Green coolant maintenance questions

It's been a very long time since I used the green stuff, but yeah, add a little, then check again after a trip or 2 unitl you get it right.

Another option is to convert it. Shell makes a conversion fluid that you just drain 1 gallon and put a gallon of the conversion fluid in. Not sure of the cost, but years ago I did when working for a fleet with 10,000+ trucks. The kit came with some test strips, to test if it could be converted, and a gallon of the conversion fluid.

I guess cost would be the deciding factor here. With a big fleet the labor of draining, filling and disposing waste antifreeze may have been a bigger factor than the cost of new antifreeze.

 

One other thing you want to check is to make sure they didn't forget to ground your new radiator to the frame or electrolysis will rot it from the inside out.

 

Huh! Never thought about that.

 

If the engine has a coolant filter, you can get filters that have the additive in the filter and release over time.

 

Use distilled water, try to use the same name brand anti freeze, always use the same brand additive weather in a filter or bottle. If slime is continually building up on the cap it's probably in the rest of the system also, flush and fill. Filter # 4071 & 2071 have one unit of treatment in them (for maintenance). Filter # 4074 &2074 have 4 units of additive for precharge (amount for system change). I don't like to change colors on older water pumps. Strips work well but have a shelf life, old one's lye. A one unit filter or a pint of liquid every 15-20k usually keeps sca's in order. Conversion fluid, that's interesting,what color is it? I like to maintain my base colors, green, orange, red, or blue. If you don't you end up with reden or greenge which way be difficult to tell from rust or the driver that filled it up out of a mud hole and did not tell you. What is the advantage of converting it? There must be something to it or Shell would not be involved but I'am lost.

 

I'm looking forward to flushing my green and running red. I use the test strips and so far they have come back fine. I haven't had to add SCA yet.

 

It was a very potent red, and the end result after mixing was purple. IMO, the advantage was that you did not have 10 gallons of waste antifreeze and you did not have as much labor involved. That adds up in a big fleet. Like I said, I don't know the cost of the stuff, so it may be insignificant for only 1 unit, but something to look into.

The shop that I was in serviced over 600 trucks. What would it cost to dispose of 6000 + gallons of waste antifreeze? Plus, how long would it take for 600 plus drain and refills? Then you have the cost of 6000 gallons of antifreeze vs 600 gallons of conversion fluid. I may have very well been more expenisive for the fuild over new antifreeze, but adding in the other factors made it cheaper and easier in the long run, I guess. I'm not sure, I was just told that this is the cheapest way to convert to exended life.

 

I wouldn't just dump a bottle in without using a test strip especially if it's clean. I also wouldn't dump a bottle every 15k without checking it. Having to much is as bad as not enough. Leave it alone until you test it then add a bottle if needed. I'm still running it in a 98 cat and can't see the benefits of changing it. I overhauled mine years ago and talked to cat about changing it over and they wouldn't recommend me doing it either. Tap water works fine without issues so no need to waste money on distilled. Just dip a test strip every so often and forget about it. It's that easy