rrlowther Report post Posted October 3, 2011 Greetings Everyone, As some of you know, we have a 2000 Safari Zanzibar diesel pusher. Our powerplant is a CAT 300 turbo 3126 Series B engine. We have had some trouble with the engine over heating and noticed that the doors was causing the air being pushed through the radiator was being sent right back into the engine compartment. We've modified the doors to allow for free air flow out of the radiator. My brother is a career air force Master Sergent. He oversee's the maintenance of diesel power generators and the like. He has recommended that we add purple ice additive to our coolant system. Doing so should assist a faster recovery of the coolant to lower the overall engine and subsequently transmission temperatures. My question is, does anyone have any experience with this product and if so, did you notice a difference in the cooling system of your rig once you added it? Additionally, is there any concern about OEM requirements and could this hurt our engine? Thanks for the feedback in advance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted October 3, 2011 Caterpillar does NOT recommend any such coolant additives. Yes, make sure your coolant is not out of date (most coolants have a three year life, ELC coolants a 6 year life) and if a regular/non ELC coolant that the SCA concentration is kept in the proper range. The vast, I mean vast majority of overheating on a diesel pusher is caused by debris being deposited on the front of the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) and blocking air flow to the CAC and the radiator that is behind the CAC. Also, be aware that Caterpillar recommends that thermostat(s) be changed every three years. Brett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rrlowther Report post Posted October 17, 2011 I've read all of that. The radiator is literally brand new. So are the thermostats and the coolant is also only two months old. Still saw a little higher temp at highway speeds that caused me concern. The product states that is does not void any warranties and is made especially for diesel engines. We just got back from Las Vegas and I noticed that with the additive, the engine did run cooler and recovered faster than prior to putting it in. My brother is a Master Sergent in the Air Force, responsible for maintenance and repair of a numerous diesel engines. He's the one that recommended the use of the product. Even said he'd pay for a new engine if it caused any damage. Thanks for the feedback though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
