<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />Howdy Mike
I kinda sorta agree about the engine and the bearings. It is indeed strange that the bearing is in such bad shape and the cylinder is not! The ring groove that should be there is not.
On the antifreeze question. That would be a good thing for me to do this summer... I could extract the engine intake hose and install a temp sending unit in it! That would bive me 2 readings in the dash. With this I could then use all antifreeze and then slowly add water till I got to 100% water. Hmmm With this well I have here I could even go so far as to use extreemly hard and extreemly soft water.. Might be something to occupy my time. Maybe Leve will come around with some of his 1, 2, 3's and have an opinion!
Big Jim

edit! What I have found is that no matter how hot it gets down here the engine temp reads the same year around... So maybe what is happening is that the thermostat is opening wider to allow more fluid to pass. I am thinking from your post that perhaps the fluid temp is entering the engine hotter than if it was water only. hmmm This should be good for the engine shouldn't it? not having a colder fluid entering? Seems that in zero temp (shudder) one would have zero fluid entering no matter what fluid was in there... Just thinking out loud.
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />Big Jim