology some times do work.



Jam2  perhaps a question for the supplier, for I am but a simple soul.

Gary

[Flyinghorse]

A 50/50 mix of regular anitfreeze with a 15psi pressure cap still gives you 131degc boiling protection (not 180degc like 4 life).

At the end of the day the fluid simply carries the heat (Yes it has to absorb it and wetting & heat capacity important here ) for heat exchange at  the radiator via a water pump.

One interesting thing is if you have a Triumph water pump and different pulley system then the pump revolutions and flow rate could be different(Due to potentially different diameters of WP pulley and drive pulley so could be higher or lower than the AC set up and the flow-rate different (If RPM of pump more or less, and the pump flow-rate/rpm are different. )

So its back to the original question of whether you are having cooling issues or just fancy trying something new--it does look to have good features , one for me is lasting 10yrs.

Graham

[Big col]

I tend to think that things like this depend on the use of the vehicles and the owners methods of maintaining said vehicles.
If the car is a museum piece and just run up for the occasional outing then it sound like a temping proposition. If however the car is to be used and maintained in any reasonable amount, then I am not so sure it is worth while.
The use and servicing of a car would ensure that it was in good health and can be run on standard equipment cost effectively.

[GSouthee]

Graham/Big Col

No, no problem to overcome and my car is usually used an awful lot and regularly serviced, just engine now ready to be re filled after fitting TR6 radiator and was looking what is available.

I like the idea of the long service, alleged protection properties of the product and any better heat transfer is always good. The initial cost may be slightly higher and approx £21 5 litres so 2 bottles required giving enough for spare bottle in boot, bear in mind that the possibility of 10 years service against drain and change every 2 years for normal blue antifreeze at say, bluecol approx £18  5 litres  obviously only need 1 bottle with dilution. However, you would need 4/5 bottles over the same period as the 4 life should be good for, so £42 against £72/90. In the long term better proposition.

Then, of course there is the environmental issue ie the disposal of all that bluecol.

I just think that if there are advances in coolant technology or indeed any servicing technology, that, not only reduce our running costs and offer the potential to enhance the condition of our cars engines be whatever they are, then this must be beneficial.

I have placed my order and will see how this works and will report back as and when.

Oh Graham not sure of your point re the water pump, I am using the standard TR6 water pump/pulley setup and a TR6 Rad, so flow rate should be as per manufacturers parameters.

Cheers Guys for the communications.

Gary

[Flyinghorse]

I thought you were going thru an original AC rad but obviously not.

Its a problem is when aftermarket pulleys and pumps are fitted to the V8 engines and radiators may not be the original setup.

[GSouthee]

Hi Graham

Yes, I was running the AC rad last year, I had converted it to take a pressure cap. However it had a slight leak and could not keep the engine temp down with running a 14 inch fan constantly. I could not find anyone to upgrade it with a later core, therefore, after trying some scrap triumph 2500 and tr6 rads for fit etc, I went with a US spec TR250 4 core rad, this mounted straight on the original AC mounts with a little trimming of the outer edges of the rad brackets.

So while all my engine and rad bits are still fairly new \i am going with this product for long term protection and usage.

Cheers for contribution to the thread.

This why I think the forum is a more proactive format than Action. But, lets not get into that here.

Gary

[scud]

Graham,

I got Berkshire radiators in Caversham to recore mine...did a great job, for a surprisingly reasonable price.

James

[GSouthee]

Much too late already got TR6 rad fitted and a much better rad, I did try them but they said they could not do it.

Cheers anyway.