Changing Coolant

[tomhall]

I started flying my RAF in 2005. I have 160 hrs. on it now. I had never changed coolant; so.... I did. Yesterday I flew for 30 min. to warm things up. I drained the old in a plastic bucket. It was crystal clear and, after cooling, it tested at 35 below or so. I knew the hours were not great, but didn't know what 6 years would do; not much. I filled with tap water and taxied until hot, then drained. I filled with a pre-mix, 50/50 with distilled water. I taxied that until hot. This morning I added about 2 cups to top it off and flew for an hour. The gagues were happy; I was happy. I'm finally getting some sky time in after a very wet & windy Spring. Tom T. Hall in MN

 

[Rehan K.Janjua]

Good work Tom.
Sure its very satisfying.

Next time use the orange coolant. Its non electrolyte and deionized.
Use distilled water from plastic container.

Will last you a decade in all alloy engine.

Fly safe

Best Wishes
Rehan

 

[willisbr]

Thanks for posting. I was thinking of this the other day as I have never flushed a cooling system before either. I'll be doing this during my next 25 hour coming up soon.

 

[Minnesota_Mike]

Hi Tom T.

I wanted to concur with Rahan about the Coolant/Water recommended.
While deeply researching head gasket failures on Soob engines I learned that the quality of the Coolant and Water used IS KEY.
When I disassembled my EA-82 I noticed a high degree of corrosion in several areas directly adjacent to cooling passages...this creeping corrosion as we know often undercuts and undermines the gaskets...often leading to failures shortly there after.
The primary offender is the mineral content of the Water.
In Aluminum Engines Distilled Water is a MUST.
The "Orange" Coolant is specifically formulated just for Aluminum and the two used together are paramount to stopping the electrolysis which will eventually lead to failure within a Water pump or head gasket.
Subaru also makes a special system "conditioner" you can add which helps with this issue and it also helps lube the water pump seals (for longevity). It is strongly recommended by the Manufacturer.

Water heaters in our Homes use a sacrificial anodes for this exact reason.
Water Mineral content will attack the metals if not used...leading to a big mess.
Seek the net for confirmation...Aluminum Blocks and Radiators are very prone to this problem...since the Water can act quite adversely (almost caustically) in this type of environment.

M-M.

 

[LARRYEBOYER]

Good information! Probably the most neglected part of engine maintainence, at least on my part. Thanks for sharing

 

[bmoore2156]

You can also test the ph. I ran mine for 100 hrs or so and the ph was just fine. I changed it anyway. Good information guys

 

[willisbr]

I just changed my coolant with orange popcycle and distilled water. My engine is purring with happiness.

Additionally, I did my first dead stick landing. Whew. Totally different than simulated. Glad I practiced that. Will work on more. One a day for a while. No more than that.