Is anybody here using or had actual experience of using Evans NPG+ coolant? I was reading another thread about whether to use distilled water or not and remembered that I had planned on using Evans NPG+ because it seems to solve a variety of potential cooling system problems and seems like the way to go with an engine with rare and irreplaceable aluminum cylinder heads. It eliminates the need to run sacrificial anodes to protect aluminum components, eliminates scale build up, reduces stress/pressure on the radiator by running a non pressurized radiator cap and the coolant never needs replacing or topping up in a leak free system. It also allows for radiator placement pretty much anywhere there is sufficient airflow and reduces the amount of fan usage/electric load by running cooler, as well as improving fuel economy. For those of you not familiar with it you can read up here: www.evanscooling.com The initial investment is spendy, but it seems like a win win situation from there on. So is anybody running it and have long term experience with it?
The only thing that I can see that I wouldnt like about it is that you dont use water. And if you where to break down, your sol if you run out of ur backup coolant. Im pretty sure you have to flush the whole system to get all the water out, and then add the coolant. So I guess it would work good, I dont have any first hand experiance with it. So my two cents is that I bet it works good, but is pricey and if you break down its expensive to get it all back and good with a evans stuff.
Unless you are doing a fresh build with every component being new, I think it would be next to impossible to get all the water / old coolant out of the system.
That's what this is going in - fresh build, never installed engine, radiator boiled out, pressure tested and guaranteed leak free and it has been out of the car for a year. I always carry a spare gallon of whatever coolant I use. Since this coolant does not require a pressurized system, the load should be less. Boiling point at sea level is 375˚F and if you check the website, the claim is that the engine runs cooler and you get an increase in mpg. I inspect my hoses regularly and use the best quality hose I can find and always carry emergency hose bandage and replacement top and bottom hoses. I am hoping to hear what sort of difference it makes under normal driving conditions. I had overheating issues with the car before in traffic (230˚F + on a warm day) and have re-configured the cooling system, going from a blown engine to a normally aspirated engine for many other reasons besides just reduced thermal load.
I was introduced to the stuff a few years ago. At first I simply couldn't believe the claims that were being made, so I looked up their web site, and actually called their tech line and chatted with one of their guys for about an hour. Keep in mind that I'm an engineer in addition to being a motor-head. I was quite surprised and impressed with the knowledge the tech posessed. He confirmed all the claims, and he even directed me to additional information [3rd party] on the web. Since then, I've met about a dozen people who actually use Evans Coolant, and they have all had nothing but praise for the product. The diesel guys especially love it because it allows them to safely run their engines at higher temperatures, which equates to better performance and economy. Give them a call.
I also had an over heating problem in my 41 Willys. BB Chevy (468), 8:71 Blower, fuel injected. <O</O Called Evans as well as looked over their web site. Decided to switch to Evans but also made a few other changes. Problem solved. I drained system as well as pulled plugs and drained block. After system was filled had it checked and was less then 1% water. Was told it can be up to 5% and still work. Using 7 lb cap. <O</O Since you didnt give much info Ill list other areas to look at for over heating. <O</O Best to use puller fan if ele. Pushers dont work as well. Changes to twin 11 Spal fans. <O</O On my BB I was using sender in p***enger head. This is the hottest spot for it can raise gauge 10 to 20 degrees. <O</O I changes water pump pulley to over drive water pump <O</O Also got a MicroTemp EXP Pistol Grip Laser Target Digital Temperature Gun. Even when gauge was reading 220 (from p***enger head sender) water was 190 out of engine.<O</O <O</O With a Willys no a lot of air flow through grill, but no problem now.<O</O
1940 Willys coupe 383 SBC centrifugal blower and intercooled, air to air intercooler which blocked the copper triple core cross flow radiator. Dual 11" puller electric fans with shrouds, all air directed through radiator. The intercooler is gone, normally aspirated 32V DZ302 engine replacing the blown 383. The cross flow radiator has been relocated and canted forward at the bottom with drop out support member. The recessed firewall has been replaced with an original stock firewall and engine and trans have been moved 3" forward. Steering column had been relocated for a much better driving position. I now have legroom and can run creature comforts all in the confines of the stock body, while retaining the stock rear parcel shelf behind the seats. The car is now as ergonomic as you can expect a Willys to be and you can actually see out of the side window rather than trying to see out of the rear roof quarter blind spot. Before I was driving with my knees sharing space with the steering wheel too close to my chest. It sounds as if we have had similar issues and are on a similar track....
I Haven't used there product but years ago when I was building a 6-71 blown small block, there advise about water pump pressure,water pump pulley overdrive ratios, were the best, that motor has over 10,000 miles on it and alot of 10 sec p***es at the track, and has never overheated! My kind of guys!
