Which coolant for Diesel? (and filter?) (1 Viewer)

[jzilla]

Just curious what everyone is using for coolant in their diesels? (did not find much when searching)
I usually just use the green stuff with distilled water and flush every two years or so.
Was reading that Napa has a diesel coolant... I used a diesel coolant from Can tire in the past but they don't seem to have it anymore...

Came across this, was an interesting read on the big rigs and coolant filters.
(I think it would be nice to have a filter in there if it could be placed in the engine bay neatly, maybe not as necessary on our trucks though? I don't know...)

Google Image Result for http://www.hhrvresource.com/ForumThreads/ForumThreadPhotos/Zerez.png

This one is really good...
http://www.constructionequipment.com/basics-diesel-engine-coolant
After reading that I am going to be getting the diesel coolant for sure I think hmm...

 

[canucksafari]

If you don't have wet sleeves, then I think that a flush every two years with a refill of standard green glycol is fine. You should not have very much scale unless you are using northern Alberta well water to mix with the antifreeze. Also, that pic of the nasty filter is from an engine which already has serious corrosion problems. Most truck shops sell paper sticks to measure how much your anti-corrosion additives have been depleted. I think they are about $1 each (cheaper by the packet).

If you are going to spend money to increase the longevity of your engine, I would spend it on things like a preoiler or a buy-pass filter. If you have an auto, you might consider adding a tranny cooler, tranny temp gauge and a tranny filter (F150 stand alone housing and filter)

 

[Kynot62]

Like John said, you don't need diesel coolant for your 3B. Wet sleeve engines require a different formula I do believe because of vibration and other factors that effect regular coolant. If I remember correctly regular coolant will seperate and stick to the interior surfaces of a wet sleeve engine. And I can't remember if less than good things happen with diesel coolant in a non sleeve eng, I will have to ask the mechs at work again....

Just use the regular stuff in that 3B and you will be fine.

Tony

 

[Kynot62]

John

Did a 5 minute search on the net and it looks like the seperation I mentioned is related to "cavitation erosion" in wet sleeve engines. When you use green coolant in a wet sleeve engine, bubbles form from the vibration coming through the sleeve, when the bubbles burst they erode the sleeves.

Some red coolant has additives called SCA's to prevent this. And I also found mention that some red coolants will eat up a brass cored radiator. Reason enough not to use it in a 3B

But like a lot of stuff you will have to do a ton of research or simply use the old standby and enjoy another 510,000 kilometers on that engine.....

Tony

 

[canucksafari]

I bought some long life diesel coolant from Canadian Tire a couple years ago. I was going to use it until a mechanic friend told me not to, precisely because of the issue of it possibly reacting with the various metals in my cooling system: brass, iron and aluminum. My vehicle has likely seen good old green glycol all its life. I see no reason to change. I do keep an eye on the anti-corrosion additives, as it is prone to corrode in the coolant passages in the aluminum oil cooler and timing cover housing.

Good to know why green glycol causes cavitation in wet sleeve diesels. IIRC, the Powerstroke engines use to be very prone to this.

 

[Kynot62]

John

I have now learned more about anti freeze than I ever wanted to know. In a nutshell, it's not that green antifreeze causes cavitation but generally lacks an additive (nitrite) to fight cavitation. All wet sleeve engines have cavitation concerns. And Ford still wants you to use the anti cavitation formula even though they are not wet sleeve engines And here may be the biggest reason not to use so called diesel anti freeze in a 3B or other non sleeved engine, excess nitrites can attack the solder that holds the radiator together...

Now to really confuse things, all antifreeze is actually clear, the color is just an additive. Almost all antifreeze is ethylene glycol. Propylene glycol pretty much makes up the rest. Its the additive package that makes them different. This is why you don't mix coolant types. While the base is compatable chemically the additive packages are not.

Even the newer red Toyota anti freeze formula is ethylene glycol but uses a long life additive package better known as Organic Acid Technology.

But to avoid this from getting too long I am going to write it up in a simple form on thewagonway website. I will let you know when it's been posted

Tony

 

[jzilla]

Thanks for the feedback, I will be using the regular green stuff then After having my engine all apart for the cam bearings and part painting, all the areas that coolant flows through looked just fine. I guess as long as you flush it out every so often you are good to go! Definitely some interesting reading about coolant.

 

[Kynot62]

Thanks for the feedback, I will be using the regular green stuff then After having my engine all apart for the cam bearings and part painting, all the areas that coolant flows through looked just fine. I guess as long as you flush it out every so often you are good to go! Definitely some interesting reading about coolant.

John

wait till you read the write up...

And definately don't use extended life or universal stuff. The additives are not so good on the solder in our radiators. You want the traditional stuff made with traditional additives such as phosphates and silicates.

Tony

 

[Kynot62]

John and John

Here is the antifreeze write up I put on thewagonway site The Wagon Way

The thing that was the most interesting to me was that you can make a non toxic antifreeze from the byproduct of Biodiesel production. I want to know more about that.

Tony

 

[jzilla]

Great thanks!