Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) I need antifreeze help...

[JohnBoy5]

Ok so i changed my oil monday 6/26/10 then on 6/27/10 i was looking around under my hood and noticed wet starting at the front of the engine going towards the back. after i started looking i noticed it was the water pump. I will be at napa getting the new pump and need to know what the BEST antifreeze is to put in my truck. I am thinking the Zerex G-05 is the best thing i can put in it. can someone please inform me if i am correct about this... I just want something that will provide maximum protection in all areas for my truck. I have also read the write up in issue #54 and looks like i have a lot of choices but only want the best choice!

here is a link to the G-05 http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/zerexg05.pdf

one more note i will be changing ALL the antifreeze and doing a flush.

thanks

 

[PC12Driver]

Looks like that stuff will work just fine.



With the antifreeze drained, I'd suggest to take a couple of hours and pull the radiator out and clean the fins. Blow-by bottle relocated or not, it'll still get plugged up and can't be cleaned completely unless it is out of the truck. Good time to replace the belt then, too.

 

[JohnBoy5]

O i relocated that bottle when the truck was new. I could see from the start that thing would be a problem. lol Yep belt and thermostat is on the job list also. radiator looks really clean. I should take some pictures of the engine compartment. people cant get over the fact that the truck has 140k and is almost 10 yrs old. its clean everywhere in out and under the truck. i am super picky about it!

 

[DMcLeod]

With so many choices, everyone has their own "Best" antifreeze based on price, additives, namebrand, availability, type, etc. I recently researched antifreeze for my 01 and ordered the Fleetguard HD ethylene glycol antifreeze. I will be flushing, pulling the radiator for cleaning, etc. as soon as it comes in. The spec required is "low-silicate" ASTM D4985, but most brands will have a product meeting this. The owners manual says to use ethylene glycol, but I've read where many have converted to the less-toxic propylene glycol type. For me, I stay away from all the extended life additives, SCA's, OAT's, test strips, etc. I just stick with good old green EG and flush/replace every 2 or 3 years. I only add distilled water, and mix to approx 65% antifreeze/ 35% water (freeze protection for interior AK). Just my $. 02.

 

[DMcLeod]

Just looked again at your choice. If it doesn't state the low silicate astm, I personally would not use it. Again, I don't buy into the extended life, hybrid, liner protection stuff. The ISB engine is not susceptible to liner cavitation like other diesels. Good luck.

 

[Skydiver]

You're on the right tract JohnBoy5. One thing I like to do when flushing any cooling system. Fill and drain with tap water at least 5 times, bringing up to operating temp each time. This removes any sediments. On my last drain I take a clear glass catching a sample and hold it up to a light to see just what's left. Then if you have hard water I would flush one more time with distilled water. The distilled water might not be nessessary if your tap water hardness level is less than 35 ppm. Our drinking water here has 25 ppm hardness. Might be over kill,but these engines are not cheap.
I never buy 50/50 antifreeze because unless the system is completly drained there is no way to guarantee what the true mixture will be. Some antifreeze or water gets left behind.

 

[JohnBoy5]

Yea that was the something like what i was thinking of doing. i however have another interesting problem. i know for a fact that i see antifreeze around the water pump but cleaned it all off with some parts cleaner and drover the truck for about 3 or 4 miles. i cant get anything to come out. so the new question is to change or not to change the water pump... . i dont think i could go wrong changing it but at the same time if i cant get to leak any more why change it?

 

[JohnBoy5]

here is one other thought i had based on my new found missing leak. lol getting a water pump and having it ready and having the coolant here and ready. can someone recommend a brand of water pump since it appears i have a little time to get one now?

 

[GOTSOOT]

One thing that the designers forgot on the engine was a petcock at the lowest,and back part of the block,so it could be drained more completly and easily. Looking at a scrap block to see where to put one.

 

[krtcummins]

Pull the rad hoses off, including the thermostat and run a lot of water through the radiator and the block to flush. I even pull the heater core hoses off to flush the core. This should get you cleaned out. The block is a "parent block" design, not a removable cylinder sleeve block. Cavitation is not a problem.

 

[24V-DSL]

I use Fleetguard ES Complete (I think that's the correct labeling). It's a 50/50 premix.



I lost my first water pump at 116K, and now have 223k. I'm not going to wait for it to fail, and will change soon. Took me a full 6 hrs. to clean my engine compartment..... what a mess.

