Discussion
A friend has been interested in a Stag. He adores the car, but is scared stiff of the reputation of the V8 engine. I looked at Wiki and they said third party people solved the engine problems.
From Wki.....
Many owners simply replaced the engine altogether when problems occurred, often with the Rover V8, Ford Essex V6, Buick 231 V6, or with the Triumph 6-cylinder engine around which the car was originally designed. However, renovators over the years identified the V8 and iron out the problems. The fixes were:
Cooling Problems:
The above all seems to cure the problems. But the engines is original to his knowledge, and low mileage of 50,000. The Stag V8 suffered from overheating a lot and lubrication problems. All the above appears easy to implement except the metal coatings on the crank, etc, as that would require an engine rebuild.
As the car is running OK and has never been run at more than around 85mph, so it must not be a Friday night special typical of the day. I "assume" a quality fully synthetic oil of the correct viscosity would solve the lubrication problems, as 1970 mineral oil was vastly inferior to what we have now. Again an assumption, this would negate engine wear as modern oils are also vastly superior in negating wear.
Would it be worth his while having Evans Waterless coolant poured in? Jay Leno swears by it. It would also protect the high mounted water pump on the Stag V8.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PykrgzWPQ
From Wki.....
Many owners simply replaced the engine altogether when problems occurred, often with the Rover V8, Ford Essex V6, Buick 231 V6, or with the Triumph 6-cylinder engine around which the car was originally designed. However, renovators over the years identified the V8 and iron out the problems. The fixes were:
Cooling Problems:
- A larger radiator.
- Annual coolant flushing.
- A high dose of modern anti-freeze to overcome the overheating problems.
- Correct coolant additive for a ferrous aluminium mix.
- Modern fully synthetic engine oil clearly assisted in cooling the cylinder heads as fully synthetic oils can cope with far higher temperatures and resist degradation than motor oil available in the 1970s.
- Appropriate fully synthetic oils to give superior lubrication maintaining a clean engine interior.
- Hardened crankshafts.
- Hardened metals on other components.
- Superior electronic ignition systems.
- Modern rubbers used on radiator hoses, heater hoses, fan belts are technically superior and more reliable than those installed in the 1970s.
The above all seems to cure the problems. But the engines is original to his knowledge, and low mileage of 50,000. The Stag V8 suffered from overheating a lot and lubrication problems. All the above appears easy to implement except the metal coatings on the crank, etc, as that would require an engine rebuild.
As the car is running OK and has never been run at more than around 85mph, so it must not be a Friday night special typical of the day. I "assume" a quality fully synthetic oil of the correct viscosity would solve the lubrication problems, as 1970 mineral oil was vastly inferior to what we have now. Again an assumption, this would negate engine wear as modern oils are also vastly superior in negating wear.
Would it be worth his while having Evans Waterless coolant poured in? Jay Leno swears by it. It would also protect the high mounted water pump on the Stag V8.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PykrgzWPQ
Where to start.
Things I would recommend, Valvoline VR1 20/50 mineral oil available from Euro Car Parts, Blue anti-freeze with no more than 30% added to cooling system (anti-freeze is not as good as water for cooling) making sure the whole system is flushed annually including taking the thermostat out and flushing through with a hose, a decent electronic ignition system like Lumenition or Pertronix(avoid the cheaper ones), a high level header tank is a good mod also.Big rads and waterless coolant are not needed + electric fans are not needed imho.
Also like to add regular oil changes make the timing chains last longer, any noise on start up like chains rattling need the chains changing pronto.
Remember nos parts are much better than the majority of new parts available especially rubber bushes and gaiters.
Things I would recommend, Valvoline VR1 20/50 mineral oil available from Euro Car Parts, Blue anti-freeze with no more than 30% added to cooling system (anti-freeze is not as good as water for cooling) making sure the whole system is flushed annually including taking the thermostat out and flushing through with a hose, a decent electronic ignition system like Lumenition or Pertronix(avoid the cheaper ones), a high level header tank is a good mod also.Big rads and waterless coolant are not needed + electric fans are not needed imho.
