May 29, 201213 yr Owner How often change fluid? Do we flush? I flush and change coolant yearly (30K miles) and change the thermostat at the same time. Remember everything the coolant touches can be affected. So if the coolant pH level goes acidic (below 7) then oil cooler, head gasket, radiator, heater core, water pump seals, etc all are affected by corrosion of the acidic coolant. So I flush regularly to keep the pH at 7 as much as possible. I've never seen a scale bloom in my radiator nor a coolant leak yet. (Coming up on 200K miles 10 years!) So I know my head gasket is still strong and will take 45-50 PSI without thinking...
May 29, 201213 yr Owner Any coolant will work. I'm using a prestone, WalMart SuperTech, or Napa coolant.
May 29, 201213 yr Owner Yes I split it out of the other thread to prevent hijacking... (Doing my job!)
May 29, 201213 yr Author Very nice. I thought these engine needed certain type of coolant fluid. How you flush anyways?
May 29, 201213 yr According to ram it needs to have HOAT. EH?! I gotta do a coolant flush sometime this week. Got myself O'reilly green coolant. Thermostat, too. Yea, I actually have never had to do a coolant flush, how do you do it?
May 29, 201213 yr According to ram it needs to have HOAT. Later models maybe, my 02 says ethelene glycol, 50/50 mix with water.
May 29, 201213 yr Owner Drain the system. Pull the thermostat Put a garden hose in the radiator on high flow. Start engine and allow the engine to idle till the water is clear. Drain the system. Re-install thermostat. Re-load with 50/50 coolant and water. According to ram it needs to have HOAT. 9 years and 180K miles...
May 30, 201213 yr Author How much it cost for flush and all? Coolant filter worth it? 190 or 180 t stat. I don't pull a lot
May 30, 201213 yr Owner How much it cost for flush and all? Coolant filter worth it? 190 or 180 t stat. I don't pull a lot Well the only cost there is would be the Anti-freeze (3 gallons) and a thermostat. As for a coolant filter it would be good idea if you can hook it up properly and remember to change the filter every 30K or once a year. 190*F is better. Hotter the better for MPG's reasons. Pulling / Towing has nothing to do with it. It's the age of the coolant. As coolant ages it will drift from neutral pH (7) toward acidic (lower number) or basic (highier number). With 3 year the coolant starts to get corrosive. By 5 years you seeing the rusty color and now its too late oxidation of all the part that the coolant touches in now breaking down. (Radiator, heater core, oil cooler, head gasket, water pump seal and bearings, etc) This is why my block is still spotless and there is no scale blooms in the radiator. All this occurs after the pH level drifts away from 7. So if you want to you can buy a bottle of strips and test your coolant on a regular basis and when it drifts then you can change it. But since the yearly changes (covering 25-30K miles a year) works here perfectly why not?
May 30, 201213 yr Author I guess I will test ph tomorrowI mentioned . Towing because if I towed a lot I would do 180.
May 30, 201213 yr Owner I guess I will test ph tomorrow I mentioned . Towing because if I towed a lot I would do 180. No... Still use a 190*F even towing. Closer you get to 200*F the more efficient the engine runs.
May 30, 201213 yr Author That's what dodge calls for. --- Update to the previous post... That's what dodge calls for. CAUTION: Use of Propylene-Glycol based coolants is not recommended, as they provide less freeze protectionand less corrosion protection. 'The cooling system is designed around the coolant. The coolant must accept heat from engine metal, in the cylinderhead area near the exhaust valves and engine block. Then coolant carries the heat to the radiator where the tube/fin radiator can transfer the heat to the air.The use of aluminum cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, and water pumps requires special corrosion protection.Mopar® Antifreeze/Coolant, 5 Year/100,OOO Mile Formula (MS-9769), or the equivalent ethylene-glycol base coolantwith organic corrosion inhibitors (called HOAT, for Hybrid Organic Additive Technology) is recommended. This coolantoffers the best engine cooling without corrosion when mixed with 500/0 -ethylene-glycol and 50% distilled water toobtain a freeze point of -37°C (-35°F). If it loses color or becomes contaminated, drain, flush, and replace with freshproperly mixed coolant solution.CAUTION: Mopar® Antifreeze/Coolant, 5 Year/100,000 Mile Formula (MS .. 9769) may not be mixed with anyother type of antifreeze. Mixing of coolants other than specified (non-HOAT or other HOAT) may result inengine damage that may not be covered under the new vehicle warranty, and decreased corrosion protection.
May 30, 201213 yr According to ram it needs to have HOAT. Okay, so what year range does this specifically apply to? I did'nt even know we have aluminum on our engines either?
May 30, 201213 yr Author I would say 6.7 engine. I think I'm going to buy some culligan water to flush truck out. Put some in radiator , run then drain and do that twice.
May 30, 201213 yr I would say 6.7 engine. I think I'm going to buy some culligan water to flush truck out. Put some in radiator , run then drain and do that twice. AHA! See, your in the 2nd gen forum. We don' need no stinkin' HOAT!
How often change fluid? Do we flush?