Here you go gang... I got done with the manifold gasket job on the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 a while back and knew I needed to change coolant. The coolant was like 4 years old being I only drove the truck like 3-4K a year. So why change coolant when the truck just sits. Well here is my thermostat housing... As you'll see the housing is starting to rot away from the pH imbalance of the coolant and it attacking the metals.So needless to say I got the cooling system on the 1996 Dodge 1500 flushed out and fresh coolant and tap water back in the radiator. Call me crazy but it works fine...

I have replaced the coolant a few times. Once becaues i had engine oil in the coolant system i blew a hg. Dawn dish soap works good. Then the water pump went bad. Yet again when the rubber o ring in the drain petcock was broke and leaking. You have to pull the thing out to get the new one on. The last time was when i relpaced the 20k over head gasket with a factory one.

As you'll see the housing is starting to rot away from the pH imbalance of the coolant and it attacking the metals. So needless to say I got the cooling system on the 1996 Dodge 1500 flushed out and fresh coolant and tap water back in the radiator. Call me crazy but it works fine...

Don't blame the coolant as the problem caused by the tap water long term. Tap water ingredients= Chlorine=caustic, Sodium fluoride among other caustic stuff that the gov says is good for us.

Actually I don't blame the tap water at all but the pH level change which comes with extended coolant changes. Like the little red Dodge wound up with because of lack of use and low amount of miles it used. It was well over the time limit but I don't think it was over the mile limit.This is minor damage to the thermostat neck... Next one is the Cummins... But I already know it good because it done yearly with about 25K to 30K miles on it. I'll document the Cummins when I change it too. We'll compare the pics from the last few...

Don't blame the coolant as the problem caused by the tap water long term. Tap water ingredients= Chlorine=caustic, Sodium fluoride among other caustic stuff that the gov says is good for us.

Mike uses creek water, not city water..

Mike uses creek water, not city water..

I guess Wild & Free forgot I'm in the middle of nowhere Idaho with a well and creek...

I guess Wild & Free forgot I'm in the middle of nowhere Idaho with a well and creek...

Even more contamination. iron minerals sodium ect ect. My well water turn rust orange after it sits for a few hours in a container and a neighbors well water looks like you put alka seltzer in the water when it comes out of the tap its sodium is so high it is fizzy. Reminds me of True story, When I worked at a CaseIh dealer a dairy farmer bought a new tractor and a few weeks the water pump went out "B series 5.9 cummins" And when I swapped it the block was full of dirty sandy water so I flushed and installed new pump thinking he used what he had to keep it full. a week later the same issue arose, water pump out and leaking and once again muddy sandy water. So I asked him why he couldn't find cleaner water to fill it up with, Keep in mind this is an old timer and he farms right next to the Missouri river, This is what he told me, "I drain that green stuff out of all my new equipment and put river water in because that water doesn't freeze up until it gets down to 0 to -10*, I couldn't even find any words to express my shock at the stupidity I just heard. I went back to shop and told the management team who passed on to him he no longer had any warranty on his brand new $60K tractor engine. I never had to go out to his farm again.

Even more contamination. iron minerals sodium ect ect. My well water turn rust orange after it sits for a few hours in a container and a neighbors well water looks like you put alka seltzer in the water when it comes out of the tap its sodium is so high it is fizzy.

I said it once long ago and haven't mentioned it since. The creek Mike uses is not the same as the creek behind my house, or well water, or city water, or the pond out back... Just because it has worked for him doesn't mean I think it's right for people to chance it, distilled removes all doubt.