Also like to add regular oil changes make the timing chains last longer, any noise on start up like chains rattling need the chains changing pronto.
Remember nos parts are much better than the majority of new parts available especially rubber bushes and gaiters.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 7th November 17:21
Thanks Raygun. What you are saying is have Lumenition ign, raise the header tank and just look after it.
Yes Lumenition sounds good, I find that electronic ignitions are vastly superior on starting.
A mineral oil? I find that an odd recommendation when looking at modern oils. Penrite do synthetics for classics.
If the crank is a part duffer, due to poor quality of build & quality control they had at the time, I would "assume" a synthetic oil would give an edge, as they are difficult to compress. I "assume" a lot here.
New latex hoses and tubes I would assess as essential and a must.
I will go along with no bigger radiator.
To me an electric fan would be a beneficial add on. To my knowledge no mass production car had an electric fan in 1970, so this would be an update.
I suggested the Evan waterless coolant to protect a valuable engine if something does go wrong in overheating, a belt & braces approach. Would think that is worth doing. It is not that expensive and once it stays in, but Evans would have to be contacted as the engine is ferrous and aluminium.
"nos parts are much better than the majority of new parts available "
I didn't get the above.
Another point is timing chain. Any suggestions? Getting back to oil again, would not a modern synthetic be better at preventing wear - they are prone to wearing.
Yes Lumenition sounds good, I find that electronic ignitions are vastly superior on starting.
A mineral oil? I find that an odd recommendation when looking at modern oils. Penrite do synthetics for classics.
If the crank is a part duffer, due to poor quality of build & quality control they had at the time, I would "assume" a synthetic oil would give an edge, as they are difficult to compress. I "assume" a lot here.
New latex hoses and tubes I would assess as essential and a must.
I will go along with no bigger radiator.
To me an electric fan would be a beneficial add on. To my knowledge no mass production car had an electric fan in 1970, so this would be an update.
I suggested the Evan waterless coolant to protect a valuable engine if something does go wrong in overheating, a belt & braces approach. Would think that is worth doing. It is not that expensive and once it stays in, but Evans would have to be contacted as the engine is ferrous and aluminium.
"nos parts are much better than the majority of new parts available "
I didn't get the above.
Another point is timing chain. Any suggestions? Getting back to oil again, would not a modern synthetic be better at preventing wear - they are prone to wearing.
Edited by RayTay on Monday 7th November 18:07
RayTay said:
Thanks Raygun. What you are saying is have Lumenition ign, raise the header tank and just look after it.
Yes Lumenition sounds good, I find that electronic ignitions are vastly superior on starting.
A mineral oil? I find that an odd recommendation when looking at modern oils. Penrite do synthetics for classics.
If the crank is a part duffer, due to poor quality of build & quality control they had at the time, I would "assume" a synthetic oil would give an edge, as they are difficult to compress. I "assume" a lot here.
New latex hoses and tubes I would assess as essential and a must.
I will go along with no bigger radiator.
To me an electric fan would be a beneficial add on. To my knowledge no mass production car had an electric fan in 1970.
I suggested the Evan waterless coolant to protect a valuable engine if something does go wrong in overheating, a belt & braces approach. Would think that is worth doing. It is not that expensive and once it stays in, but Evans would have to be contacted as the engine is ferrous and aluminium.
"nos parts are much better than the majority of new parts available "
I didn't get the above.
Another point is timing chain. Any suggestions? Getting back to oil again, would not a modern synthetic be better at preventing wear - they are prone to wearing.
Ray regarding the hoses a set from Robsport in Herts or LD Parts in Oxfordshire should be fine just avoid the Kevlar ones because they split.Yes Lumenition sounds good, I find that electronic ignitions are vastly superior on starting.
