It really depends on how "hard" your tap water is. If you find white
deposits floating in the cooling system and working there way out of hoses,
than you need another water source.

Dennis

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Miller" <mwm@LANSET.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 7:36 PM
Subject: Re: Distilled water

> Dear Volks,
>
> I have heard of the distilled water in the cooling system for years.
Seems
> to me like as soon as you put the water in the metal and rubber situation
of
> an engine it's not distilled anymore.  I find it difficult to believe that
> the amount of ions in ordinary water makes any difference in this
situation.
>
> Is anyone out there a chemcial or electrical engineer who has studied or
> read any research on this?  It would be nice to know if it really makes a
> differents or is just another 'auto legend' [first heard in reference to E
> type Jaguars around 1964]
>
> Mike
> '85 Westy [coolant, yeah, that's the ticket]