propylene glycol users?

[Larry C Leung]

PG (not car grade, as you don't need anti-oxidants and chemical
inhibitors in food use) is actually a food additive that is used as a
moistener. Whether it has nutritional value (hence will grow bacteria,
mold, mildew and other smelly things) I don't know. It IS much friendlier
to lving things than EG (hence it's food additive purposes), which will
essentially dissolve the ingestors insides. It is the primary coolant in
the Mecca-Evans coolant, but there appears to be a mixed bag on it's
results on the list. In non-performance applications (at least for
turbo-Audis) it's a safe (assuming no phosphates) environmentally
friendly coolant (I switched to in my 4KQ when it's radiator started
leaking as my neighbor's dog thought that he was mine half the time =).
Then, when the heater core leaked, I thought I'd rather breathe PG rather
than EG).

LL - NY

On Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:44:31 -0700 THOMAS TAUSKEY
<ttauskey at worldnet.att.net> writes:
>After the heater core blew out this summer in the '88 80 i refilled
>with
>propylene glycol, since i was going to try to fix the leak by using
>an
>additive - like Bar's Stop Leak. Being pessimistic (as well as
>prescient) i figured it probably wouldn't work (correct) but knew
>that
>trying would for sure result in more coolant leaking into the
>footwells
>(correct as well).
>
>At the time i thought the propylene didn't smell as bad as the
>etheylene - nor did it seem as sticky either so it'd be easier to
>clean
>up.  Yeah, ok, marginally good idea so far.
>
>The additive fix attempt didn't work, and the heater core remains
>bypassed since I've not yet gotten around to tearing the car apart
>(why
>do that in good wx?).  It was about 12 degrees here in Denver this
>a.m.
>and I sincerely hope there's enough propylene glycol in the coolant
>but... couldn't test last weekend since I can't locate a source for
>the
>"test strips" referred to in the "destructions" on the back of the
>container. apparently ethelyene glycol testers won't work. I'll have
>to
>email Dow or whomever manufactured the stuff, i guess.
>
>then... yesterday a Denver paper discussed how at DIA (Denver
>International Airport) they have problems containing the propylene
>glycol used to deice aircraft... sounds like it's just running all
>over
>the place after the retaining ponds fill up... and... that as the
>runoff
>degrades it  gives off a real bad smell.
>
>so...now I'm wondering if I should prepare for a similarly bad smell
>to
>develop as the stuff that's soaked into the carpet degrades......
>
>any thoughts - experience - on using this stuff? it's supposed to be
>friendlier to the environment, puppies, kittens and all - but maybe
>it's
>not worth the hassle.
>
>tom tauskey
>
>'88 80
>'88 5kcst
>