[DeTomaso] Sacrificial Zinc anode

[The Hougans]

I’m sure I’ll get corrected, but here’s the ‘big picture’, IMHO:
 
Any two different metals placed in a fluid (your coolant) that is electrically conductive will generate a battery. The more ‘different’ the metals (there’s a ‘chart’ that shows these differences), the ‘stronger’ the battery.  Basically, one of the metals gets electrochemically dissolved.  Obviously, you don’t want that metal to be your radiator, or other parts of your cooling system!
So, you want to pick the most ‘reactive’ metal to be the one that gets ‘eaten up’… turns out magnesium and zinc are good choices.  Therefore, you put in a drain plug that’s made out of one of those metals it becomes the ‘sacrificial anode’ of the ‘battery’.
 
Hope that makes some kind of sense.
 
Mike
 
 
On Behalf Of Mike Thomas
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 5:56 PM
To: jgkrenton at comcast.net; 'Asa Jay Laughton'
Cc: detomaso at poca.com
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Sacrificial Zinc anode
 
OK, question from the unwashed . . . 
 
What does the zinc anode do in a cooling system?
Mike Thomas
VP, POCA
VP, Panteras Northwest
Yellow ’74 #6328
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