Aluminium Radiators & Engineering Pty Ltd
Unit 11 / 60 Kremzow Rd
Brendale QLD Australia

Ph +61 07 32054620 Email info@are.com.au

jStStray Current Killer !!

  SStray current is the single  most worrying problem to have in a modern automotive cooling system, that's both oe. or aftermarket. I liken it to cancer in our body! If inhibitors are mixed in the same system, then life expectancy can be measured in weeks as a worse case scenerio. We have seen a trade customers Barina last five weeks & six days & when we investigated - 1.03 volts of stray current  fuelled by a mix of three inhibitors in seven months (no, the customer wouldn't pay for a proper system flush) from supply of a new assembly, to it's return with one leak & two weeps! The worst reading I,ve seen was another trade customers HX Holden - 1.87 volts & the worst part of the story is that after more than a days labour, the Auto Electrical workshop that got involved , gave the car back in disgust at not finding the problem.         

N.B. This pic is of intercooler cores, tubes are thicker, but fin variance shows up the same.

AARE is not immune to the stray current problem either. Over the years, three of our customers cars have had the problem &  just recently, our own Shop truck (3L turbo diesel Hi Lux) was inflicted with 0.37 volts (370mv) in the air/water intercooler system we fitted.  It is only in the intercooler, with 0.18mv showing in the radiator. This was the eighth system we fitted & have fitted three since with no problems & the same components. I didn't spend much time chasing the problem, instead deciding to see just how long the intercooler & cooling radiator cores would last, for our own future reference. 9 months & still counting.
  The above two paragraphs look doom & gloom & if your car has an untraceable level of stray current above the acceptable 0.05v (50 mv.) level, then it was. I say was, because we now have a product in stock that can do the impossible. Our trucks intercooler system now has 0.022v (22mv) current in it's system after 5 days with 250ml of             in the system. The manufacturers say to give it two weeks in the system, so we'll see. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a while too see if the product is perfect or not, I'm talking about if there will be any chemical reaction with inhibitors used. We have Tectaloy anti freeze/anti boil, in our system,  but because the water temps rarely go above 50 deg.c. it will have to be a long term test as heat usually speeds most automotive chemical reactions. None of our cars engine cooling systems are over the limit, so I'm still  deciding about a
 

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