Question about antifreeze ?

[eagle rush]

Hello everyone, I have a 84 eagle with 6v92, question is what antifreeze should i be looking for, from local sources? ( napa, etc.) Any type that you prefer, or recommend ? Thankyou for the help!! Richard

[Jerry32]

I just got some from Oriely's called fleet charge that is for HD diesels with SCA's in it Jerry

[stevet903]

Here's the approved list from Detroit Diesel:

http://extranet.detroitdiesel.com/Support/On-Highway/Manuals/Lubricants_Fuels_Coolants/Power_Guard_Oils/index4print_93K217.asp

[Rick59-4104]

 Does't the type of anti-freeze to use depend on wet sleeves or dry sleeves?
Rick

[TomC]

You can use the same coolant in a dry cylinder and wet cylinder liner engine. But-don't use the cheap dry cylinder liner coolant in the wet cylinder liner.  Truth be told-I used to use standard Prestone antifreeze/coolant (green stuff) and just check the acidity level and just put in additive as needed.  Got 500,000mi out of the engine.  Now run regular Prestone in my 8V-71.  Still green and clean.  Good Luck, TomC

[Fred Mc]

Tom, can you expand a little on additives to control PH. Where do you get them and what is the name? How far out of "wack" can the antifreeze be and still be OK to add the additives to?

Thanks

Fred Mc.

[TomC]

Usually Nacool is what you use and usually litmus paper came with it to test the acidity of the coolant.  Good Luck, TomC

[rv_safetyman]

As many of you recall, this subject has been discussed extensively in previous threads.  After seeing some posts that made me concerned, I researched the subject and wrote an article for Bus Conversion Magazine. 

It turns out the antifreeze is almost as controversial as oil

A major issue with antifreeze in big diesels is cavitation erosion of the cylinder liners on wet sleeve engines.  The second major issue that automotive antifreeze ("Prestone") has morphed in recent years to address the aluminum car engines.  The recent formulations have high levels of phosphates and silicates.  These components are not good for diesel engines.

For the life of me, I don't understand why folks try to cut corners by buying less expensive automotive antifreeze.  Antifreeze that meets ASTM D-6210 can be found for about $12 a gallon at many truck supply companies or a DD dealer.  Just not worth the risk of problems - even with dry cylinder engines as far as I am concerned.

Jim

Jim

[eagle rush]

thankyou for the help!!  I know it has been discussed a lot, tried to search, found nothing so thankyou very much for the info!!! Richard

[Geoff]

Anti-freeze is distributed just like oil and gasoline-- a few plants sell the same ingredients under different names.  The standard green anti-freeze is all the same and works fine in diesels with wet sleeves.  NaCool is just a booster.  The stuff you don't want to use is the "evnvironmentally friendly" stuff-- it states specifically on the lable it is not for use in diesel engines.  I'm not sure about  the extended life (red-pink) anti-freeze.  And the pre-mix is a waste of money.  I use use the cheapest green anti-freeze I can find and mix it 50/50 with distilled water.  Distilled water is very important.

[RJ]

I remember on the old MAK bbs (the one that kept crashing, for you old-timers), there was a thread about anti-freeze, and the comment was made that anti-freeze itself is a lousy coolant for hot engines.  Great for keeping the cooling system from freezing, but not, in the the common 50/50 mix, good for cooling.

IIRC, one of the posters on the thread mentioned a 70/30 mix water/anti-freeze worked a lot better in warmer climates.

As Geoff mentioned, using distilled water is important, as it keeps out the impurities (minerals, chemicals, etc.) found in tap water.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[justin25taylor]

I remember on the old MAK bbs (the one that kept crashing, for you old-timers), there was a thread about anti-freeze, and the comment was made that anti-freeze itself is a lousy coolant for hot engines.  Great for keeping the cooling system from freezing, but not, in the the common 50/50 mix, good for cooling.

IIRC, one of the posters on the thread mentioned a 70/30 mix water/anti-freeze worked a lot better in warmer climates.

As Geoff mentioned, using distilled water is important, as it keeps out the impurities (minerals, chemicals, etc.) found in tap water.

FWIW & HTH. . .

Yes Sir! I noticed about a 10 degree drop while climbing when I went to 70/30 here in the blazing hot state of Texas.

If you cannot find Nacool, you might be able to find Wixcool by Wix, same stuff.

You can get the coolant filter for your 6V92 that already has the additive in it too. I check mine with the little test strips. If it gets low, I change the filter or add Wixcool or similar.
Might be overkill but I drain, flush, and fill cooling system every 2 years. Man those radiators are expensive..............

Best,
justin

[belfert]

I talked to JD at C&J Bus Repair about antifreeze when I had my bus serviced about a month ago.  He said that the regular green antifreeze is just fine as long as the additives are kept up.

I'm not convinced JD is right and will still be changing out my antifreeze to a product on the DD approved list.

Will concentrated antifreeze freeze and burst the bottles in an unheated garage where it might get down to zero?  I know that antifreeze must be diluted to keep cooling systems from freezing up.

[pvcces]

Belfert, I think that you are forgetting what causes the damage when freezing occurs.

Water molecules are in random order when the water is a liquid. When it freezes, the molecules must be arranged in the right order, which takes more space than when they are random.

While other substances may expand when freezing, water expands a full 10%. Without water, you should not see this expansion. And, yes, antifreeze will freeze at near zero temperatures.

For what it's worth.

Tom Caffrey

[rv_safetyman]

Each time this comes up, folks say that you can use automotive green antifreeze.  That concerns me.

Geoff you are, without question, among the very best DD two-stroke experts.  I know that you post from experience and knowledge.  Having said that, your comment about using automotive antifreeze does not agree with the DD coolant bulletin.

When I researched the subject for my article, I found folks that used automotive antifreeze with good results.  However, the common denominator was that they tested the antifreeze and were careful to add the proper additives.  Or, they had a dry cylinder type engine.

What really bothers me it that today's "Prestone" type antifreeze have very high levels of phosphates.  Phosphates are the component that DD is very emphatic about avoiding.  Their recommendation is for products that have very low levels of phosphates and silicates.

I think we need to be careful to advise folks with wet liners to use what DD recommends.  Use of other products should be done with a full understanding of possible consequences and or what needs to be done to "adjust" the product to the application.

Jim