Did I Use the Wrong Coolant?

[acewiza]

Been reading about the low-silicate requirements for diesels - have a Cummins/Dodge. This after of course, I already flushed and filled it with Prestone 5yr. Owner's manual said ehtylene glycol, so I figured it was OK. Can't find anything on the jug about silicate levels, says it is compatible with anything, use in anything. Should I be looking for some diesel spec anti-freeze and planning to re-do this job again soon?

Tks...

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Prestone doesn't have any silicates in it. I would flush the cooling system out with distilled water and use G-05 since diesels like silicates. It might have been a different company, but I am pretty sure it was Cummins that tried Dex-Cool (same as Prestone stuff) and they had problems with it.

 

[sxg6]

quote:

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Originally posted by Buford T. Justice:
Prestone doesn't have any silicates in it.

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Are you sure of this? I'm pretty sure Prestone does have silicates. I think Zerex g-05 is a low silicate formula, but i'm not positive. Personally i would drain, flush, and refill with a low silicate coolant, OEM.

 

[Ray H]

The current, yellow jug, Extended Life Prestone contains NO silicate content. It relies purely on OAT for corrosion protection. This newer formulation replaced Prestone's previous high silicate "green-snot-o'-death"* formula sometime around summer, 2004. It's chemically identical to Prestone's silver-gray jug GM licensed DEX-COOL(tm) product, differing only in the marker dye color used. (yellow-green vs. DEX-COOL(tm) orange) It sells a little cheaper because Prestone doesn't have to pay GM a licensing fee for its non-DEX-COOL(tm) formula. The reason you want silicates in a Cummins diesel engine is to minimize cavitation damage over time to "wet"-type cylinder liners that are exposed to coolant flow. G-05 has all the benefits of OAT technology with the additional instant protection provided by the reduced silicate levels.

*so named because previous high silicate content antfreeze formulations suffered the disconcerting habit of silicates falling out of solution first as a mucoid-like mass that collected in the bottom radiator tank and later as hard silicate precipitates that circulated and chewed up water pump bearing seals.

[ June 03, 2006, 01:32 AM: Message edited by: Ray H ]

 

[acewiza]

So, if I read this right I get:

High silicates = "green snot-o'-death" - BAD

No silicates = diesel cavitation - BAD

Low silicates = G05 - GOOD

Did I get that right?

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Sounds good to me

 

[Ray H]

The current "conventional" green coolants that are still available now contain reduced silicate content, too. While they're now fairly stable in storage and use, they have no where nearly the life expectancy of OAT-containing coolants. G-05 will be a good match for your Cummins application. (DaimlerChrysler's current antifreeze for the company's passenger car lines is an orange-dyed concoction, but it's not DEX-COOL(tm). It's actually orange-dyed G-05.) If your Dodge vehicle came from the factory with orange coolant, it was really G-05. You can buy it from Dodge and Chrysler dealerships, but I bet dealership pricing for the genuine Chrysler brand product will be higher than Pep Boys' Zerex G-05 pricing. Ashland, Inc supplies U.S. DaimlerChrysler factories. Ashland, Inc. is also the parent company of Zerex.

 

[George7941]

GM uses Dexcool in all its light duty diesels and I have had excellent results using dexcool in a 1997 GM 6.5 Diesel. Dexcool, even though it is not the specified coolant for the Cummins, should be all right in your Cummins because the Cummins used in the Ram does not have wet sleeves. Wet sleeved engines require nitrited coolants, which G-05 is and Dexcool isn't. If you have an older Ram with Cu/Brass radiator then I would get the Dexcool out as soon as possible but if your rad is Aluminium then I would leave the Dexcool in for a year and then change to G-05. I have a Freightliner truck with the same Cummins B engine and I use G-05.

 

[acewiza]

Thanks guys. Got me some jugs of Zerex today and start the drain-flush-fill cycle all over again in the morning!

 

[another Todd]

Do the smaller diesels used in pickups require the same cooling system additive as large diesels ie Caterpillar. In my Cats I have to add a product like napacool to prevent the wet liner cavitation. Its kind of a redish purple liquid usually added at about 4 oz per gallon when flushing the cooling system. They also put some timed release stuff in the coolant filter.

 

[Chris142]

quote:

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Originally posted by another Todd:
Do the smaller diesels used in pickups require the same cooling system additive as large diesels ie Caterpillar.

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IMO: There's no reason not to use the additive but you don't need it. The smaller diesels do not have replacable liners like the bigger stuff does.

 

[Ken2]

I think only the International Powerstroke 7.3 diesel engines used by Ford have wet liners--there may be a few others. The Cummins 5.9 in Dodge trucks, the Isuzu/GM Duramax, and the newer International Powerstroke 6.0 diesels do not have liners and do not need SCAs.


Ken

 

[W115nut]

Yesterday, I stopped by Walmart. I bought three gallons of Final Charge Antifreeze. This costs around $10/gallon and is premixed.

http://www.finalcharge.com/questions.html

http://mbca.cartama.net/search.php?searchid=71031
"
Bill, I'd look for the Mercedes Benz DBL 7700...

Bill, I'd look for the Mercedes Benz DBL 7700 antifreeze specification listed on the container. Of course the MBZ and Zerex Z-05 qualify, but now there seem to be a few other options as well.
"


What do you think about that?

W115nut