Recommended Coolant for a big block 383.

by **RedRaven** » 19 Oct 2007 15:49

Guys what coolant do you recommend and what mix 40/60?

Will tap water suffice and how much liquid will she need of both?

Thanks
Red.

by **rtse4406pack** » 19 Oct 2007 15:55

when mixing water to your antifreeze use disteled water. it is fairly cheap and it is a lot better than tap water as it is pure with no crap in it. :thumbsup:

by **RedRaven** » 19 Oct 2007 16:06

Like volvic....how much will she need in litres?

by **dave-r** » 19 Oct 2007 17:44

I usually use a 40/60 mix of antifreeze and tap water. Never had a problem.
You need a 40% concentration of anti-freeze for full corrosion protection.

by **dave-r** » 19 Oct 2007 17:47

Capacities.

by **RedRaven** » 20 Oct 2007 9:41

Thanks Guys.... :thumbsup:

by **dave-r** » 20 Oct 2007 10:02

rtse4406pack wrote::D when mixing water to your antifreeze use disteled water. it is fairly cheap and it is a lot better than tap water as it is pure with no crap in it.

I guess a lot depends on the quality of your water. I have never been impressed with the water in the US and Canada. You just cannot make a decent cup of tea with it.

My sister in Canada has water that is yellow with sulphur. It is like drinking piss with eggs. :s012:

by **RedRaven** » 20 Oct 2007 10:29

Is that a regular activity of your Dave??? :twisted:

by **Eddie** » 20 Oct 2007 11:47

Yeah, use distilled only!

by **fal308** » 21 Oct 2007 15:26

One tip to get free distilled water is to capture the condensate from your home air conditioning unit, if you can.
In the house I used to live in, the AC drained through a hose into a drain in the basement. I just had the hose drain into a clean gallon jug.

by **Eddie** » 21 Oct 2007 16:43

fal308 wrote:One tip to get free distilled water is to capture the condensate from your home air conditioning unit, if you can.
In the house I used to live in, the AC drained through a hose into a drain in the basement. I just had the hose drain into a clean gallon jug.

Pretty Sneaky there Barc, did you at one time make a clear liquid derived from corn sqeezins :biggrin:

Seriously, I never thought about that, and with distilled water costing 70 cents a gallon it adds up. I use approx two gallons a day in my home. Coffee and my Earl Grey every morn and eve. it's a ritual thing. :mrgreen:

by **dave-r** » 21 Oct 2007 18:01

Yeah I get a couple of pints a week from my de-humidifier. Diana uses it in her steam iron. I should collect it in a large container really.

by **RedRaven** » 21 Oct 2007 21:10

Found this...its good for us quart convert to litres

According to Daves spec sheet the 383 should take 15 Quarts which is roughly 14 1/4 in litres.

So that would make six or so litres of coolant and the rest in water?

by **dave-r** » 22 Oct 2007 8:31

Mate. I use this little gizmo for all my conversions. Handy to have. :wink2:

http://www.challenger440.pwp.blueyonder ... onvert.exe

by **fal308** » 22 Oct 2007 15:48

Never made anything like that but used to see the delivery cars running the backroads in the Ozarks late at night. Their car of choice seemed to be the '65 Ford Galaxie with that weird 352. Lots of power and a trunk you could live in.
If I ever got into making it, I could finally afford to restore the Challenger and the rest of the fleet :s003:

Haven't been down that way in many years but last time I was working down that way, dope was the cash crop of choice. They grew it right on the roadside behind weeds. It also grows naturally there, after all that's what the early settlers used to make ropes with.
Dope and drugs is something I'll never get involved with. Not worth the risk.
Unfortunately I couldn't collect any distilled water this past summer due to some unforseen circumstances.

by **Eddie** » 22 Oct 2007 20:21

RedRaven wrote:Guys what coolant do you recommend and what mix 40/60?

Will tap water suffice and how much liquid will she need of both?

Thanks
Red.

Is it in yet Wayne?

by **RedRaven** » 22 Oct 2007 20:35

Yeah I dropped it in, cant wait to go for a rip, Im just doing a few odd jobs, tire pressure etc.

Weather aint great at the mo..Im gonna do a vid and youtube it, when its done I will post it up here!! :thumbsup:

by **Eddie** » 22 Oct 2007 20:39

Great news Bro! I cant wait to see it. make sure the belts and hoses are snug and you'll be fine! :mrgreen:

Oh, check the tranny in neutral at operating temp. (warmed up like a woman)! Trannys and women are the very same you know! You gotta get the thing warmed up before you slide your dipshtick in! :s009:

by **RedRaven** » 22 Oct 2007 20:43

Yeah it was one of the first things I did when I fired her up, I went straight to check the levels, I wanted to see how much ATF I lost when I took off the trans lines from the rad..I topped her up..the dip is great it tells ya to check it in N as you said...I filled her with the cap off and let the air bubble out of the rad...

by **Eddie** » 22 Oct 2007 20:47

Sounds good Wayne. I bet you cant wait to take her out!(The car) Let me know about the you tube post. I would enjoy seeing that vey much. :thumbsup:

by **RedRaven** » 26 Oct 2007 19:59

Ok I filled her up and managed to get 4 litres of coolant and 6 litres of water in to the rad, she wouldnt take anymore.

