antifreeze question

[nwcatman]

read in my new issue of the TDR mag that my 03 2500 needs 7 gals of orange antifreeze at the 100,000 mark. it now has 103,000 and i'm getting a little anxious about it. anyways... . at a 50/50 mix, does this mean the cooling system holds approx. 15 gals? seems like a lot. any suggestions/tips for changing it out/ THANKS JOHN

 

[AllianceDiesel]

no 7 gals mixed, i run a 1/4" hose (I think) from the drain to the wherever I drain it so that it doesn't splash all over, and then I open the drain and take off the radiator cap, simple as that

 

[jelag]

We own several trucks... some are listed below... the key with us is we add back the modifier available from CAT or Cummins every year and use the test kit once a year... We have trucks that have 300K miles that have most or all of the OE antifreeze... .

We also only add back distilled water with antifreeze as needed...

Our larger trucks actually have a coolant filter and conditioner in the heater hose lines..... this not only filters the coolant but replaces the test for its condition.....

It's my personal thought that changing is not as important as good upkeep... . and that means a lower cost per mile... .

BTW - we usually run our light trucks for 500K miles before we replace them.....

 

[nwcatman]

ok... thanks guys! thats what i needed to know.

 

[Motorhead]

read in my new issue of the TDR mag that my 03 2500 needs 7 gals of orange antifreeze at the 100,000 mark. it now has 103,000 and i'm getting a little anxious about it. anyways... . at a 50/50 mix, does this mean the cooling system holds approx. 15 gals? seems like a lot. any suggestions/tips for changing it out/ THANKS JOHN

When you say orange coolant, DON'T let them sell you DEXCXOOL for GM cars as it is orange also. That stuff is nick named "Dexclog"!
Get ZEREX Extended life or Delo EC-1. I am sure there are others.

 

[JCasper]

I need to do mine also, I have some prestone sitting in the garage but don't know if I should use it.



I planned on buying some Zerex from Napa when i decide to do it.



Jelag, how do you test it? I wouldn't mind leaving it in for a while longer if there was a way to test it and know it's good.

 

[jelag]

There was a simple test procedure in the last TDR using litmis (sp) and using PH to make sure it balanced... .

Some of the chemicals that lubricate and add lubricity to the coolant can age out... . I'm sorry that I don't know the part numbers of CAT or Cummins modifiers... I'll see if I can find them...

 

[JCasper]

I'll have to grab my last issue and browse through this weekend.



Thanks

 

[LRutigliano]

If anyone has any clear, concise instructions and do's/don'ts, I sure would be interested.



I have the Dodge Service Manual, but its very confusing on certain things like refilling and flushing the system.



I bought the pink long life coolant from the dealer and I bought distilled water at Walmart.



I'll probably attempt to get it done over the extended X-mas shutdown.



Here's a cool tip, for example:



I saw a mechanic use a rubber hose and garden hose with the water turned on drain all of the old coolant out of the overflow tank so that you don't have to remove it. I think he stuck the rubber hose into the overflow tank all the way to the bottom, then stuck the garden hose up tight against the open end of the rubber hose, turned on the water to get a solid column of liquid into the hose and that started a vacuum that drained all of the old coolant out of the tank. I haven't tried it, but am going to...



Thanks,

Louis

 

[rbattelle]

I had my factory coolant changed out at Cummins 1 year after I bought my truck. All they did was drain the radiator, fill with water, drive, and repeat twice. Then refilled (I'm running Fleetguard Compleat PG). They complained that there's no block drain on the 5. 9.

I agree with jelag - proper maintenance is better than replacement. However, it is possible that some people have had water pump failures caused by small amounts of sand or grit stuck in the block from when it was originally cast. Those who flush their coolant once are almost guaranteed to get rid of this.

jelag - has your fleet had any water pump failures?

Ryan

 

[Wayne M.]

When I change out, I am going to use the FG compleat premix. It's the best, and it's mixed with good water already. One thing I do when I do a cooling system flush, is I drain the system and leave the radiaror cap on. This causes the expansion tank to empty first, and if you wanted to flush it too, you could. Once the tank is empty, then take off the rediator cap, and the rest will come faster. It's good to check your cap with a tester- or if it's a few years old, just replace it.



In our fleet, we check Ph, nitrate, and additive with test strips every fall. If the numbers are off, we do a filter change and maybe a partial drain/fill.



Ryan, we have 5. 9's in Johnston sweppers and Case 621's and especially the sweepers, they get abused, never have any cooling system problems at all. You'd change the injector pump (VP44) before the water pump.

 

[jelag]

Ryan... .

(1) on an F550 with 450K miles before we sold it.....

I'm guessing that what I have sitting in the yard now, we have close to 800K, maybe 900K on the fleet of trucks... . (6 trucks) and have never replaced a pump.....

This doesn't include 3 light duty vehicles (cars) that we treat the same way..... again no water pumps...

The 08 5500 is turning 1 year old next month and will be at 45K miles by that time... . it might be there now..... and will get an annual inspection in a couple of weeks... .

 

[PBybee]

Has anyone put the IAT (green) antifreeze in their 2003 and newer CTDs? If so, has anyone had any problems? I have a 2003 CTD and I am getting ready to flush the antifreeze and replace it. I have had problems with the OAT (orange) dex-cool antifreeze in my Chevy Impala, I am a little concerned about putting a similar antifreeze (HOAT) in my truck. I know the HOAT is not the same as OAT, but I am still a little concerned about it. I have used the green stuff for years in other vehicles with no problem.

 

[MMeier]

Has anyone put the IAT (green) antifreeze in their 2003 and newer CTDs? If so, has anyone had any problems? I have a 2003 CTD and I am getting ready to flush the antifreeze and replace it. I have had problems with the OAT (orange) dex-cool antifreeze in my Chevy Impala, I am a little concerned about putting a similar antifreeze (HOAT) in my truck. I know the HOAT is not the same as OAT, but I am still a little concerned about it. I have used the green stuff for years in other vehicles with no problem.

Been using good ol' Prestone since about 45k or so, now have 211k on it with no issues other then a water pump back around 80k or so. I always add in a pint of RMI-25 when I service.

 

[AllianceDiesel]

green isn't formulated for the metals inside the engine, thats why they went to the red stuff

 

[MMeier]

Metals?? Cast iron has been used for quite sometime now.

 

[Mark31]

Hey all, what is the story on the antifreeze that mixes with all types. I call it the "one size fits all" antifreeze. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Count your many blessings!! Mark

 

[rbattelle]

never have any cooling system problems at all. You'd change the injector pump (VP44) before the water pump.

have never replaced a pump.....

Well, that's some good data.



Back in 2004 when I replaced my coolant it was because I didn't "trust" the HOAT stuff. I imagined it like Dexcool.



But I think the stuff seems to have proven itself reliable, and simply replenishing the additives is probably the best (simplest) course of action.



Ryan

 

[Wingate]

I put Cat ELC in mine. Ditto on the having problems with Dex-Cool. Not sure why, but I repeatedly had pump seal failures on several engines(Not Cummins) Put Cat ELC in them and haven't had a failure yet. (knock on wood!!!!)

I have seriously thought about getting all the parts from work and adding a spin-on coolant conditioner/filter system to my truck.

 

[ChrisKringle]

So what about the Amsoil stuff I just bought, is it anygood?