coolant change: your frequency

[3930dave]

Galvanic corrosion is one wear element in a cooling system.

Galvanic corrosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I liked their "Lasagna cell" example.

John Thomas - get a good lawyer ASAP - you or bystanders likely sustained massive hearing damage from the Cavitation Noise !

Did the engine manufacturer do everything possible to provide you with the proper information to mitigate the Cavitation Noise, and warn you of the Dangers ?

I'm thinking class action suit here !

:shocked::cool2::laughing:

Rgds, D.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

FEELING SLIGHTLY BETTER TODAY BUT STILL SOME REMAINING STRESS. :confused2:
I picked up my 4 gallons of Peak antifreeze today and asked about the SCA stuff. Advance Auto had a small bottle for around $14 but I passed on it until I talk to Gary again at Barlows. I told the guy at Advance about my big concerns with cavitation since I'd been told about it and he just grinned and didn't really push the sale.
Including pics of the antifreeze I bought. It claims 5 years and many miles of useful life but you know they got to be lying, just promotional advertising crap. I'll do like the SUDT changers 5 times more often than Kubota recommends and change it every month to ensure I'm OK.
The cavitation noise only bothered me and not neighbors since I live pretty far from neighbors and when I was close to their homes, they were gone and my brother was mowing next door but he wears ear protectors when he mows to protect his remaining hearing. I have had this ringing in my ears all day.....Oops, I always have that ringing so not sure cavitation noise caused it.
Anyway, here's the pictures.....let the roar begin!!!!

 

[JoeBuyer]

change it every month to ensure I'm OK.

Sure, maybe Jiffy Lube will open up mobile Jiffy Cool or Jiffy Freeze trucks and they can set up a regular day to stop by our farms and change it for us every month. Get ready for the upsells to top off your Rim Guard and add diesel additive. LOL

 

[Bigfoot62]

Well, I'm glad that some of you find this amusing. Go ahead, laugh it up. I can take it. :thumbsup:

But it's not funny when it happens to you.

Last November, I bought a used Kenworth with a 10.3L CAT engine. After only two months, it started pushing diesel fuel out of the radiator overflow. Long story short: Perforated injector sleeve (copper) caused by electrolysis, galvanic corrosion, cavitation, or whatever you want to call it. Three weeks and $5000 later, I had it back on the road. If the previous owner had maintained the proper SCA level in the coolant, it would have never happened. Simple as that.
My KW is 17 years old and has a million miles on it. I realize that many of you, maybe even most of you, don't keep your tractor that long. Some of you probably sell or trade your tractor with fewer hours on it than either one of my "new" tractors have now. (JD has over 300 hrs and is not yet 2 years old; NH has about 440 hours and is just 3 years old) You may not ever experience a problem. Hope you don't. But if you do, it ain't funny and it ain't cheap to fix.

If you want to think I'm a silly fool for running FleetCharge coolant in all my diesels, that's fine with me. But, last time I checked, I can buy a lot of SCA pre-charged anti-freeze for $5000.

 

[JasG]

Well, I'm glad that some of you find this amusing. Go ahead, laugh it up. I can take it. :thumbsup:

But it's not funny when it happens to you.

Last November, I bought a used Kenworth with a 10.3L CAT engine. After only two months, it started pushing diesel fuel out of the radiator overflow. Long story short: Perforated injector sleeve (copper) caused by electrolysis, galvanic corrosion, cavitation, or whatever you want to call it. Three weeks and $5000 later, I had it back on the road. If the previous owner had maintained the proper SCA level in the coolant, it would have never happened. Simple as that.
My KW is 17 years old and has a million miles on it. I realize that many of you, maybe even most of you, don't keep your tractor that long. Some of you probably sell or trade your tractor with fewer hours on it than either one of my "new" tractors have now. (JD has over 300 hrs and is not yet 2 years old; NH has about 440 hours and is just 3 years old) You may not ever experience a problem. Hope you don't. But if you do, it ain't funny and it ain't cheap to fix.

If you want to think I'm a silly fool for running FleetCharge coolant in all my diesels, that's fine with me. But, last time I checked, I can buy a lot of SCA pre-charged anti-freeze for $5000.

