I'm due for a radiator flush

My water is hard and full of calcium so I will be buying gallons of distilled water and full strength coolant . My manual says 6 gallon capacity so does 3 gallons of antifreeze and 3 gallons of water sound good for a 50/50?

 

Question since I forgot since last time I flushed. Is just draining from the drain at the bottom of the radiator the best way to get most the coolant out?

 

I want to flush it out by keep running fresh water through it, but when I'm done what is the best way to get all my garden hose hard / calcium fresh flush water out before I put my gallons of distilled water and new coolant in ? 

 

Note: I moved this thread over to 'power train'

Edited August 1, 20195 yr by JAG1

On 7/31/2019 at 8:47 PM, GSP7 said:

My water is nasty .... Mucho calcium build up if I used it in a radiator. Would clog the radiator cooling tubes

 

Gotta use acid to clean my shower , all the calcium crud build up. My toilet tank actually gets rocks and large granite sand in the bottom of the tank.....

 

I used this in  my heater core about 5 years ago, heater works good. What flushed out was nasty. Just did a new coolant change/flush again. The heater core was clean this time. I seem to only get 5 gallons on a change. I used Water Wetter this time.

 

 

On 8/1/2019 at 9:42 AM, dave110 said:

Good ole green stuff still the go- to? That's all I've ever used but I should do a service again and opinions change over time.

I'm using fleetguard from Cummins, blue in color. A lot of people use whatever and get away, with my luck I'll have cylinder wall pitting if I'll use wrong stuff. 

Heres the nasty stuff I've been flushing out.

Have stp stuff in it right now.

What ya been feeding that thing, cream of wheat?

10 minutes ago, dripley said:

What ya been feeding that thing, cream of wheat?

 

Yeah ,,,, holy crap in the radiator !..... What the heck have you been doing ?

Been doing nothing to it for 15 years. Well water is all its had.

 

It's got a gallon of vinegar in it right now plus some stp cleaner. I'm to busy to make it to cat today

thats green grits

Just the gravy he poured on it.

Or cream of chicken...

 

 

 

 

 

 

all apologies dripley

Almost looks like it was blended with two different coolants and partially gelled up. 

 

 

Just curious...

 

So anyone installed a coolant filter and use filters with DCA?

 

If so, how did you plumb it in?

 

Bob G.

Probably was I think it had orange in it at one time.

 

Just reverse flushed and I think made a big difference air feels hot coming out the vents hard to tell since it's already 80 outside.

 

Running another gallon of vinegar oil.

 

Ohh my clutch fan came on at idle truck way under 180. I pulled the hose that goes to tstat and got clutch fan wet. Fan hasn't shut off since. Hmmm it used to never come on now I think it might be worse if it never shuts off.

2 hours ago, JD435 said:

Just curious...

 

So anyone installed a coolant filter and use filters with DCA?

If so, how did you plumb it in?

 

Bob G.

Thats an old Cummins NTA 855  deal.... they used to suffer big time from liner worm and had the filters installed from the factory but I'd say now coolants are better and there is also sampling there is no need for a DCA filter, the filter removes some but if it's as bad as the pictures above then the filter will be useless, the DCA bit just keeps the  coolant at the best PH level .

Need to be plumbed into a good flow line, think from memory the lines were 1/2"..... not too sure how the heater lines would work if plumbed into those I do know on a NTA855 the lines were all figured for the filter.

Easier to back flush lots then use Cat coolant... job done.... Cat C7,C9,C18,C32 all do not have a filter or use DCA and the coolant stays in for years while being sampled every so often

Have not been around heavy duty diesels for 30 years now.  I was a Detroit guy.   I know the fords with the 6.9L and 7.3L IDI diesels used coolants filters but they also had cavitation issues.

 

I have been using the yellow NAPA Extended AF in my equipment ( mostly Kubota diesel powered) for the last five years now.

 

What AF is everyone else using?

Im running Peak/distilled water, I think the yellow mix with anything stuff.

Green ethylene glycol since new here.

7 hours ago, 98whitelightnin said:

Im running Peak/distilled water, I think the yellow mix with anything stuff.

 

I just changed mine out with the same combo, however, mine is green.

 

 

18 hours ago, JD435 said:

Have not been around heavy duty diesels for 30 years now.  I was a Detroit guy.   I know the fords with the 6.9L and 7.3L IDI diesels used coolants filters but they also had cavitation issues.

 

I have been using the yellow NAPA Extended AF in my equipment ( mostly Kubota diesel powered) for the last five years now.

 

What AF is everyone else using?

I have done a bit with Detroits mainly V16s in Terex rigid dumptrucks, some were airstart to boot...... mind the pin was always halfway out on those grenades

I've used Prestone (Yellow), NAPA (Green), Walmart SuperTech (Yellow), and many other names of green or yellow coolant zero issues.

On 8/4/2019 at 10:43 AM, JD435 said:

Just curious...

 

So anyone installed a coolant filter and use filters with DCA?

 

If so, how did you plumb it in?

 

Bob G.

 

I had a filter on my 05, but the coolant I used didn’t want a DCA filter. 

 

I took coolant from the cylinder head and returned it with the heater core return. 

 

I was younger and felt anything non-stock was better... won’t be wasting time with a filter on my ‘18. 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a link I did for a write up on a 3rd gen. Only real difference will be volume. Since you’re also replacing the thermostat you can modify the old one for flushing. 

 

This article used to be here, but I couldn’t find it just now... so this is Forum B’s link. 

 

https://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-tech-articles/220514-coolant-flush-3rd-gen.html?amp=1

Edited August 5, 20195 yr by AH64ID