(10-02-2022, 07:41 PM)Richard Wrote: Joe,
The question of which coolant you have is a tough one. If you have any records, then you may be in luck.
The essence of the problem is this. All the coolants are ethylene glycol. The difference is in the additive package which is required to prevent cavitation on the wet cylinder liner in the engine. For years, the coolant used contained nitrates, commonly referred to as SCA’s. Life was good and coolants were simple. The along came extended life coolants using Organic Acid Technology, OAT. The advantage being much longer life, and no need for adding SCAs to the system periodically. Life was still simple because the original coolants using SCA were dyed green, and the new OAT based coolants were dyed red.
Then for some unknown reason, coolant manufacturers started using pink, and orange, and red in coolants with SCA or in coolants using OAT. The coolant additive packages ARE NOT compatible, and if mixed can cause gelling problems in the cooling system.
This non standardization of colors created a huge problem in the diesel coolant world.
This is an oversimplified condensed version of the situation. I encourage you to spend some time researching this topic before proceeding.
Wait, it gets worse. I am not aware of any commercially available test system that will tell you which of the additive packages you have.
So, you can’t depend on color. And you can’t easily test.
If you have records, then stay with what the records indicate is in the system. If you don’t have records, then a sample sent to Blackstone or another testing lab may be able to identify what you have. But that is a long shot. Without records, most people drain the system, flush with distilled water, and refill with the coolant of choice. If you do that, please leave records for the next owner. Like Steve Bare, I use Final Charge OAT because it is available at Walmart.
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(10-03-2022, 07:37 AM)Richard Wrote: That designation does not mean anything to me.
In my view of the world, changing the coolant is one of those items that you just do to zero baseline the coach when you don’t have any history.
It’s not a hard project nor terribly expensive. The system is going to hold somewhere between 15 and 20 gallons of coolant. So you will need four five gallon pails to catch the used coolant. You will find a low point drain at the bottom of the radiator closest to the rear of the coach. You will have to look carefully but it is there. Newell made a small hole in the floor below the radiator for access. Your local recycling center should take the used coolant. You may also find a low point drain, on the chromed pipe connecting to the water pump.
Remove the coolant filter when the system is drained. Replace it with a new one. If using the OAT system, then the filter should NOT contain any supplemental SCA additives.
Fill the system with distilled water and bring the system up to temperature. While the engine is coming up to temp, keep the cap off the upper tank and continue adding distilled water each time the level drops. Each time the thermostat opens the cooling system will take a bit more. Turn on the dash heat to high to aid circulation in the loop to the front. Turn on the engine preheat to aid in circulation to the Aquahot.
Drain the distilled water and send it to recycling also since it will contain ethylene glycol.
Now you are set to fill the system with the new coolant using the same technique as the distilled water. If you are a gadget guy, @skyking, has a nifty tool for aiding in eliminating air in the system. https://www.amazon.com/UView-550500INT-A...e904010ad0
This is a day project with modest expense compared to the consequences of mixing coolants or running the engine with exhausted corrosion and cavitation prevention.
And as you are experiencing, document the type and date of change for the next owner.
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(10-04-2022, 03:50 PM)Richard Wrote: No the tool is not absolutely necessary.
The red fluid near the fan motor IS hydraulic fluid, not coolant. It can leak from the fan motor connections, or the seals in the Overhung Load Adaptor, which is the gearbox between the fan motor and the fan.
Clean the area with brake cleaner. Then take small sections of white paper towel and zip tie in strategic locations. Keeping in mind that fluids don’t flow up hill. The white paper towel is a very quick visual when the red hits it. By the way, Newell uses Auto Transmission Fluid for the hydraulic fluid.
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