I have used it in all my cars for about the last 10 years. Great stuff. Everything they claim about it is true. If you are not putting it in a completely "virgin" system, they have a simple process to get all the water out and/or other coolant out. Evans is also great if you have a "combination" engine (iron block, aluminum heads,copper head gasket,etc) as it helps prevent all that white build up stuff (I forget what this chemical reaction is called.....) The one thing to keep in mind is that you cannot mix it with water or other coolants. So, if you have a car that blows water out or leaks and you often find yourself adding coolant by the side of the road or at the end of every long trip, Evans probably isn't for you. This stuff is about 30.00 a gallon so you don't want to be wasting it! The other advantage is that when it is cold, it is thicker so it moves through the system slower acting almost as a thermostat and helps to get a cold motor warm up. As the engine gets warmer, the Evans gets thinner. For those of us with old babbitt bearing engines (bangers,et al.), Evans will not corrode babbitt bearings if it does find its way into the oil. Traditional anti-freeze will eat babbitt if it comes in contact with it.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS Conversion costs of $259 if you do it yourself, or over $400 if you pay a shop to do it. 97%+ removal of all previous coolant is mandatory in order to prevent corrosion. Inhibitor deposition occurs on aluminum surfaces, which could cause issues in some radiators. Engines run 115-140oF hotter (at the cylinder heads) with Evans products. Stabilized coolant temps are increased by 31-48oF, versus straight water with No-Rosion. Reprogramming ECU fan temp settings is mandatory to prevent the fan from running continuously. Specific heat capacity of Evans waterless products ranges from 0.64 to 0.68, or about half that of water. Engine octane requirement is increased by 5-7 numbers. Computerized ignition must retard engine timing by 8-10o to prevent trace knock. Engine horsepower is reduced by 4-5%. Accelerated recession of non-hardened valve seats in older engines is possible, due to brinelling. Viscosity is 3-4 times higher than what OEM water pumps are rated to accommodate. Coolant flow rate through radiator tubes is reduced by 20-25% due to the higher viscosity. Race tracks prohibit Evans products because they are flammable and slippery when spilled.
Hi All, I would like to share my Evans Waterless NPG High Performance experience with you all. Did a lot of research and watched the Jay Leno video and read what I thought was everything I needed to know about Evans before going and spending $400 on the stuff and putting it in my brand new rebuilt engine, 289 Windsor with alloy heads, manifold and rad. Started engine and did the 20 minute run in for the new cam. All went well but did notice the coolant temp reached 210 F. I wasn't too worried as I was running in the cam on a new engine in my garage. Now I will say here the Evans at this stage has been in the engine for 5 weeks total with 20 minutes running at temperature. Shut it all down let it cool did a couple more runs to set up carby and make sure it was all running OK. Total run time on engine is close enough to 1 hour. Dumped the oil and removed the oil filter to find a bit of metal in the filter. As a precaution took engine out to drop the sump and have an inspection. I have attached some photos of what I found in the cooling system. Anything in the cooling system that was Zinc coated was starting to be eaten away by the Evans. Spring in the bottom hose looks like it is growing cauliflower as do the core plugs in the alloy heads. These aren't just deposits it has actually eaten the zinc off the base metal. I have since pulled the engine down flushed out all traces of the Evans and filled with Penrite 50/50 coolant. When draining the Evans out some got on the zinc coated brake lines so I have included that photo as well. On a good note the metal in the oil was just a couple of bits of swarf and no problems there at all.
A properly designed cooling system does not need "Snake Oil". This water wetter debate started many years ago when this stuff first came into existence. Read numerous testimonials that reported both pro's and con's. I'm not convinced this stuff lives up to its claims. Just read claims by Royal Purple on their water wetter product. Pretty impressive if true. Before I'd spend my hard earned money on a repair in a can I'd first correct the problem that exists in my cooling system.
My client put Evans in his 34 Packard 1101. I had water in it for 3 weeks, not a drip from anything, no issues, all gaskets were sealed with Permatex Aviation Sealant. Put the Evans in, the hoses, lower water neck gasket, water pump packing, water pump copper composition seal, and a few bolts on the water jacket all down the side of the engine (48 total) with soft copper washers, ALL STARTED LEAKING. To say I was bent, upset, actually ****ing pissed off doesn't say enough. The work it took to stop the leaks was just stupid, beyond normal efforts. That was last year. Now don't think we're just some redneck posers spinning an occasional wrench. I live this **** day after day and never had to work that hard to stop leaks. And just about when you think you have it, another one. I tried to talk him out of it, nope. Still in there, still leaks from the water pump packing. He just rebuilt the pump hoping it would seal. No. My opinion? **** Evans. $350 for the experience of working for nothing. If it ain't broke...
The company I work for tested Evans coolant in a pair of our Mack trucks. I did the conversions and it was crucial that ALL the water was removed from the system. They gave us a special refractometer to test the coolant to make sure there was no water in the new coolant after the conversion.. I had to drain out the new coolant once and refill again with new before it tested good. We swapped to special thermostats to run them at 250 degrees to see the possible fuel savings (that was the selling point from Evans) The trucks ran fine never has a cooling related issue. The Evans was more prone to seeping type leaks from hoses if the clamps were not really tight. The fuel saving were not enough to offset the cost of the coolant etc so we never invested in converting any more units. If I remember... and its been a while... if water was mixed in... even a small amount... a acid could/would form and cause damage to certain metals.
I think ottoman has answered the "Snake Oil" question. A properly designed cooling system works just fine on a 50/50 antifreeze and water combination. There should be no need for Snake Oil. Gary
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