A mineral oil? I find that an odd recommendation when looking at modern oils. Penrite do synthetics for classics.
If the crank is a part duffer, due to poor quality of build & quality control they had at the time, I would "assume" a synthetic oil would give an edge, as they are difficult to compress. I "assume" a lot here.
New latex hoses and tubes I would assess as essential and a must.
I will go along with no bigger radiator.
To me an electric fan would be a beneficial add on. To my knowledge no mass production car had an electric fan in 1970.
I suggested the Evan waterless coolant to protect a valuable engine if something does go wrong in overheating, a belt & braces approach. Would think that is worth doing. It is not that expensive and once it stays in, but Evans would have to be contacted as the engine is ferrous and aluminium.
"nos parts are much better than the majority of new parts available "
I didn't get the above.
Another point is timing chain. Any suggestions? Getting back to oil again, would not a modern synthetic be better at preventing wear - they are prone to wearing.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 7th November 17:42
As for Waterless coolant me personally would still like to flush the system once in a while so I would stick with blue anti-freeze.
NOS is new old stock, for example if you was lucky to find a nos choke cable it would be far better quality than the re-manufactured ones, ebay.com in America normally has a lot of nos stuff for stags on there.
The electric fan is personal choice, my car runs fine on standard set-up even down to still using points.
Thanks Raygun. GREAT pictures. Is the engine original with no rework? What is the mileage ....and all the rest on the engine?
The potential owner is prepared to spend for the like of waterless coolant, electric fan, Lumenition, etc. to keep it running and smooth. Electric fan come in, on full full, unlike a mechanical fan say in traffic. Koenigsegg (sp?) have Evans as standard in their expensive engine.
My gut feeling was to get the latest and best oil money can buy to ensure no problems in an engine that was notorious for seizing. It only has to fail once.
Do these have power steering? I know power steering using an electric motor add on in the steering wheel shaft (~£2.5k) is available for Jags
The potential owner is prepared to spend for the like of waterless coolant, electric fan, Lumenition, etc. to keep it running and smooth. Electric fan come in, on full full, unlike a mechanical fan say in traffic. Koenigsegg (sp?) have Evans as standard in their expensive engine.
My gut feeling was to get the latest and best oil money can buy to ensure no problems in an engine that was notorious for seizing. It only has to fail once.
Do these have power steering? I know power steering using an electric motor add on in the steering wheel shaft (~£2.5k) is available for Jags
Don't think they're known for seizing Ray!
It's done just over 100k, the motor was rebuilt at 88k by the PO with a hardened crank which is a must on a stag. Mine's a manual overdrive, a lot of people with autos like the ZF conversion which they say is excellent. Anyone buying a stag I would make sure there are no rips in the front seats especially drivers side as they are hard to get hold of in good condition in any colour.
It's done just over 100k, the motor was rebuilt at 88k by the PO with a hardened crank which is a must on a stag. Mine's a manual overdrive, a lot of people with autos like the ZF conversion which they say is excellent. Anyone buying a stag I would make sure there are no rips in the front seats especially drivers side as they are hard to get hold of in good condition in any colour.
Raygun said:
Don't think they're known for seizing Ray!
It's done just over 100k, the motor was rebuilt at 88k by the PO with a hardened crank which is a must on a stag. Mine's a manual overdrive, a lot of people with autos like the ZF conversion which they say is excellent. Anyone buying a stag I would make sure there are no rips in the front seats especially drivers side as they are hard to get hold of in good condition in any colour.
Thanks. So, your engine has done only 22k miles. I assume the later 76/77 models had the earlier glitches ironed out. Yes, what I have read about them is a hardened crank is essential on a rebuild. It's done just over 100k, the motor was rebuilt at 88k by the PO with a hardened crank which is a must on a stag. Mine's a manual overdrive, a lot of people with autos like the ZF conversion which they say is excellent. Anyone buying a stag I would make sure there are no rips in the front seats especially drivers side as they are hard to get hold of in good condition in any colour.
