Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Coolant

[SDDAVE]

What coolant sould I be using in my truck, and how often should I change it? I live in Southern California. I dont use the truck for towing as of yet. Im trying to avoid any coolant related problems down the road.



Thx Dave

 

[MrFixit]

Fleetguard

I have been researching too. I have seen fleetguard EG and Cummins Blue. Don't now what to use so I have same questions as you.



Anyone out there????

 

[wlowe]

I just changed mine to the fleetguard EG compleat at 20k. Bought it at Cummins Northwest, about $12 a gallon for the concentrate or $8 for the premix. I was surprised at all the crap that came out when I changed it.



This is the way I did it. Turned on heater, drained the radiator and holding tank, filled radiator back up with distilled water (about 4 gallons) and ran the engine until the thermostat opened. Drained again, dumped in three gallons of Fleetguard concentrate (my truck has a 24 quart system) and topped off with distilled water, refilled tank with premix. I figure I got about 85% of the OEM coolant out by doing it this way, next time I do a change (probably at 50K) it should be close to 100%.



Good luck,

Bill

 

[BK]

Basiclly the fleetguard EG is the best to use. After that there are others that are supposed to meet or exceed the ratings required from other manufacturers, but mixed results have been reported. . from fine to problems.



I've read, and even cummins offered the PG to me, that you can use the PG BUT cummins says to maintain the same change intervals... 2 years. . even though the PG is supposed to extend that.



I've had a slew of emails back and forth to cummins about it.



The stock fill, from DC is high is silicate and is not the right stuff. Cummins specificlly spells out that the coolant used must be low in silicate and something else that escapes me right now.

I don't know how DC got away with it,,, I don't know if DC change the factory fill after my year ...

But after much research, I've given up and I'm not a betting man, so I went with the FleetGuard EG.

Buy 6 gallons of the 50/50 and one of the concentrate.

Buy 2 of the large size prestone flushes... or buy then Fleetguard flush. You'll have about 1. 5 - 2 gallons of 50/50 left over to top off the system.



remove the over flow bottle and put aside.



Drain the system using the drain plug and by pulling the lower radiator hose at the block.

You'll need a large hose ring plier. . , Geno sells them or your local snapon truck. the best $25 bucks you'll spend on a tool.



remove the heater hose from the port nearest the valve cover.

Using low pressure,run fresh water into the heater core for 10 seconds or so and then run fresh water into that heater port near the valve (that you pulled the heater core hose off of) cover and watch the water come out the bottom of the block, where the lower radaitor hose hooks up.

Once it runs clear stop.



rinse the radiator out till it runs clear, reconnect the lower radiator hose, pour one bottle of flush into the block through the heater core port and the other into the radiator... fill the block with fresh water through the heater core port nearest the valve cover till the radiator is filled . . reconnect the heater core hose. . put the overflow bottle back on the shroud... . fill with water.

top of the radiator, turn the heat in... run the truck till it gets warm and top of the radiator . Once your sure the radiator is filled, put the cap on and take it for a ride, watch your temp, if you still have air in the system, you'll run hot. . and need to top of the radiator.

Dont do this when it's cold out, cause the water will freeze...



run the truck for atleast 30 minutes. . to 6 hours depending on how much cleaning you think the system needs.



Let the engine cool and the coolant cool. Once your sure all is cool, drain the system as you 1st did, rinse the system as above, fill the system as above with pure water. Run the truck up to temp as before... let it cool as before, let cool as before, drain as before.



Now it's time for refill.

remove the overlfow bottle and dump the pure water out of it. . rinse it again incase flush is in there. . reinstall the overflow bottle.

if you have bad water in your area, run a few gallons of demineralize water through the block by pouring it through the heater core port by the valve cover... and a gallon through the radiator.

Since theres water still in the block, pour the concetrate into the heater core port by the valve cover and watch the water start pouring out of the lower water port that the lower radiator hose connects to. it will start running blue after about a third of a gallon or soo, I put a half gallon in and as it's draining blue, I reconnect the lower radiator hose. Now with the lower radiator hose reconnected, pour the 50/50 into the heater core port nearest the vavle cover. You should be able to get in 4 gallons of the 50/50. I wind up using 3/4 gallon of the concentrate to get the final mix right.

So this way, there is about 1 gallon of water left in the block , added 4 gallons of 50/50 and almost 1 gallon of concentrate... with some spillage while putting on the lower radiator hose... just about 6 gallons... . capacity is about 6. 5 gallons.

Fill the over flow bottle with 50/50...

Get the engine warm... top of radiator. . be patient...

after it's filled, replace the cap. . and you should only have to top off the overflow bottle.



Just a note...

You want to rinse out the old coolant as best as possible since the original fill was report to not meet the cummins specs... not low in silicate and such. the 'additives' in the coolants are used as rust inhibitors that kling to the walls in the coolant passages,, since the new coolant isnt using the same additives... heat transfer and rust inhibiting traits arent optimum if the system isnt flushed well.



I spent a year tracking down articles, specs, trade write ups ( automotive and radiator association), emails to cummins, prestone, fleetguard, ... . and found soo much that's not explained. .

Since then I've forgotten a lot of the facts and figures, but this was the attitude and basic explaination I came away with... . which drove my opinion that before putting in new coolant, the best thing todo is a darn good flush.



Hope that helps, sorry for the terrrible typing. . I'm not at my desk, but working on a laptop,... more like belly top... in bed, in the AC. the rest of the house is just too darn hot...

so of something doesnt make sense, could be a typo. . email me or make comment below...



-Bob

 

[MrFixit]

Good Post

Hey thanks for the great post Bob.



Will print and follow diections. I suppose I will buy from Fleetguard onlne. I think there is a cummins in Irvine CA, but I have t check. I am at 20k and 2 years now so I thin I a eady for the flush.



Ramon