Spike45

yes, you are correct. Do not worry if you spill some coolant on the ground. Just flush it with plenty of water so that it is diluted.

Zerex is the trade name for Valvoline coolant products. Yes, it is the same and just as good. Only less expensive. You may have to search to find this product at auto parts stores. As for flushing any cooling system, simple flushing with tap water is sufficient. After draining the old coolant you will have some holdback volume of the old coolant. The tap water flush will dilute that considerably leaving some water in the system. Flushing can be done without the pressure cap being installed. Auto parts stores should carry the Prestone flushing kit. It is designed to let you use the garden hose connected through your heater plumbing circuit to flush the system with water leaving almost no trace of old coolant. Some say to use only distilled water to flush with. Absolutely not necessary. For the small amount of hold back coolant the mineral content, if any, is negligible. When done flushing. add one half of the total system capacity using concentrate coolant product of your choice. Fill the remaining volume with your distilled water or water from reverse osmosis treatment. And, really, you can just use tap water. Personally, I use Fleetguard ES Compleat in my cooling systems. I use concentrate and add Tennessee tap water. Decent coolant products like the Zerex G-05, Motorcraft Premium Gold and several others use robust anti-scaling agents that isolate scale forming carbonates preventing the formation of deposits. As far as long coolant life goes, it is not the formulation of inhibitors that determines real coolant life. Aggressive marketing by several coolant manufacturers have driven the idea that it is the inhibitors that determine how long a coolant can be used. In reality, the inhibitor package determines service intervals. Coolant life is governed by chemical and physical changes that may occur. For instance, if an engine has an oil cooler that fails and releases oil into the cooling system, there is nothing you can do to keep that coolant for continued operation. In you case, this could be the transmission oil cooler within your radiator. For diesel engines, that would be the separate oil cooler within the engine. Coolant can become unusable if subjected to severe and repeated overheating conditions. Glycols degrade due to heat exposure. Eventually, a normal operating system will degrade the coolant by formation of degradation products. This is why there are recommendations on coolant life. I expect that your motorhome use will not really be a lot of miles per year. Thus, you are likely to still have a suitable coolant even after 3, 4, or five years.

Cetane improvers work to help the fuel ignite easier especially in cold weather. Period. When I worked at Fleetguard (Cummins Filtration, now) Cummins took Fleetguard marketing people to task over claims they were making on improved fuel mileage. It is not going to do that. Even though you have some who claim their pet additive brand improved their mileage. The problem with those claims is they are not backed by really solid field test data.

Instead of the Motorcraft, check with an autoparts store for Valvoline G-05. Valvoline made the Premium Gold for Ford Motorcraft. I would very much agree that mixing Ford's Specialty Orange is not good. It is actually Dexcool. Dexcool is a very skimpy formulation as coolants go but especially so when compared to G-05/Premium Gold. Yes, the volume sounds about right for a V10 and a rather large radiator. Originally Ford specified that factory fill of the Premium Gold would have an operating life of 5 years BUT when changed out, the operating life was reduced to 3 years. The G-05 / PG formula is suitable for the Ford PowerStroke diesel. But as a gasoline engine, the additive package will not degrade as it would with a diesel. Should be no problem running it for the 5 years. Use only the Premium Gold or G-05 to refill low coolant levels. In your gas engine there will be no need to test or re-inhibit this coolant.

At that time, Ford factory fill coolant was Motorcraft Premium Gold. It was (is) a hybrid organic coolant. The color was close to that of ginger ale. Ford's original service recommendation was to go five years. But I think that Brett's advice in this matter is just change it out. Since it is not a diesel engine, most any light duty automobile antifreeze coolant will work very well. You may elect to use a HD product intended for diesel engines. You will never need to add any chemical additive to those coolants due to your engine being non-diesel. I would recommend that you do not use Dexcool.

