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Old 10-28-2022, 12:29 AM   #1
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Freightliner FS65 CAT 3126 coolant

I have a 1999 Freightliner FS65 school bus that j bought 10 years ago. I changed the coolant about 9 years ago but I don't drive it much as it is only used for tailgating. When I bought it, it had red coolant, but it also had an SCA filter I flushed it and replaced with green, I don't really remember the specifics. Needless to say, it is overdue for a coolant flush and fill.
I have heard good and bad things about the different types of coolant. So I have a couple questions.
  • What are the pros and cons of each type of heavy duty coolant?
  • What is the proper procedure to fully clean out the system?
  • If I don't need the SCA filter, what do I put there?

I saw this but wasn't sure if it checked all the boxes for my engine. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tec...llon/991307222

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Old 10-28-2022, 08:07 AM   #2
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You can use either a ELC or a conventional coolant on that IMO. It doesn't have egr coolers that are picky about additive precipitation.

Cat will recommend their specific ELC. You can use any name brand ELC that you'd like. We carry Final charge as our elc in the shop, and it works well. A lot of people view extended life coolants as set and forget, but you're still supposed to test them annually, although most don't.

You can use a standard green, with bottles and test strips also. It's cheaper then elc, but you have to check it with test strips at least annually. Test strips have an expiration, and sometimes the strips can be hard to source locally.

If you're nervous about testing and maintaining, go with an elc.
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Old 10-28-2022, 03:45 PM   #3
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From everything that i have red, the supertech you listed should be the same as teh Final Charge Global. I used Final Charge Global concentrate in mine for flush and would top up with the supertech 50/50 if i needed. I have 24v Cummins, which should be similar requirements to your 3126 (no EGR, emissions, or Wet Sleeves).
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Old 10-31-2022, 01:20 PM   #4
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My plan for the flush was;
  1. Fill with water
  2. Heat up
  3. Drain
  4. Add Radiator flush
  5. Repeat step 1-3
  6. Fill with new coolant
Is this the right procedure or is should I do another cycle of straight water after the radiator flush?

What should I do with the SCA filter? There are valves on each side, if I close them would this essentially eliminate it?

Would this be any better than the Super Tech?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chevron-D...lant/323002543
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Old 10-31-2022, 01:48 PM   #5
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Your procedure depends on what you're trying to do. If you're swapping green for an elc coolant, follow this procedure here. Use distilled water in all steps, Unless you're tap water has super low mineral concentrations.

1. Drain as much coolant as possible, blow out radiator hoses, and heater lines if possible.
2. Refill with water and flush additive if needed(vc9 for rust or cascade for oil/dirt/grime)
3. High idle until warm, then 1 hour more.
4. Drain flush contents.
5. Inspect drained fluid for clarity, If not clear, refill with water and repeat steps 3-5.
6. If clear, refill with coolant at the correct concentration. I don't use premix, always concentrate, so that you can get the correct 50/50 mix with the water remaining in the system. But if premix is all that is available, then use it.

If you're swapping elc for the same elc, and your existing coolant isn't contaminated, No need to flush anything, just drain and refill.

Filters can be had without any sort of additive. You can search for it based off your current filter part number. Definitely replace the filter, as you don't want to mix-match additive packages.
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Old 10-31-2022, 02:29 PM   #6
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I'm not sure if there was rust but some of the coolant that came out at the end did seem a little oily and/or dirty. What kind of cascade do I use? Can I do the VC9 and Cascade at the same time?
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Old 10-31-2022, 02:38 PM   #7
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Once i drained my coolant, i put 1/2 gallon of distilled vinegar in a 5 gallon bucket and added 4.5 gallons of distilled water and used a submersible pump to pump through the cooling system with the thermostat out. I then flushed with distilled water 2 times. Then i filled the system with concentrate and topped it off with distilled water. I looked pretty crazy walking out of walmart with 35 gallons of baby water. I changed my water pump after flushing. I don't know if anything i did is advised, but i did it.
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Old 10-31-2022, 03:45 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knowpistons View Post
I'm not sure if there was rust but some of the coolant that came out at the end did seem a little oily and/or dirty. What kind of cascade do I use? Can I do the VC9 and Cascade at the same time?
Cascade dishwasher detergent. Any detergent that doesn't foam or bubble really. You don't want to create bubbles in the system, especially on a diesel, as they're more prone to cavitation.

Don't use vc9 unless you have to. The rust in the system would be obvious. Drained coolant would be orange/brown with an orange stain in the whole system and chunks of rust visible.

I wouldn't use them together, as they might not play well together.

If in doubt, use cascade, but you'd probably get by with just water.
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Old 10-31-2022, 06:15 PM   #9
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Mother Nature gives you all the distilled water you can catch....when it's raining!!!!
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Old 11-01-2022, 10:31 PM   #10
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I did the flush today, but when I took out the thermostats, there was some gel like material in the housing.

-I warmed up the bus as much as I could but since I won't be driving it, how long should I let it sit in there?
-Will the Cascade clean up this gel that I found in the thermostat housing?
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Old 11-02-2022, 07:37 AM   #11
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Depending on what it is, but it should, so long as you added enough and got it hot enough.

If not, remove the thermostats again and wipe it out with a rag.
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Old 11-02-2022, 03:32 PM   #12
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What's the correct concentration? I added about 25 ounces to a 10 gallon system but I spilled a decent amount of it as I was pouring it in, lol. I got the bus up to about 140 after running it for about an hour.
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Old 11-02-2022, 04:42 PM   #13
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Truthfully, yours wouldn't have required much, as I'm under the impression it's not that dirty. How much I use I've never measured, some I've used the entire jug on semis that have blown the oil cooler before. A bus would be similar. I dump the cascade in first, and then fill/top off with water. On cars I'll use half a cup or so. The stuff is pretty concentrated, so you don't need to add much on a system that's relatively clean.

FYI I use the gel stuff in the green jug, not the powder or tablets. They say if you use the powder to mix it in a jug first before pouring it in the vehicle.

Good thing you've pulled the thermostat, as that will have the water flowing well to mix the gel up.
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Old 11-03-2022, 12:36 PM   #14
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So the coolant filter is a NF-2088. It looks like a standard spin on, can I just get any old spin on coolant filter?
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Old 11-03-2022, 01:26 PM   #15
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Yes, so long as it interchanges with your current filter and is additive free to match the elc.

If you're using conventional coolant, you can get filters that are need based release, like the penray unit you have currently.

NOTE: When switching coolants it's very imporant to flush the heater cores and hoses thoroughly. Districts can turn off heater valves and if you're unaware, that will leave a large volume of coolant that might not be compatible to what you're swapping to.

Also use a vacuum refiller to avoid air pockets and such when draining and refilling.
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Old 11-03-2022, 09:28 PM   #16
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From the manual for my '05 FS-65....
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Old 11-05-2022, 06:07 PM   #17
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Year: 2002
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Chassis: Freightliner FS65
Engine: CAT 3126b with AT545
We have a 2002 FS65 with a CAT 3126b

Here's what our maintenance manual recommends we use for coolant:

https://smile.amazon.com/Caterpillar...-no-redirect=1

I hope this helps.

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