 

[firefighter_2000]

Cleaning

I'll have to give a big +1 on cleaning the radiator cooling fins etc. I keep my engine compartment pretty clean, and just looking at it from the front & back, it looked clean. I ended up removing the radiator a month ago and cleaning it really well... It was horrible. A flashlight wouldnt shine through the fins. The oil, dirt, grime, grass, bugs, etc was really really bad, and I couldnt tell except for the fact that the truck wouldnt cool as well. It has been a night & day difference since then. Truck is much cooler, A/C is colder. I cant complain. Go ahead & replace the upper & lower hoses while you're at it and put a shut off valve on your heater core hoses as well.

Craig

 

[DMcLeod]

Ya, if you take a small flashlight and peer down between the intercooler and radiator, you can see the gunk built up on the radiator fins. Mine definitely needs attention every few years (even with overflow bottle relocated).



You might need to put a few more miles on to be sure the water pump has stopped leaking. There is a vent hole in the water pump body. Watch for sign of coolant leaking out the vent hole which would indicate that the shaft seal is bad. The water pump seals to the engine block with an o-ring. If it's leaking by the o-ring, you might be able to get away with just replacing the o-ring (I would just replace the pump though, if I had it out).



I see Geno's now carries GATES water pumps for around $40. The Cummins part is quite a bit more and has core charge (I think). I couldn't tell you anything about quality of these parts. I carry a spare just in case.



From what I understand, if you're going to pay the extra money for the ES Complete (or similar extended life antifreezes), you'll be using the test strips and SCA additives to stretch the life of your antifreeze. If you're wanting to extend the antifreeze life for several years, there may be a filter kit you could add as well (like the big rigs).

 

[JohnBoy5]

I guess i will pull the radiator out also. what are you folks using to clean it, the out side that is? As for the SCA additive we dont need to worry about that because we dont have wet liners in these engines. i wish it did but we have the good old cast iron all the way! I just ordered the gates water pump and will get the coolant also and just have it ready. some things i like to get the very last little bit out of it. lol others i will replace right away. this i am not to worried about because i wont let the truck over heat and if i start having a problem i will pull over and call my friend that has 6 rollbacks and get him to send me one.

 

[DMcLeod]

Simple green, a light brushing, and a hose nozzle works for me. I think I took it to the carwash the first time, but you must be very careful not to bend the cooling fins with the high water pressure.



I don't know much about SCA's, but aside from the liner/no liner discussion, if you're leaving your antifreeze in for several years (extended life) I understand you should be watching the additive package, pH, etc. (using test strips) whether we have liners or not. It's the corrosion package that needs to be updated periodically. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.



I went back and read the antifreeze discussions in TDR issues 54 and 62. The 62 article ends by saying that Chrysler spec MSS-9769 HOAT coolant (usually yellow) is backward compatible to all years of the turbo diesel. Sounds like you're good to go. Get some test strips, learn about additives, and you might get several years out of your antifreeze.

 

[PC12Driver]

Simple green, a light brushing, and a hose nozzle works for me. I think I took it to the carwash the first time, but you must be very careful not to bend the cooling fins with the high water pressure.

The original Simple Green attacks aluminum. You might want to use the "aircraft" version for your aluminum radiator.

 

[DMcLeod]

Thanks for that reminder PC12Driver. I do think the regular Simple Green is ok if used at the correct dilution ratio and the contact time is short. I'll see if I can find the aircraft type locally first. I do remember also using some solvent at first just to begin to dissolve all the gunk.

 

[rjrkihap]

Not to butt in, but can someone outline the steps to removing the radiator (ie. remove these 4 bolts, etc)?

Thanks

Ron

 

[JohnBoy5]

funny you ask that. i was looking at that this morning. looks like to me take the hoses off, shroud, and the wire that connects the 2 batteries to each other and the 2 bolts at the top and it will lift out. correct me if i am wrong please as i would like to know.

 

[JohnBoy5]

ok so i got the water pump changed. to take the radiator out was actually very simple. loosen the fan shroud, hoses, the battery cable that connects the 2 batteries. i chose to take the 4 10mm bolts out and leave the cable on the truck. then there is 2 bolts 1 on each side take them loose and she will lift right out!

i uses the Zerex G-05 and some redline water wetter, put in a 180 degree f thermostat and a new belt along with the water pump. i flush the system prob like 10 times and also used some cooling system cleaner and cooling system flush then ran the truck with the water hose in the radiator and the top hose loose with no thermostat. then filled it a few more times and drained it. i will say it was very clean looking when i pulled the pump out! i pulled the radiator after all that and cleaned the fins like suggested and boy it was nasty. there was paw prints all over my house from the dog walking in the crud that came out. (no she did not drink anything out there i was keeping a close eye on her and its been a few days and she is still running as good as my truck).

(edit) one more side note i flushed the heater core also. i forgot to put that above

thanks a ton for all the advice and suggestions from everyone!