I recall when young having a 230SL crank turned, the old guy who ran the machine shop had a Stag engine he was rebuilding as it had seized. He was not complementary of the engine overall, saying it wasn't a bad design, others were better, but badly made & put together. He was scathing that a newish design at the time lacked a lot. I recall him saying the oil galleries looked too small for an engine of that size and type. That is why I lock onto fully synthetic oils as they do not thicken up, which is essential on a cold winter start to get oil to the bearings. He said every time he looked something else needed redoing, The owner said take your time, as no one else would look at it. It was annoying him. He told the owner to put in thinner oil in winter. Looking at the engine he was working on and his comment has always made me weary of the engine.
Edited by RayTay on Monday 7th November 20:09
Back in the late seventies I worked for a Leyland franchise in Dingwall, North of Scotland. We had a customer who had a Triumph Stag which in a short space of time suffered all the known Stag engine problems to the extent it spent more time in our workshop than on the road, After a total rebuild with cylinder heads removed twice and so called recon heads he found somewhere we eventually managed to get it running with no oil or water leaks and he set off to trade it in for a Jag, on a test run with the Jag salesman it once again erupted in a cloud of steam and smoke, it was towed back to our workshop with the owner threating to torch it.
The next day once he,d calmed down again he started scouring the car mags and discovered a company in London called HRS Garage IIRC, he asked us to remove the engine once again and strip to a bare block and that very night with the engine in the boot of his BMW3.0CSI he set off for London to collect an exchange 25% uprated engine. The guy who owned this company used to race Triumph Dolomites which were essentially half a Stag engine and suffered a lot of the same problems. Through trial and error and research he managed to eventually build reliable racing engines and once he acheived that he then turned his attention to the Stag.
His findings were that part of the overheating problem was due to the water pump being off centre and cooling one bank more than the other also that 3 or 4 degrees over normal was enough to thin the oil to the extent that the big ends would go. He also researched timing chains and decided that at that time the best timing chains were Leyland Special Tuning items. His fixes were a high capacity water pump, a high capacity higher pressure oil pump,torque the main and big end bearing 10lbs more than Triumphs stated figure and the head bolts 15lbs higher, check oil and coolant levels daily and change oil and filter every 3000 miles.
We fitted the engine he brought back and then took the car out on test, it went like no other Stag Ive ever driven and many years later was still running around with no further engine problems.
The next day once he,d calmed down again he started scouring the car mags and discovered a company in London called HRS Garage IIRC, he asked us to remove the engine once again and strip to a bare block and that very night with the engine in the boot of his BMW3.0CSI he set off for London to collect an exchange 25% uprated engine. The guy who owned this company used to race Triumph Dolomites which were essentially half a Stag engine and suffered a lot of the same problems. Through trial and error and research he managed to eventually build reliable racing engines and once he acheived that he then turned his attention to the Stag.
His findings were that part of the overheating problem was due to the water pump being off centre and cooling one bank more than the other also that 3 or 4 degrees over normal was enough to thin the oil to the extent that the big ends would go. He also researched timing chains and decided that at that time the best timing chains were Leyland Special Tuning items. His fixes were a high capacity water pump, a high capacity higher pressure oil pump,torque the main and big end bearing 10lbs more than Triumphs stated figure and the head bolts 15lbs higher, check oil and coolant levels daily and change oil and filter every 3000 miles.
We fitted the engine he brought back and then took the car out on test, it went like no other Stag Ive ever driven and many years later was still running around with no further engine problems.
Thanks, excellent post. "His findings were that part of the overheating problem was due to the water pump being off centre and cooling one bank more than the other also that 3 or 4 degrees over normal was enough to thin the oil to the extent that the big ends would go."
