Re: [DML] Stainless in coolant system

["Dave Swingle" <swingle_dmc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

You are probably confusing the term battery with Martin/Marc's  use 
of the term "battery". By this I mean the car battery (the 12V lump 
behind the passenger seat) vs. the electrochemical "battery" in 
quotes formed by dis-similar metals and the coolant. 

It is a real issue that is mostly mitigated by keeping up to dated on 
your coolant changes, and not keeping a battery charger connected to 
the car all the time. There is a similar issue within the engine 
itself since you have cast iron cylinders in an aluminum block 
surrounded by coolant. Main message - don't leave the same coolant in 
the car for 10 years. 

Dave S

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, mike clemens <rmclemns@...> wrote:
>
> Maybe I missed out on some earlier conversation, but unless you tie 
the positive side of the battery to some point that is ground, then, 
you cannot "short out the battery".  Ground is ground!  There will be 
a very minute flow of electrons with stainless steel and aluminum, 
but not enough to deplete the battery.  If you want to see what would 
happen, just run both the engine ground and the bottle ground to the 
negative side of the battery and let it set for 24 hours.  Nothing 
and next to nothing happens.  Did I miss something in an earlier post?
>  
> Mike   TPS   1630
> 
> --- On Mon, 7/28/08, Marc Levy <malevy_nj@...> wrote:
> 
> From: Marc Levy <malevy_nj@...>
> Subject: Re: [DML] Stainless in coolant system
> To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Monday, July 28, 2008, 6:29 PM
> 
> If I understand the science behind this (and I am not sure I do), 
the problem is that a battery is created because of the dissimilar 
metals being separated by the liquid. So, the "Potential Difference" 
(or Voltage) created between the Aluminum and Stainless is what 
causes damage to the Aluminum (the weaker metal). 
> 
> Assuming what I wrote above is correct, a wire between the SS 
bottle and aluminum engine would "short" the battery out... so there 
would be a potential difference of zero... But, would that stop the 
damage to the Aluminum?
> 
> Maybe someone who understands this can explain it better. :)
> 
> --- On Mon, 7/28/08, Martin Gutkowski <martin@delorean. co.uk> 
wrote:
> 
> Hi Marc
> 
> I genuinely do not know the answer to this one, I just found that 
> article and deemed it relevant. However it makes sense to me that a 
> ground wire might make the situation worse, because you're then 
> providing a short curcuit to the "battery" created between the 
stainless 
> bottle and the aluminium block.
> 
> Martin



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