Red antifreeze for cat engines. Why?

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by young truck, Feb 22, 2008.

  1. truckin916

    truckin916 Medium Load Member

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    We use green in our trucks and red in our APU's. My shop guy said the red is a heavy duty anti-freeze.
     
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  3. Brickman

    Brickman Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    If you have the PonyPack brand of APU on your truck it'll be the same in both. If you have the TriPack on yours it could be separate. I don't know as much about the TriPack set up.
     
  4. lilillill

    lilillill Sarcasm... it's not just for breakfast

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    It's also known as DexCool... and I'm not thoroughly convinced it's all that great. Sure, you might not have to change it for a half a billion miles... provided everything is just right... and the planets are aligned.

    This coolant is still the subject of a class action lawsuit:

    http://www.imcool.com/articles/antifreeze-coolant/Forward-dexcool2007.php

    Plain old ethylene glycol has worked reliably for years and until they sort this mess out--and GM starts talking--I'm going green.

    Edit:
    (I used to own an old beater farm truck. I made the mistake of using the "red" antifreeze in it, not really knowing what it was--I got sucked it by the advertising on the bottle that said it was the best thing since sliced bread. So, after I changed the water pump and flushed it, I installed a fresh batch of red koolaid. Shortly thereafter, the cooling system looked like the pictures in part 1 of the link I posted--only worse. Rusty goop under the radiator cap and the water looked like I had mixed it with Georgia red clay. Even after switching back to green, it took a long time and many coolant changes for the rust to clear out.)
     
  5. animal control

    animal control Medium Load Member

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    Youngin,Next time your at the Cathouse.Ask the friendly service folks for the real down low.Cat came out with extended life (red) 10 years ago.The old green required monthty testing and additive adjustment.When neglected the liners pitted and leaked coolant into oil in the corroded hunk'A Junk.Both red and green are ethel/Glycol based.Dexcool is ORANGE and another ballgame alltogther with its clogging and crossive nature on plastic GM automobile engines.Thanks to the RED CAT coolant an owner thew the test kit and 2 different bottles of additves in the garbage.Your Boss Knows a good thing.Now will somebody please pull the plug on Animal Control.I replyed to Mastertec.I herebye dissolve my membership to this forum.And I'll take JJ to win todays race.ZZ ROCKS!
     
  6. truckin916

    truckin916 Medium Load Member

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    I have a blackrock which uses the red but my shop guy said you can mix green with it...not sure if he's right or not but I would prefer just to keep it all red if that's what it's supposed to be.
     
  7. animal control

    animal control Medium Load Member

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    Tap water is the real "No No" here.If your needing to top off and red premix is unavailble.Top off with distilled water.Later drain off if necessary and spike-it with red concentrate."Distilled Water Only!"
     
  8. truckin916

    truckin916 Medium Load Member

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    Good to know! I didn't know that.
     
  9. young truck

    young truck Bobtail Member

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    We also use red diesel. I work in an open pit (gypsum mine).:biggrin_25519:
     
  10. young truck

    young truck Bobtail Member

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    I took a closer look at the red antifreeze, it is much thicker than the green antifreeze and if you get some spiiled it is alot "stickyer" than the green. I also work in high heat 120+ and having a higher boiling point for the red antifreeze makes alot of sense. all our vehicles are for non-highway, all say red diesel only.:biggrin_25519:
     
  11. Sportster2000

    Sportster2000 Road Train Member

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    Indiana
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    Paccar only uses red antifreeze.
     
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