That makes me think that quality fully synthetic oil is essential as it is far more stable, and Evans waterless coolant as well. If it overheats the water will not boil out. Just to be sure.
That makes me think that quality fully synthetic oil is essential as it is far more stable, and Evans waterless coolant as well. If it overheats the water will not boil out. Just to be sure.
RayTay said:
Thanks, excellent post. "His findings were that part of the overheating problem was due to the water pump being off centre and cooling one bank more than the other also that 3 or 4 degrees over normal was enough to thin the oil to the extent that the big ends would go."
That makes me think that quality fully synthetic oil is essential as it is far more stable, and Evans waterless coolant as well. If it overheats the water will not boil out. Just to be sure.
Waterless coolant has inferior cooling capacity to water.That makes me think that quality fully synthetic oil is essential as it is far more stable, and Evans waterless coolant as well. If it overheats the water will not boil out. Just to be sure.
If your cooling system is running at it's limit, waterless coolant will actually increase the temperature in the system.
So although it won't boil over it will run hotter.
RayTay said:
Thanks, excellent post. "His findings were that part of the overheating problem was due to the water pump being off centre and cooling one bank more than the other also that 3 or 4 degrees over normal was enough to thin the oil to the extent that the big ends would go."
That makes me think that quality fully synthetic oil is essential as it is far more stable, and Evans waterless coolant as well. If it overheats the water will not boil out. Just to be sure.
Hi Ray: you need to be careful here.That makes me think that quality fully synthetic oil is essential as it is far more stable, and Evans waterless coolant as well. If it overheats the water will not boil out. Just to be sure.
I've just finished a rebuild on a customers. He has owned the car for years and hardly used it due to unreliability. It devoured water every trip and was constantly overheating. I was given the unenviable task of getting it right.
Before we start, DO NOT use fully synthetic oil; and before the "experts" start on here, I'm basing this opinion on many years experience building engines and using all sorts of oils in different conditions. Fully synthetic oil cannot deal with fuel contamination, which is inevitable in an engine running twin Stromberg carbs. I have been told that one of the oil companies now makes a fully synthetic oil that can handle contamination, but I don't know what it is, and I would have to see hard evidence of the results.
Evans coolant I personally consider to be a waste of money. The problems with the Stags, and god knows they were utterly horrendous when new were down to 3 things: bad design, no proper development time on the engine, and British Leyland, the ultimate corporate disease. I replaced something like 7 engines in a month under warranty in the mid seventies, and lost some good customers into the bargain!
Back to the last job. It was clear that this car was pressurising the cooling system so the heads had to come off. I tackled the left hand head first and it came apart very easily. When it was removed I discovered the pistons were out to +60 thou, the maximum re-bore diameter, but were tight as a duck's arse, so all good so far. The fun began with the right hand head. On the Stag the heads are held on with a serious of bolts fitted at right angles to the block and these come out when you loosen them, because you break the bond created by water seeping up between the fixing and the alloy head and corroding the fixing into place. However, in their infinite ignorance, Triumph fitted studs at an angle to the block with slots in them for a screwdriver. I mean if it wasn't so seriously awful design it would be a real laugh.
We tried everything to get these out but it became impossible. The decision was made to cut the head off, so I attacked it with a 9 inch angle grinder through the head and into the studs. When it finally came off it was virtually scrap anyway as all the cooling channels were extremely badly corroded and there was expansion cracks in the combustion chambers.
As luck would have it we managed to pick up an almost new head from the bay and started rebuilding the engine. On checking the valve clearance on the existing head I found no clearance whatever on 2 of the exhaust valves: the tappets are shimmed for clearance, but clearly whoever had built the head had no idea how to do this.
After shimming the heads up and rebuilding the engine with new, high quality gaskets I had to resize the inlet manifold to get a good fit as the heads had been skimmed. I have to say, the gaskets available now are far, far superior to those when the cars were new, so that in itself is a big advantage.
