Cooling System Overhaul, Part 3
In the process of replacing the water pump belts and hoses at Ken Imler Diesel Performance, we took care of a couple of other problems. Plastic is convenient for lightweight manufacturing, but it doesn’t last forever under a hot engine compartment. Our overflow tank was deteriorating and the plastic brackets were cracking. The fan blade had a bad chip and was clearly showing the brittleness of time. Even the small drain plug on the lower radiator tank was cracked.
Our fan blade had a bad chip and was clearly showing the brittleness of time.
The rocky roads of backroad travel had taken a toll on our fan blade.
Finally with all the hard parts renewed we turned our attention to the coolant itself. Coolant is critical to the proper function of any engine, but especially diesels. After draining all the coolant, we refilled with Fleetguard ES Compleat™ Lifetime Heavy Duty Fully Formulated Antifreeze/Coolant. We liked the fact that it used the environmentally friendly Propylene Glycol, and the term “Lifetime Heavy Duty” had a nice ring to it.
The small drain plug on the lower radiator tank was cracked from heat and age.
The brackets on the overflow tank were cracking and the plastic was deteriorating.
Improper mixtures of antifreeze can cause corrosion, rust, overheating, and even cylinder wall cavitation which can turn into little pinholes, and that’s an engine’s death sentence. To prevent cavitation, a diesel engine’s coolant should be checked at regular intervals with a test kit such as the Fleetguard CC2607 Quik-Chek or the POLARIS 4-part test strips to verify the concentration of Molybdate and Nitrite, which in turn, will determine the number of SCA, (Supplemental Coolant Additive), units needed per gallon in the system. Fleetguard’s DCA4 additive protects against corrosion, scale formation, foam, liner pitting and solder bloom.
We used a Fleetguard CC2607 Quik-Chek to verify the concentration of Molybdate and Nitrite.
A refractometer can be used to determine the freeze point protection.
A refractometer can be used to determine the freeze point protection. A third method of testing, and perhaps the best, is to have your coolant analyzed by a professional lab. We sent a sample to POLARIS Labratories. The results were very informative.
DieselSite offers complete bolt–on coolant filter kits.
Last but not least, we installed a DieselSite Coolant Filter. We filter our oil and fuel but never think about the crud that might be floating around inside the radiator and cooling system. DieselSite offers complete bolt–on coolant filter kits.
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