Antifreeze Question?? Problem possibly??

[CharlieMiller]

What type(brand) of antifreeze are people using in there trucks? The manual is useless other than just make sure you use a good ethylene glycol green antifreeze. I was undecided and I picked up some Rotella antifreeze - meets all the specs for diesel engines. So I purchase it and low and behold as I was getting ready to open it my son pointed out that it was pink even though it was ethlene glycol based. Would it be OK to mix with the green factory coolant? It seems to be slowly losing or using coolant it is below the add mark in 2100 miles? I don't see any leaks and I have plugged in the block heater a few times since the temps have been down below 40 and in the 20's a few nights. Any suggestions on where to check for coolant loss? Doesn't seem normal to me. Suggestions on antifreeze to use?

Thanks,

Charlie

 

[illflem]

It used to be that you weren't supposed to mix the two but I don't know if that is still true, there have been many very recent changes. I'd just be safe and use the same colors, besides when you mix red and green you end up with an ugly brown. Read this for more info http://www.narsa.org/press/releases/971101.htm NARSA is the National Automotive Radiator Service Association, these guys know their stuff about coolents, you must be a member to access their info, I hope this link continues to work.





I'm one of the oddballs here, I never change my antifreeze, just add Nalcool once a year. Same system that most OTR truckers use. Still have the stock anti-freeze in my trucks and have one tractor that's had the same AF for 12 years. So I couldn't tell you which kind to use, but heard there are only two plants in the US that make AF, it's probably all the same except for the long life orange and regular green. For a time the long life AFs weren't compatible with Cummins but I think that has changed.

 

[Pit Bull]

Charlie

It looks like from your signature that you have a brand new truck I would drive it back to the dealer and tell them about your problem and have your truck fixed.

 

[Dr.Kayak]

I had to add about 1/2 a pint to my 2001 one time. It has not need any since. I just used Prestone.

 

[illflem]

Charlie, didn't notice how new your truck was till bigtoy pointed it out. It's not unusual for a new engine or one that has been drained of coolant to take a while to work the air out of the system. I'd just add distilled water and keep track of the amount, if it gets over half a gallon take it back to the dealer, something's wrong.

 

[RichR]

"Same as any other vehicle"

Charlie,

When I questioned Dodge in '99 to find out what they use,"the same anti-freeze as a neon. Fleetguard pre-mix is what I used on two refills when I had a CTD.

Rich Rozak

 

[stg2500]

DID I MAKE A MISTAKE??

Does adding a small amount less than a quart of the Fleetguard premix to the factory coolant have any bad affects. I wanted to bring the level in the overflow tank back up to the full mark and used the fleetguard coolant

 

[illflem]

If Cummins/DC practices what it preaches it yours should have come with Fleetguard coolant in it, no problem adding more.