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Originally Posted by Ranger They seal pretty well. Last Friday I replaced the upper intake on my wifes '96 Bonneville. When I opened the drain on the radiator nothing came out. I was baffled. The engine was still hot as my daughter just got home so it was still under pressure. Then I remembered the sealant tabs I had put in there so I poked a screw driver up the drain tube and coolant came pouring out. Guess that stuff works. Now I am wondering how much of it is settled in the bottom of the radiator or other spots clogging coolant flow.  |
The coolant supplement material is actually ground up ginger root. The tiny fibers of the ginger root are carried through the coolant system in suspension rather than actually dissolving into the coolant. So, there will be some natural settling of some of the "fines" in the system in quiet areas with low flow and at the bottom of various containers and vessels - such as the radiator end tank where the drain is. A natural buildup in a vertical hole with no flow at the bottom of the end tank isn't really comparible to the horizontal ports of the radiator tubes where there is a lot of flow and they are not at the very bottom of the end tank.
The other thing that happens with the ground up ginger root particles is that they get chopped up over time by the water pump impeller until they're so small that they aren't effective and the tiny pieces will settle as they don't get carried through the coolant in suspension as well as the normal fibers of the fresh supplement. That is the reason that the sealer will lose its effectiveness over time (due to being so chopped up and fine) and needs to be replaced.
The ginger root has a unique property that makes the sealant work so well and really prevents it from clogging small ports and orifices with active flow in the cooling system. The ginger root particles/fibers shrink when wet and expand when they dry. The wet fibers in solution in the coolant will collect at a leak point and tend to clot there and then expand on the dry side of the leak where there is air. This seals the leak as the fibers see air on the atmospheric side of the leak and really prevents the fibers from clogging any other ports or orifices in the system as long as they remain wet on both sides of the port or orifice.
Gelled coolant and mineral deposits are the most common cause of clogs and blockages in the cooling system and heater core. The silicated coolant is more prone to gelling and old coolant and/or lack of use of the vehicle or occasional use tends to exacerbate gelling. The gelling coolant traps the supplement material so it looks "muddy" and people think that it's caused by the supplement but in reality the gelling is the problem and the supplement is just the evidence.
Like anything, the supplement isn't perfect but it rarely, if ever, causes a problem. Even when applied in massive doses it really isn't an issue with plugging or anything unless the coolant is old or it is installed in the wrong place ie. surge tank instead of the radiator hose.
Since the supplement doesn't dissolve but is carried in the flow of the coolant in suspension it can clog up the hose from the surge tank to the water pump if copious amounts of the supplement were to be installed in the surge tank. The glop of softened supplement will settle into the hose and block the flow since there's very little flow through that hose - it just conducts pressure to the pump. The glop of supplement will block the hose unless it's flushed out. That's why the recommendation is always to install the supplement into the radiator hose where there's a lot of flow. Kind of like you don't want to pack all the food into the garbage disposal and then turn it on. The sudden amount of residue could clog the drain. But by putting in smaller amounts while there is a flow of water the drain will be fine.
It is amazing what we put in our cars... Anybody ready for a Northstar BBQ ? 
