whereswaldo250

I was just wondering what antifreeze guys/gals were using in your first gen. I need to pick some up today and I thought that there was a certain kind that was tailored for diesels. Also how much is needed?

Thanks
WW

robox

I use whatever... I also mix and match without any problems. Maybe someone else had more specific ideas, but that's what I do.

92DuallyCTD

Yeah I think anymore just about anything from Prestone(my personal expensive favorite but they think it's liquid gold) to bargain barn sale special is pretty much formulated the same. Regular anti-f is ethylene glycol based(toxic!), I believe, and then there are the enviromentally safe(usually pink, orange - don't mix those with the greens) based with propylene glycol that are non-toxic. But basically, after owning several cars/trucks/mixing brands, I go along with robox and say generally mix 'em or just buy about any. Remember don't mix green with pink or orange!! Good luck!

dpuckett

Make sure it says low silicate. Dont let the guy behind the counter fool you about Supplemental Coolant Additives- the B series dont need em, and they will clog stuff up if you dont pay attention. It has patented, proprietary design characteristics that prevent cavitaion erosion in the liners (oops, dont have those either). Just another example of the superiority of the Cummins engines.

ALso needs to be approved for Chrysler. Just get the green stuff, mix with some 59cent-a-gallon distilled water and be on your way.

My system takes a little over 4 gallons for the radiator and block- overflow tank is extra.

Daniel

Bob Beauchaine

Prestone has an extended life coolant that uses HOAT - Hybrid Organic Acid Technology. It is used in Chrysler and Ford vehicles as a long life coolant. It will mix with any coolant from your basic Green ethelyene glycol and GM imfamous "Dex-Cool". Dex-Cool is OAT or Organic Acid Technology. Dex-Cool is well known for its coagulation problems which are basically caused by allowing air into radiator with it in it. The best way to prevent problems with it is to 1 not use it and 2 if you do use it keep your radiator full and overflow bottle toped off. Another thing to remember with OAT is not to use a pressure relief cap on the radiator.

That being said I just changed mine using the Prestone Extended Life Coolant.

Bob

W900A

Whatever coolant I use, whether it be "traditional" green or HOAT long life I always use the appropriate SCA to prevent erosion damage and liner pitting.

dpuckett

Yes, we need the SCAs to prevent cavitation erosion in the liners about as much as we need to bypass the glowplug controller to keep from frying the plugs. .

Dodge and Cummins manuals both state to use low/no silicate antifreeze to elminate gumming of the system passages. See my above post for more details.

DP

W900A

Well, SCA doesn't cause gelling if used properly. We have 1400 Cummins engines in our fleet and I use SCA in every one.

Boatnik

I use the green stuff on sale. never had a problem as long as I change it yearly.

BearKiller

This actually happened in our community.

When asked if he had plenty of anti-freeze in his truck and tractor for an upcoming cold spell, one old farmer said, >>and he was dead serious<<, "I just use the water from my spring. I've lived on that place all my life and I ain't never seen it freeze yet."

A few months later, he was looking for a block for his tractor; it seems like his had somehow developed a crack.

W900A

I just checked my service bulletins to be sure, Cummins 3666132-04 covers coolants and has guidelines for using "Extender" which is LL coolant SCA. If the coolant is changed frequently SCA are not necessary, but it sure doesn't hurt.

Bob Beauchaine

The last frequency recomendation from Cummins to prevent cavitation was to change coolant every 24,000 miles - at least for the 12V engines. Cavitation is much more prevelant in wet sleve engines than in parent bore engines.

Bob

BearKiller

Both the International 6.9 and 7.3 are parent-bore, not sleeved.

The 6.9 fares pretty well with plain jane antifreeze.

The 7.3, made on the same block, is plagued with cavitation eating through the cylinder walls, thought by some to be caused by the slight thickness loss due to the 7.3 cylinders being bored larger.

I am still some in the dark as to just exactly what causes cavitation in the first place.

W900A

Cavitation is cause by the diesel "knock." Bubbles form on the liner wall and the combustion vibration causes the bubbles to brake, and when they do they take a bit of metal with them. HD antifreeze that is made for diesel engines, such as the Cummins spec'd coolant, will have some SCA formulated in it. In stead of changing the coolant constantly I change the coolant every 3 years and have put SCA coolant filters on anything that we couldn't spec with filters as OEM.

When the 6.9 first came out we have several in light duty International low pro's and a few in Ford flatbeds. Until it was too late no one realized that most of the mechanics were using car coolant in them and not adding any SCA's. Almost every block got pinholes in them.

Ya, it's true that parent bore blocks are less prone to cavitation damage, but it still happens. Since a liner in a parent bore block can't move like a wet sleeve engine the vibrations are more easily dampened and less erosion occurs. I still have seen many parent bores get holes in them, Cummins, Navistar, New Holland/Case, Detroit, Perkins, etc.

If you change the coolant often enough SCA and coolant system maintenance are really not a problem. On all our gas stuff the coolant gets changed about every 1.5 years (average based on hrs/mileage). There are differences between gas and diesel coolants.

I'd rather spend a couple bucks on SCA than drain perfectly good coolant that is otherwise additive depleted. At any rate, whether you want to use SCA additives or just regular diesel spec coolant a guy ought to check the coolant once or twice a year with ¾ way test strips. With the test strips there is no guessing, it tells ya if coolant conditions needs attention or not.

whereswaldo250

WOW I posted this earlier to get some parts and I come back and This is a bunch of information. I went to checker and I didn't see any specific diesel coolent. Do you think that it would be safe just to get it from Mopar? Since I bought the truck I have not done the coolent and I have no Idea what the PO put it her, I hope I don't have any trouble due to this down the road.

Thanks WW