Here is a portion of the Cummins Technical Bulletin on engine oil and analysis. Table 3: Oil Contamination Guidelines Property Guideline Viscosity change at 100° C (ASTM-D445) ±1 SAE viscosity grade or 5cSt from the new oil Fuel Dilution 5 percent Total base number (TBN) (ASTM D-4739) 2.5 number minimum or half new oil value or equal to total acid number (TAN) Water content ASTM (D-95) 0.5 percent maximum Potential Contaminants: Silicone (Sl) 15 ppm increase over new oil Sodium (Na) 20 ppm increase over new oil Boron ( 25 ppm increase over new oil Potassium (K) 20 ppm increase over new oil Soot Midrange B and C All Other Engines CES-20078 and CES- 20081 3.0 percent 7.5 percent CES-20076 3.0 percent 6.3 percent CES-20072 3.0 percent 5.0 percent CES-20075 1.5 percent 1.5 percent The contamination guidelines presented above are guidelines only. This does not mean values that fail on the acceptable side of these guidelines can be interpreted as indicating the oil is suitable for further service. Take note that the above particle contaminant levels are based on an initial NEW oil analysis. If you do not have that analysis, then the silicon level of 25 PPM or greater could be an indicator of dusting. If there had been a prior engine repair where silicon rubber gasket sealers were used, you may get a peak in Si as that has been proven to be a source of silicon but a benign one.

The product was designed by the Cummins Filtration (Fleetguard) Chemical Products group. Before retiring from CF as a field engineer, I worked with the Chem Products group in getting some field testing started. The explanation that there is deposits is accurate. The issue was most notable in High Pressure Common Rail fuel systems that had frequent and repeating injector failures due to the build up of gum deposits that are removed from the fuel system especially since the advent of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. That fuel is easily capable of removing old gum deposits from every surface it comes in contact with. This would include the pipelines, tank farms, vehicle fuel tank and fuel lines. The importance of the initial treat rate is to provide an intense cleaning of the surfaces within the system. Removal of those deposits has been known to cause filter plugging. It would be a good idea to carry spare fuel filters when doing the initial cleaning. Spike45 Gary Spires Retired Cummins (Fleetguard) Field Service Engineer

Buzz, The ISL standard oil pan holds 7.3 gallons or 27.63 liters. Engine idle oil pressure is 15 psi. Warm engine at highway speeds carries 40 - 55 PSI oil pressure.

That air filter is the Farr Ecolite (now owned by Racor). Disposable housing unit. For longest engine life due to less dust ingestion, avoid use of the K&N and similar products. Your system should have a restriction gauge connected to a pressure tap on the outlet of the filter. The filter should be changed no later than 25" water restriction if it is the "Filter Minder" type. Servicing before 20" restriction is throwing away a good filter before it has been used up. Restriction build up in an on-highway application as in a MH can take several years. Changing too frequently will result in more dust entry into the air inlet as all air cleaners except K&N & similar get more efficient as they collect dust. Changing too frequently results in more dust entry with the new filter.

I would agree with Brett that it is odd that an ISB6.7 is on the same list as the Maxxforce 10. Those two engines are not in the same league. The ISB6.7L for 2010 and later will require the use of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) which is a urea water solution that is required to meet the emissions requirements set by the EPA for MY 2010 and later engines. The Maxxforce engine does not use DEF systems but has a more complex system in that it uses twin turbochargers, a low pressure stage feeding a high pressure stage. Any issues with turbos could mean the replacement of two turbos not one as in the case of the Cummins engine. International chose not to use SCR (selective catalyst reduction) as a means to clean the exhaust. The SCR process uses a fine mist of DEF sprayed into the exhaust ahead of the catalyst to reduce the oxides of nitrogen. Maxxforce is trying to accomplish the same by forcing more air into the engine to reduce emissions. The forerunner to the Maxxforce engines that used the same technology was the Caterpillar ACERT engines with twin turbos. They had plenty of problems with those when they were issues. Even when there were no issues, the twin turbos and associated air plumbing make for more engine complexity and higher repair bills. While I am biased for the Cummins (I do work for a Cummins company, Fleetguard) it is still true that the Maxxforce engine has more complexity than the Cummins models which all run a single turbo with a DEF injection system.