I've seen this on several off road engines, tractors and dozers, along with cylinder liner damage and why I have used at least an additive since college in diesels I maintain. A friend of mine bought a used Deere 850 compact tractor with 1800 hours, by 2000 hours one liner had holes in it. He tore it down himself and sure enough all were damaged. He was actually a diesel mechanic so it was just the cost of parts for him. He said on rebuilds he had done it was easy to tell who maintained a proper cooling system and who did not even if something other than the liner failed. I've seen well maintained engines go well over 10000 hours with very little liner damage vs a not so well maintained.

Also I get a kick out of all the comments about checking freeze protection as a gauge of life. It's not the freeze protection that fails 1st. It's the corrosion protection, cavitation (with diesels) and the build up of crap in the system. Cars today people can get away with more abuse, motorcycles and diesels not so much. A motorcycle forum I go to from time to time this was discussed and how it takes out the water pumps on certain models over time. All to save a couple of bucks.

Here is some more information.
TheDieselStop.Com - www.thedieselstop.com

But what do I know, maybe it was caused by gremlins?

 

[3930dave]

Good examples just listed.

Guys who have been around HEAVY industrial diesels, and have spent the time to learn about maintenance usually understand these cooling system issues well. That said, plenty of compact tractor owners today have not had that learning opportunity - part of the reason I brought SCA up here.

I don't know 'botas well enough to distinguish which models require SCA. I brought this up so that Diesel Newbies would know to check into this issue, esp. with older/larger industrial diesels.

Like Bigfoot62 just detailed, it can get spendy real fast to be on the wrong side of this maintenance issue.

If you trade tractors once you get a second scratch on it, just move along..... no worries, likely.

If you are not into doing maintenance,why are you reading a TBN Equipment forum ?

(All in good fun guys, last 2 comments are just my attempt at humour ).

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

If you really want to step up your coolant maintenance game, start reading below:

Standard Service/Non-Chemical Filters

Click on the Literature tab, for a pdf catalog. Good reading there, general and specific product info.

I run a WF filter on one cooling system - easy way to add SCA, and enables you to particle filter your coolant too. If you still can't sleep at night (JT!) worrying about cooling systems, they have a Stratapore option too.

Towards the back of the catalog, they show a filter mounting head that you can retrofit if you have the space. Fine print recommends using the Severe Duty filter head (not pictured in this catalog), as it is much beefier than the one pictured.

:2cents: Rgds, D.

 

[big bubba]

I mowed yesterday with my Kubota F3080 and I started hearing the cavitation start after the first hour and after 3 hours of mowing it had gotten so loud and I was so relieved that I was done and didn't have to stop in the middle of the job as my engine was destroying itself!!!!
This is my third mowing season with this Kubota (about 65 hours on it) but I'll never start it again till I get a blend of all colors and all brands of antifreeze sold in all of the Auto Parts stores plus Tractor Supply, Trucking Companys, Walgreens and Wal Marts!!!!!!! Now who else may have some other type I've missed?????? Hey, I just thought of something.....maybe I'll check again with Gary at Barlows who I believe told me a couple of weeks ago that they just used

...

we are starting to get concerned....look straight ahead and focus on the coolant container...what sounds do you hear? can you see bubbles? voices? please refer yourself to a professional right away. nightmares too?...... geez, sorry to have triggered the neurosis...just pour some SCA's in your radiator(s) & have a good night's rest.....(poor guy)

 

[JoeBuyer]

I feel cavitation is a very real problem with certain engines and nothing to be worried about with others. Have a Case where it needed a rebuild due to cavitation but have a JD with nearly 10k hours and a Massey with nearly 6k hours. Neither engine has a pedigree of problems with Cavitation, so I figure just stay with Fleetguard at normal mfg recommended changes. We do flush with well water, then flush more with 1 or 2 gallons of distilled water, close the drains, add the amount of coolant for 50% mix, then and remaining distilled water. Run engine and top off with more distilled water. Mark it off and do it again at the mfg recommended change cycle. Don't get worked up about it just because some engines are prone to damage is my $0.02. But do some research on your engines.

 

[big bubba]

so, in terms of kubota diesel engines from bx to m series, are they dry or wet sleeve and is that the major point of distinction on this cavitation problems when we choose proper coolant? all i wanted to know from the start as OP thx in advance