On the Stag the water pump has to be properly fitted for clearance on the impeller. This is done by removing or adding gaskets of different thicknesses. On this car someone had simply stuck the lot in and it was running with a huge clearance which drops the pump pressure internally causing hot running, particularly at the rear of the engine.
We fitted a new multi core rad as the originals were woefully inadequate. This car was an auto, and the big advantage of the auto is that it has an external oil cooler which also helps to dissipate heat; we replace it with an upgraded one. This car also had a Kenlowe electric fan, great for really hot weather to help with slow traffic conditions. And always change the thermostat. It's less than a tenner and a ten minute job, why would you scrimp on that?
I also fitted Lumenition to the distributor and I think this is mandatory on a Stag; it absolutely transforms the running and starting is instant at all times hot or cold. Filled the cooling system with 60% pink coolant and 20/50 semi synthetic oil, and she runs like a bird, and very quick too.
Unusually I far prefer the auto to the manual as it is much nicer to drive and the torque of the V8 lends itself nicely to the auto changes.
The real shame about the Stag when it came out was that it was such a pretty car and so nice to drive, if only they had got the engine right ti would have been a real success story for Triumph. As usual politics and underfunding got in the way.
Having said that, if I was going to keep a Stag long term it would get the Rover V8. Bombproof and powerful and economical in injected form.
Hope this helps and good luck if you buy one.
J
The knowledge here is astounding.
Hi jith,
Fully synthetic oil cannot deal with fuel contamination, which is inevitable in an engine running twin Stromberg carbs.
Point taken. Fully synthetic is best with with fuel injection. I thought Penrite solved that. Needs looking into.
I have been told that one of the oil companies now makes a fully synthetic oil that can handle contamination, but I don't know what it is, and I would have to see hard evidence of the results.
The opieoilman thread maybe worth a visit. I see you used a 20-50 semi-synth'. I am reluctant to use any pure mineral oil after doing work in a oil lab many years ago. The research guys said to me do not use anything other than 'fully synthetic'.
I agree with the Rover V8, but aren't they a tight fit? Triumph refused to put it in despite all being the same company - more politics I suppose. This Stag is running and there are no 'known' problems. Some may be dormant. The aim is to ensure there will be none, by using: the correct quality oil, best timing chain, radiator, new ignition, hoses, electric fan, correct coolant, etc. Things which basically are DIY, apart from chain and ign. Point taken on a new rad.
This makes me think that using an electric water pump maybe a superior solution.
Hi jith,
Fully synthetic oil cannot deal with fuel contamination, which is inevitable in an engine running twin Stromberg carbs.
Point taken. Fully synthetic is best with with fuel injection. I thought Penrite solved that. Needs looking into.
I have been told that one of the oil companies now makes a fully synthetic oil that can handle contamination, but I don't know what it is, and I would have to see hard evidence of the results.
The opieoilman thread maybe worth a visit. I see you used a 20-50 semi-synth'. I am reluctant to use any pure mineral oil after doing work in a oil lab many years ago. The research guys said to me do not use anything other than 'fully synthetic'.
I agree with the Rover V8, but aren't they a tight fit? Triumph refused to put it in despite all being the same company - more politics I suppose. This Stag is running and there are no 'known' problems. Some may be dormant. The aim is to ensure there will be none, by using: the correct quality oil, best timing chain, radiator, new ignition, hoses, electric fan, correct coolant, etc. Things which basically are DIY, apart from chain and ign. Point taken on a new rad.
This makes me think that using an electric water pump maybe a superior solution.
Edited by RayTay on Tuesday 8th November 14:19
mph said:
Waterless coolant has inferior cooling capacity to water.
If your cooling system is running at it's limit, waterless coolant will actually increase the temperature in the system.