Flushing an oil contaminated cooling system is best accomplished with use of specific cleaners designed to remove oil contamination in an aqueous coolant system (coolant composed of water and antifreeze). Oil in the coolant interferes with the function of the SCA additive that protects the liners or parent bore, coolant side against cavitation pitting. At least one HD cooling system cleaner is available, Fleetguard Restore Cooling System Cleaner. For simplicity, it is the fastest at removal of lube oil from cooling systems with minimum flush cycles. Caterpillar also has a cooling system cleaner. I have no experience with it as to ability to remove more than just scale, rust, and corrosion. If it removes oil as well, that will be a plus. Some have recommended here and other forums to flush the cooling system using liquid dish detergents. While they work to some degree, they do create some other issues. The main problem with any liquid detergent is that it creates a lot of foam. While flushing an engine you need to get the cooling system hot. Hot engines do not need foamy coolant especially in the cylinder head area. Proper flushing requires the engine to get up to operating temperature such that the thermostat will open and allow free circulation of the flush coolant to clean the radiator as well as the engine. Since most draining of these systems is a slow process, the water/detergent method usually redeposits oil onto the cylinder walls and other surfaces during the very slow draining process. This method requires many flushes to remove the oil completely, if you can ever get it completely out. If you must use a detergent cleaning process do the following: Drain the contaminated coolant from the engine. Fill the system with plain water and run until the engine gets hot and has radiator circulation. Drain the flush water from the engine as quickly as possible (see note below on draining) Using dish washer detergent powder (non-sudsing) mix 1/2 large box of powder into the system filled with water. Leave the radiator cap OFF. This will speed the draining processes later. Run the engine at a fast idle and may need to cover the radiator to achieve an operating temperature of about 200F Run for an hour at temp and speed. Shut the engine down. Drain flushing agent quickly. Repeat again with the second half box of powdered cleaner. Note about fast draining: Even with this much more robust powdered cleaner, fast removal of the flushing fluid is necessary as even some oil can separate and adhere to the internal engine surfaces. If you are brave enough, remove the lower radiator hose clamps and remove the bottom radiator hose. This will drain the engine quickly. Loosen the hose form the connecting pipes after the first draining of the oily coolant before starting the cleaning process. Only tighten those hose clamps sufficiently to avoid major leakage. Use a 5/16" nut driver or 1/4" drive ratchet and 5/16" socket and extension for loosening the worm drive hose clamp. After cleaning, re-tighten the bottom radiator hose clamps. I should add that if the coolant hose on your MH is NOT silicon rubber coolant hose, replace that hose and the others as they are likely made of EPDM rubber as it will be damaged by lube oil in the coolant. Most EPDM coolant hose has a black liner. Silicon rubber hose has a burnt orange hose liner color. Silicon rubber will not be phased by oily coolant. Instead, it has its own problems when you use it with CAT ELC and other similar OAT coolants! Refill the cooling system with new coolant meeting at least the ASTM D6210 specifications. If you are refilling a Caterpillar engine and desire to use CAT ELC, it is best not to use silicon rubber hose as it will have its liner degraded causing it to become heavily "checkered" with surface cracks. To aid in removing air from your engine while refilling the coolant, pour it no faster than three gallons per minute. Venting of air from the engine can be facilitated by loosening or removing a temperature sensor in the thermostat area (if equipped). When air quits bubbling out of the sensor port, the engine is purged of air. Run the engine at a fast idle for a half hour should remove the remaining air from the engine and coach plumbing circuits. If you have an engine equipped with EGR, special circumstances may need to be followed to be certain the EGR cooler is purged of air. Failure to correctly purge air from an EGR cooler WILL result in cracks and coolant getting into the engine oil plus the megabucks to replace that cracked EGR cooler. If you have doubts about this process take it to a repair shop.

