Spearfish Coolant Seminar
On Friday we had a seminar here at Spearfish on engine coolants which I will attempt to summarize. Todd Moe who is the operations manager of BG Oil Distributors in Rapid City, SD was kind enough to make a presentation for us which included good information concerning modern diesel engine oil and fuel characteristics as well as helping us understand some of the mysteries of the coolant choices we have for our Detroit engines.
Some of the coolant basics that Todd related to us follows:
There are three different choices we have when purchasing engine coolants. All are ethylene-glycol based products. Of the three, only two are suitable for use in our Detroit engines. The most common coolants we see at NAPA and Wal-Mart are for use in automobile engines, they are not classed as Heavy Duty coolants and should not be used due to their high mineral content which produces scaling and deposits in diesel engines. If the container doesn't say Heavy Duty for diesel engines, don't use it.
We have two choices in Heavy Duty coolants:
1. The most common are SCA (Supplemental Coolant Additive) type coolants. Proper chemical balance with SCA coolant is checked by the use of test strips which are available at Detroit, Cummins and Caterpillar engine dealers and repair shops. The addition of SCA additive filters when necessary assures the prevention of pitting and corrosion in wet sleeve engines. SCA additive coolants should be drained and flushed approximately every two years or 250,000 miles.
2. Extended Life coolants which are relatively new. They are also ethylene-glycol based coolants however they do not use SCA additives. They are very low in silicates, oxidants, and phosphates. They don't create scale and deposits in diesel engines over time. They can typically be used with one life extending additive (not SCA) that will assure their effectiveness for between 600,000 and 1 million miles depending on the claims of the manufacturer. In order to be assured you are purchasing a true Extended Life coolant it should be labeled as an ECI compliant product. Chevron, Caterpillar, and Chevron/Texaco produce ECI compliant products.
There are some common misconceptions and errors made in the use of coolants:
The color of a coolant does not determine its characteristics. While extended life coolants are red in color, you should be aware that non-extended life coolants can be red or a shade of red or purple also. There are no green coolants which are ECI compliant extended life products. Whether a coolant is long life should be determined by it's designation as an ECI specification coolant. If its not an ECI coolant, you can't be sure it's actually an extended life coolant.
NOTE: While Detroit Power Cool PLUS is an extended life coolant, due to the fact that the ECI standard was developed by Caterpillar, Detroit does not claim their coolant is ECI compliant. Note also that both Power Cool non-extended life coolant and Power Cool PLUS Extended Life Coolant are both red in color.
While all ethylene-glycol based coolants can be mixed, they are not necessarily compatible. IE. When SCA and extended life coolants are mixed or the wrong filter is installed, the long life feature of the coolant is lost. When changing filters, make sure SCA charged filters are used only as necessary after the use of a test strip and only with non-extended life SCA type coolant. Use only blank filters for a filter change with ECI compliant Extended Life coolant. In other words, don't allow Prevost or anyone else tell you their coolant is compatible with "all coolants" or that SCA filters are "standard".
Be aware of the type coolant you have installed in your coach and make sure the correct coolant is added for topping up and that the correct filter is installed. If you don't know what type coolant is in your bus you should treat it like a conventional SCA additive coolant. Since these coolants should be drained and changed every two years, you should consider taking advantage of the excellent protection offered by switching to an extended life coolant when you do a normal drain and replacement. Be sure to drain the system completely when making this change. Extended Life coolant manufacturers require that at least 80% of your system capacity must be filled with Extended Life in order for it to be effective.
For additional information concerning Heavy Duty coolants, the following links may further help clear up any confusion: http://www.chevrondelo.com/en/produc...ze/default.asp, and http://www.astm.org/JOURNALS/JAI/PAGES/286.htm.
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