Water or 50/50 Mix for Summer

[mcgarrett]

Originally Posted by Antique_iron

A 50/50 mix does not raise the boiling point. Only a closed pressurized cooling system will raise the boiling point.

I agree with Antique Iron - a friend has a '31 that boils over in hot weather with 50/50 but does not with plain water and coolant additive. We've checked the head gasket and it's OK. Radiator has been back-flushed as well as the block at least twice. The problem may lie in the radiator itself, but for now the plain water/coolant additive combo keeps it from boiling and he's able to tour without losing coolant.

P.S. I read a few years ago in a hotrodder magazine that for every pound of pressure applied by the radiator cap, the boiling point is increased by 2 degrees (at least that's what the article said). At sea level, water boils at 212*, so adding more pressure by way of the cap raises the boiling point.