Caterpillar's preferred coolant is their CAT ELC, an extended life OAT (organic acid technology) coolant. Caterpillar has published a fluids guide (available from their dealers) that also shows any coolant meeting ASTM D6210 is acceptable for use in Caterpillar engines. Their preferred coolant plus Fleet Charge, Fleetguard ES Compleat EG or PG antifreeze, as well as several products from Shell are all compliant with the ASTM designation. The CAT ELC coolant is available from Caterpillar dealers and most HD truck dealerships carry that as well. The Old World Fleet Charge and ES Compleat are also available form HD truck dealers and some truck stops. I take it that the MH only has the 10K+ miles on the original coolant. If your chassis manufacturer used any coolant meeting the ASTM or CAT designations, there is no need to consider changing coolant for another 300,000 miles. Be sure to refill low coolant levels with an approved coolant, one that meets the ASTM D6210 designation. If the coolant jug states that it only meets ASTM D3306, it is LD auto coolant. If it is DEXCOOL, it is LD auto coolant. If it states that it meets ASTM D4985, it is an HD coolant BUT needs to have the required chemical precharge added.....avoid this coolant as well.

Per Caterpillar Fluids Recommendations Guide in the Coolant Section, Caterpillar prefers their ELC product for their engines. They do list as acceptable for use any coolant that meets ASTM D6210. Coolants that meet the ASTM designation must have an SCA, supplemental coolant additive, precharge in the coolant. If the MH dealer put in Prestone coolant but of unknown type, you can test your coolant using coolant test strips available from Baldwin, Donaldson, Fleetguard. Due to some issues with the foil wrapping process used for Fleetguard CC2602A or CC2602B test strips, I would avoid buying those unless they have an expiry date of AFTER August 2011. Before that we had some issues that lead to unreliable readings. You can get your coolant tested at a Cummins distributor. They can test with their bottled CC2602 test strips. I do not recommend purchasing a bottle of any of these test strips as the cost does not justify the two or so test strips you will use in two years before they expire. Some Kenworth dealers will do the same test as Cummins but at a lesser cost, MAYBE. If the coolant in your MH is not CAT ELC, strawberry red color, but is some other color it will still need to have an SCA precharge of at least 2.0 units per gallon as measured on the test kits from Baldwin, Donaldson, Fleetguard. With sufficient precharge using liquid SCA products like Baldwin BTA, Donaldson equivalent to DCA4, or Fleetguard DCA4, Pencool 2000 or 3000, even Caterpillar Cooling System conditioner ( I think they use a different name now for that). There are plenty of liquid SCA products you can use to precharge or put a new precharge in if your coolant SCA level is below 1.2 units per gallon or as measured on a Penray test strip, less than 1200 PPM nitrite. Generally, one pint of any of these liquid SCA products will treat 3 gallons of coolant capacity. Plus, if your CAT engine does not have a coolant filter, add an additional pint for up to 12 gallons capacity as a SERVICE dose. SCA additives like the similar additives found in Cat ELC are sacrificial chemicals and will deplete. Caterpillar does not require the use of ELC in their engines. They prefer it. They do REQUIRE that any coolant used meets ASTM D6210 which their ELC does meet. Are you sufficiently confused now?

More accurately, if the amount of coolant refill (top off) is just a few quarts that you know of, then the CAT ELC chemistry is not compromised. While CAT says there is no need to test the coolant it does contain nitrite and molybdate, two coolant SCA additives that can be easily tested for. These two additives do deplete in this coolant and are replaced when you add a bottle of Caterpilar ELC extender liquid. You could certainly do that but do not go to the extremes of changing coolant for a small amount of mixing with another coolant.