So although it won't boil over it will run hotter.
mph, I am not labouring this point, or am I? The engine may run hotter but there will be no catastrophic overheating failure on an engine which is known for such failures - one of the points I am emphasising. If the temp gauge indicates hot running then you stop the engine and no major problems. Fitting a new multi core radiator and an electric cooling fan will clearly aid cooling keeping engine temperature more stable. Superior hoses will aid in preventing catastrophic cooling failures. If your cooling system is running at it's limit, waterless coolant will actually increase the temperature in the system.
So although it won't boil over it will run hotter.
There is an element of heat tolerance designed into engines with many capable of running comfortably much hotter than the design temperature before any metal expansion, warping and failure.
I see now why Koeingsegg and Jay Leno use Evans waterless coolant on their expensive engines.
Edited by RayTay on Tuesday 8th November 15:25
mph said:
Waterless coolant has inferior cooling capacity to water.
If your cooling system is running at it's limit, waterless coolant will actually increase the temperature in the system.
So although it won't boil over it will run hotter.
mph, I am not labouring this point, or am I? The engine may run hotter but there will be no catastrophic overheating failure on an engine which is known for such failures - one of the points I am emphasising. If the temp gauge indicates hot running then you stop the engine and no major problems. Fitting a new multi core radiator and an electric cooling fan will clearly aid cooling keeping engine temperature more stable. Superior hoses will aid in preventing catastrophic cooling failures. If your cooling system is running at it's limit, waterless coolant will actually increase the temperature in the system.
So although it won't boil over it will run hotter.
There is an element of heat tolerance designed into engines with many capable of running comfortably much hotter than the design temperature before any metal expansion, warping and failure.
I see now why Koeingsegg and Jay Leno use Evans waterless coolant on their expensive engines.
Edited by RayTay on Wednesday 9th November 08:37
RayTay said:
mph, I am not labouring this point, or am I? The engine may run hotter but there will be no catastrophic overheating failure on an engine which is known for such failures - one of the points I am emphasising. If the temp gauge indicates hot running then you stop the engine and no major problems. Fitting a new multi core radiator and an electric cooling fan will clearly aid cooling keeping engine temperature more stable. Superior hoses will aid in preventing catastrophic cooling failures.
There is an element of heat tolerance designed into engines with many capable of running comfortably much hotter than the design temperature before any metal expansion, warping and failure.
I see now why Koeingsegg and Jay Leno use Evans waterless coolant on their expensive engines.
You've obviously convinced yourself of the benefits of waterless coolant. You don't need my endorsement or otherwise.There is an element of heat tolerance designed into engines with many capable of running comfortably much hotter than the design temperature before any metal expansion, warping and failure.
I see now why Koeingsegg and Jay Leno use Evans waterless coolant on their expensive engines.
Edited by RayTay on Tuesday 8th November 15:25
As you say, many engines can comfortably run hotter and live to tell the tale. Unfortunately the Stag isn't one of them.
If the cars cooling system has extra capacity, changing to waterless coolant possibly won't increase the operating temperature of the coolant.
If the cars cooling system is already operating at, or close to, it's limit the coolant temperature will increase with waterless coolant. On a marginal Stag for example this will invariably put your pointer into the red.
Irrespective of the above, the temperature within the engine and more particularly the cylinder head will always be higher as waterless coolant has a much inferior specific heat capacity to water and hence it can't transfer the heat away as effectively.
It's also flammable above 120 C.
By now you'll have guessed that in my opinion it's a complete waste of money. The advantage for Jay Leno is that it's virtually maintenance free, handy when you've got hundreds of cars.
ks.![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/Yl8RPyNK.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/yQlIIaRP" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/yQlIIaRP.jpg)
RayTay said:
Mentions waterless coolant 5 times
RayTay, having read this thread, I'm beginning to wonder if you are a representative of the company concerned?RayGun and Jith, you offer some great insight into running a Stag - a former colleague had one, but I don't ever remember her mentioning any major issues with it, so I guess they're not all bad, or perhaps most of them have been sorted by now.
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