Oil & Fuel Change coolant every 2 years

[Industrial Toys]

Interesting, but I am a little confused. He says do a conductivity test, yet he is reading voltage potential in the coolant itself. Like a wet battery. I have a couple of loss of coolant sensors on generators, and I will have to remember this in case I get weird results, because I am just looking at coolant resistance in a non-isolated circuit.

Are you sure this isn't the guy that says take apart a car battery because there are hundreds of AA cells in there? lol He even showed it!

 

[big bubba]

you could absolutely be right. & prob know more than i re:multi meter capabilities. ran across this method in a few write ups, never tried myself.
guess i should post that disclaimer.
but if a person is really interested in the cond. of existing coolant, one shouldn't merely rely on the floating ball or arrow temp gauge, etc.
frequency of coolant change lies somewhere between the "if it ain't broke do nothing" and the preventative maintenance school of thought.... thx

 

[wheelbuilder]

Some diesels need coolant that prevents an issue called cavitation, which can destroy the cylinder bores. The additives in such coolant does deplete in use.
Best bet is to test heavy duty coolants to ensure that these additives are at an appropriate level, if your engine requires such a coolant. Some can easily be remedied with diesel coolant additive refreshing the coolant.

 

[RjCorazza]

The vast majority of coolants are ethylene glycol based for auto, truck, or heavy machinery use. The environmentally friendly propylene glycol based coolants are available from some manufacturers, but its use is more of a rarity.

Kubota's 2 year interval is based on the standard green coolant, which has been the factory fill on all 4 Kubota machines I have purchased. There is no reason one can't replace the standard green with a compatible extended life coolant. I personally use Zerex G05 (HOAT, (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology)) in the Kubota machines, which has a 5 year interval.

 

[RalphVa]

Good point. Maybe do the conductivity test and replace it. Cannot understand why Kubota, JD, etc. (how many others say to replace every 2 years?) don't pay maybe another $1-2/gallon and put the extended fill stuff in. Or why not just offer an additive pack. Don't think the ethylene glycol breaks down; it's the additives (sorta like the old mineral oil that had a lot of additives).

Admittedly, it's easy to do on tractors, if you do what I used to do on the Benz and 1997 Tacoma: remove the thermostat vent bolt. That's the only way I could get the stuff to come out on the JD 4010. Easy to refill with the bolt vent out, too.

Ralph

 

[jimmychew]

Some diesels need coolant that prevents an issue called cavitation, which can destroy the cylinder bores. The additives in such coolant does deplete in use.
Best bet is to test heavy duty coolants to ensure that these additives are at an appropriate level, if your engine requires such a coolant. Some can easily be remedied with diesel coolant additive refreshing the coolant.

What he said.

High compression diesel engines require additives in the coolant to protect the coolant side of the cylinder walls from destruction resulting from cavitation.

One form is SCAs which are found in most green coolant. SCAs require regular testing and additives to maintain protection and filtration to prevent coolant system clogging.

There are plenty of modern Extended Life Coolants that do not use SCAs, require no testing or additives, no filtration and will last far longer than conventional green coolant.

 

[Jstpssng]

I never even thought about this. The worst part to me is that every two years you need to get rid of 4 (?) gallons of coolant; possible if it's clean, yet I have several contaminated gallons down in the shed which were drained from my 8N after the head gasket let go.
There was a time when every vehicle I owned was switched over to propylene glycol; the problem I encountered was that it's the same color as the ethylene glycol, and "helpful" grease jockeys would top it off, contaminating it and charging me for the "privilege."

 

[jpm]

I would think a hour rate would be better than a calendar timing . In two years some may only have 100 hours others could be 1000s

 

[Jim Nelson]

Several years ago I had a boat with twin Cat engines and at that time Cat said to use only de-ionized water with the anti freeze mix and also in their batteries. I don't know if this is still the case but it makes sense to not add minerals in either case. At the time my slip neighbor and I went partners on a de-ionizing tank to use for a spot free rinse and it worked great and as I recall wasn't too expensive. Of course "too expensive" is a relative term in boating.

 

[Cougsfan]

I think the need to change coolant has more to do with the water you used to dilute it than the antifreeze itself. If you are using hard water with a lot of minerals you will need to change it more often than if you use a soft water. I think the best check of antifreeze is just observing it's appearance. If it is dark or murky, full of little bits of rust, or has changed color it is in need of replacement. If it is clear and the looks the same as new coolant, there is probably no need to change it. I am not sure I'd buy into the multi-meter voltage test procedure. That seemingly has too many variables to be reliable. Blindly changing coolant every two years seems to me to be a manufacture's "cover their *****" recommendation. In my experience, some engines seem to ruin the same antifreeze/ water mixture that works a long, long time in other engines. That probably has to do with the materials used in the construction of the engine and cooling system, how hot some parts of the engine gets, water pump impeller cavitation, or other subtle differences..