Re: MECA propylene glycol cooling...

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

> >  The MECA system is just straight propylene glycol, available much more
> > cheaply in jugs labeled "Sierra Econazi Antifreeze".  Propylene glycol
> > doesn't transfer heat as readily as plain old water (neither does
> > ethylene glycol) but the +300F boiling point allows reduction of film
> > boiling areas, typically in the cylinder head.  Remember your water temp
> > guage measures water temp.  You don't care about water temp, you're
> > concerned with the temp around the spark plugs and exhaust valves where
> > boiling occurs.
> 
> From what I understood, the system is much more involved than just 
> simply switching the coolant.  The water pump turned backwards, and there 
> were other modifications as well.  Maybe changing fluids would help 
> things, but there is more to the system than that.

Meca offers several different stage kits; alas, the high-output water pumps
and reverse-flow setups are not available for Audis.  As for their coolant,
they claim it's substantially different than the propylene glycol available
at RV shops ... but then they probably WOULD say that, wouldn't they?  ;^)

My girlfriend runs the quality-control lab for a local plating company and
has a fairly decent amount of equipment at her disposal ... maybe I'll try
to talk her into comparing the two on a slow day and see what she comes up
with.  (Don't hold your breath, though; she keeps promising to get some of
my suspension pieces for my BMW racecar-in-training plated -- I thought it
would look cool to see shiny stuff underneath the car as well as on top --
but hasn't yet found the time to actually do so...)

               __________________________________________________
                                                                 
                /| |_| |> | - |> |_| |> |  (AudiDudi@delphi.com) 
               __________________________________________________
               aka Jeff Goggin                     Scottsdale, AZ