I took her out to the garage down the road to give the tyres some air, while I was there she was idling in P, after a few mins she began to labour and slowly the revs dropped and she died, I managed to get her going again and struggled home.

When I tried to park her its a bit of a struggle cause of tight angle and lots of other cars make it hard, anyway with all the back and forth to park it right she kept cutting out, when I got her in line to reverse she struggled in R to move. I noticed the transparent thingly on the fuel line to the carb was empty, its usually half full.

Im not sure what the problem is could it be :

1 dirty carb
2 bad fuel
3 transmission

Any suggestions guys??

by **Eddie** » 26 Oct 2007 20:15

Wayne when did it start running bad, after the engine warmed up or before? Has it ever done this before? Do you have the original fuel tank on the car? When was the last time you tuned it up? New plugs, points,condenser, dizzy cap? I would get rid of the Chevy style gas filter, it melts/breaks, you will lose your car! I'm not joking Wayne! Get a cheap parts store metal one. You will not be able to put the fire out unless you have an extinguisher, I know this from personal experience, trust me bro, get it the F$$K off your machine! :s004:

Waittill Dave sees this! :biggrin:

by **Eddie** » 26 Oct 2007 20:21

Dave, shall I hold your coat? :lol:

by **RedRaven** » 26 Oct 2007 21:58

Oh great not only am I vexed again by my MOPAR but I now Im due a beattin from the gaffer... :mrgreen:

Its never run this bad, could it be the fuel pump Eddie, what is the fixer one this one?

by **RedRaven** » 26 Oct 2007 22:14

airfuelEddie wrote:Dave, shall I hold your coat?

Im off if Daves lookin to throw a beatin on me tell him "He went thata way"!!! :mrgreen:

by **Eddie** » 27 Oct 2007 0:28

As I asked previously, the tune up, when was it done last? Yeah, it could be the pump Wayne, it could be the gunk sloshing around inside your tank,( if it's the original tank and pickup tube), could be the sock plugged at the end of the 5/16" pick up tube located inside your fuel tank. Does it run at all? You do have a working fuel gauge and it's got plenty of fuel inside the tank right? Just trying to eliminate the obvious and not being dis-respectful Wayne :mrgreen:

by **dave-r** » 27 Oct 2007 9:47

Ok. The empty transparent thing is probablt your fuel filter.

As you suspect it should be full of fuel. Or at the very least 2/3rds full.

So. Where is the filter?

They are usually (quite correctly) placed between the fuel pump and the engine. However that means that the problem is going to be anywhere between there and the tank.

So. The likely possible problems (working from the filter back) are;

1) Bad fuel pump. If it is the original 40 year old one in particular.

2) Heat. A fuel line near the exhaust pipes or exhaust gas blowing from an exhaust leak can vapourise the fuel in the line.

3) Blocked fuel line.

4) Blocked vent in the fuel tank causing sucktion from the tank.

5) No fuel in the tank.

Out of those I would say that #1 and #5 are the most likely.

by **RedRaven** » 27 Oct 2007 10:05

airfuelEddie wrote:As I asked previously, the tune up, when was it done last? Yeah, it could be the pump Wayne, it could be the gunk sloshing around inside your tank,( if it's the original tank and pickup tube), could be the sock plugged at the end of the 5/16" pick up tube located inside your fuel tank. Does it run at all? You do have a working fuel gauge and it's got plenty of fuel inside the tank right? Just trying to eliminate the obvious and not being dis-respectful Wayne

Your not being disrespectfyl Eddie...Im a novice so sometimes even the obvious is new to me!!

The fuel gauge says half full.

The last tune up Id say was a couple of years ago, the trouble is I dont know of anyone I can trust to tune it.

by **RedRaven** » 27 Oct 2007 10:10

dave-r wrote:Ok. The empty transparent thing is probablt your fuel filter.

As you suspect it should be full of fuel. Or at the very least 2/3rds full.

So. Where is the filter?

They are usually (quite correctly) placed between the fuel pump and the engine. However that means that the problem is going to be anywhere between there and the tank.

So. The likely possible problems (working from the filter back) are;

1) Bad fuel pump. If it is the original 40 year old one in particular. Not sure.

2) Heat. A fuel line near the exhaust pipes or exhaust gas blowing from an exhaust leak can vapourise the fuel in the line. Whats the solution to this?

3) Blocked fuel line. Whats the solution to this?

4) Blocked vent in the fuel tank causing sucktion from the tank. How do I unblock this?

5) No fuel in the tank. (Indicating half full)

Out of those I would say that #1 and #5 are the most likely.

I hope its as simple as the above- Im a bit freaked it could be mechanical- would the plugs be dirty or maybe the oil is no good anymore- however in sayin that there is no unusual smoke coming from her.

When she was struggling she was coughing and spluttering etc.

by **Eddie** » 27 Oct 2007 12:00

Dont worry about the sparkplugs or oil it's not the problem Wayne. Do you know where the fuel pump is located on your engine?

Re: Recommended Coolant for a big block 383.