Is it safe to put in a few drops of dishwashing liquid in the coolant of my 3.0?

I heard sometimes the soap can cause suds bevcause of the water-pump, is this true?

My 3.0 is always getting hot after driving around for a few mintues.

 

Why would you want to?

 

It makes the engine run alittle cooler. Sort of like Water Wetter; but way cheaper. It does the same thing as what Water Wetter does, except for the corrosion protection.

 

Just when you thought you'd heard everything...

Don't do it. Of course it will foam, and yep, the water pump will cause that. And why would soap be a good idea - how is it supposed to aid in cooling? If you think detergent is needed (like for cleaning?) at least use laundry soap or dishwasher soap, which don't make suds.

 

well he somewhat has a right idea... dont think i would do that, i would jsut get the water wetter.... dangit, i forget all the actual words... but soap in water makes water slicker... it pentrates the surface tension and breaks it up.... its a hard process to explain, and i forget most of it... but its the same idea as foam in firefighting situations.... foam can blanket and smoother flames, and since it is slicker than water without the surface tension it allows it to penetrate the problem a lot more readliy, and in a fire, this helps especially with petroleum based fires as it gets down to the root so to speak

 

Normal dishwash liquid (hand washing) is very sudsy, which I would think could cause problems. Maybe dishwasher liquid since its non-sudsing?? Never heard of using it as a coolant though...

 

have done this many many times

in fact this weekend will do it in my four runner

open it somewhere, put the soap in run a hose into the radiator or overflow as it runs to flush it all out

 

no he isnt talking about washing the system, he is talking about adding it to break down the surface tension of the water to allow wetter water and better cooling

 

I think dishwasher liquid has abrasives in it.

Chris

 

Good point!

 

i believe it does, i know that you arent supposed to wash your car with it as it will strip off wax..... wax is almost like grease, and all the dishsoaps pretty much break down grease

 

I know this sounds dumb , but why not use anti-freeze coolant.

 

Adding a couple of drops of detergent to the cooling system is an old trick. Those who have described it as like "water wetter" are on the right track. It breaks down the surface tension of the water, which allows it to conduct heat more efficiently.

Racers have used this trick for years.

It won't foam, because the system is closed and under pressure. If the system is over filled, you might see some suds in your overflow bottle, but that's the end of it.

It's a good cheap trick and worth your time if you need the additional cooling capacity.

 

guess i should have read it

i have done that only for flushing purposes

works great on your hands too, softens them right up

 

No, I WON'T post that you should try it in your fuel tank as an injector cleaner/spray pattern enhancer ...

 

Just put coolaid in it.It makes about as much sense.At least you can drink the rest and it will cool you off.Spend the money and get the water wetter or what ever it is.I have blue ice in my atv it works great.If you put soap in your gas tank reckon it will blow bubbles?Justa thought.

 

er...I wouldnt........just reroute your AC line into the radiator

 

i've been reading a couple of these water wetter threads. i didn't know that lowering the surface tension would help heat conduction. i guess you learn something new every day. but anyway, rather than messing with soap or anything else that may foam, why not put a little rubbing alcohol in there? it'll cut the surface tension too and won't foam. it'll be fine, especially if you're talking about small amounts like a couple of drops of soap.

 

This has nothing to do with cooling systems, (although I HAVE heard of the soap trick - never actually tried it, however), did you know that spraying insects with soapy water is a cheap alternative to bug spray? For the same reason that the soap makes the water "wetter", it kills the bugs, as insects (at least most) breathe through their skin. It dilutes the water, and they drown... Try it, it works.
Ok, sorry about the hijack, but I just had to tell someone about that...

 

I have a friend who is a biochemist. A few years ago they developed the best insecticide ever found - it's derived from milk! 100% nontoxic to anything - including insects - it kills them but not by poisoning. They die by an allergic-type of reaction. Kinda funny. Sorry bout the hijack, this has nothing to do with radiators. I think.