Coolant replacement - Printable Version

Coolant replacement - Printable Version

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Coolant replacement - Brad Townsend - 02-22-2015

I would like to know how much coolant it would take to replace what I have in my 8v92. What the cost might be and what the PH should be. Not sure if it was ever done. I have 151K miles on the coach I have had it for 8 yrs now, the coach is 1989. Not sure if it has ever been done. Had the ph checked at Newell a couple yrs ago and was ok supposedly. First bottle of test strips was out of date and reading was way off suggesting I needed to change the coolant then but fresh bottle of strips showed ok whatever ok is.

Thanks in advance.
good to be back on the site.

Brad

RE: Coolant replacement - 77newell - 02-22-2015

Brad: there is more to the test strips than ph, a proper test strip will also indicate the where your coolant is in overall chemistry that's needed for coolant to be effective. Yes, coolant strips can go off which is why when I get a good set I store them in a freezer. If the test strip says you are OK you are very probably just fine. One thing the strips won't show is particle contamination, but a filter can minimize that risk.

If you decide to change it out you will need about 25 gallons of diluted coolant, that's what both my 6V92 and 8V92 powered coach took. 13 gallons of concentrate and 13 gallons of distilled water worked just fine.

RE: Coolant replacement - Brad Townsend - 02-22-2015

Did you have to blow out the system? There is a lot of hose through out the rig.
How do you get rid of the old stuff?
Any special type? Detroit specific?

Thanks
Brad

RE: Coolant replacement - Mxfarm - 02-22-2015

Probably more than you want to know...

http://www.demanddetroit.com/pdf/vocations/coolant-selections.pdf

Marc

RE: Coolant replacement - Brad Townsend - 02-23-2015

Your right Mark.
Trying to find test strips is a chore then one must hope they read right.
Might just stop by Newell Coach on the way back east come April.

RE: Coolant replacement - encantotom - 02-23-2015

The test stripso are avail at any truck parts house or Napa

Tom

RE: Coolant replacement - 77newell - 02-23-2015

When I drained my system I also then treated it with 2 rounds of cleaner: one for oil and goo and one for corrosion products. I then filled the system with distilled water, ran the engine a bit with heaters on, then drained and refilled with antifreeze alternating with distilled water a gallon at a time. When I tested the freeze point it was close to the 50-50 mix optimum. Oh, BTW, be sure to close ALL the drains prior to final fill or some coolant will go places you don't want.

RE: Coolant replacement - Brad Townsend - 02-23-2015

Thanks.
Drains? more than one? That is what I was wondering how do you make sure the entire system gets all the old stuff out.
Tilt the coach?

BTW Tom, I subscribe to this thread but do not get notified, can this be fixed>

Brad

RE: Coolant replacement - Fulltiming - 02-23-2015

Brad, I changed your settings to include instant email notifications. Let me know if that takes care of the issue.

RE: Coolant replacement - Richard - 02-23-2015

Brad,

This coolant business is one of the most maddening things in the RV diesel world. Let me see if I can't give you
Richards version. All engine coolant is ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is clear. The sleeved cylinder liner engines require some sort of chemical to keep bubbles from forming on the coolant side of those liners. The bubbles collapse, called cavitation, and the bubble collapse eventually etches away at the liner. The old school original coolant had nitrates added to it to control the collapse. Those nitrates were consumed over time. Therefore, the coolant was monitored for nitrate levels and the nitrates could be topped off with supplemental chemical OR more commonly coolant filters that contained supplemental additives. You have seen this as SCA, supplemental coolant additive. In addition the anti corrosion chemicals can deplete in the coolant over time. A long time ago, the nitrate based coolant was green. Life was simple then.

But since the coolant had to monitored, and lack of monitoring and control led to bad things, the coolant manufacturers developed alternate technologies that did not deplete as rapidly. The first was OAT, organic acid technology. This is generally referred to as ELC, extended life coolant. In the very beginning it was generally colored red. It did not need monitoring, and is generally advertised as having a 3 to 5 year lifespan before and extender can be added to give another 3 to 5 years.

You do not mix the two coolants.

Life was still good, until HOAT, hybrid organic acid technology, and other variants came along. With all of those variants came pink, orange, and yellow dyes for the coolants with no standardization among manufacturers.

So why did I drag you through this? To make a simple point. If you don't know for an absolute certainty what is in your engine, then flush the system, and refill with a coolant that you can buy nationally. Buy some extra and keep a couple of gallons with you. Write down what you have, and how it should be monitored and maintained. The really really bad thing about all the variations out there is that there is NO way for the common guy to test and know what he has. Color is not a foolproof indicator.

As far as disposal, please don't dump it down the drain. Take it to any major place that does general car service work. They collect their antifreeze, and either sell it to recyclers or simply filter it and use it to refill cars they service. Ethylene glycol does not go bad.

This just my .02, and a very simplified version of the coolant world.