Reading Fleetguard Strips Coolant Questions

[bigskypc50]

Checking out my cooling system!

I found the rad cap behind the GENESIS grill, and there was no fuild visible in the swing out arm, so I added about 1/3 gallon of green prestone. The strips say not to take the sample from the overflow tank but there is no fulid at the cap and the pet cock is super tight and I don't want to risk busting it.

A side note when I removed the heaters the coolant was green but the coolant in the overflow tank is red. So I tested the red coolant and got these results, I don't think are they separate systems? So I sucked all the red out of the overflow tank and added back in green. Hopefully I did not mess anything up. Anyone want to chime in.

Will it hurt to add in the treatment even it don't need it?

[roach711]

You don't want too much or too little SCA. Too little leaves the engine open to cavitation damage and too much can accelerate wear in the water pump. Also, make sure your two coolants are compatible. The conventional wisdom is to completely flush the old before adding the new.

Check the expiration date on your test strips. Out of date strips will give you funky results.

Cadillac and Cowlitz will have more info but I believe the red coolant is superior to the green.

[bigskypc50]

The heaters had green coolant it them and I think I recall seeing green in the sight glass so I am pretty sure the bus has green in the system. I have only every seen red in the overflow tank. The heater vale is closed and has been since I toke out the heaters.

Would it prudent to open it them back up and burp the system or will it do it it self with the overflow tank.

I think someone just added red to overflow tank not knowing. I added green Prestone 50/50 all makes with the corrosion stuff. Would napakool be the right package if I add it

[bigskypc50]

Anyone have any feedback on this, I picked up some "Peek Final Charge Global" and it's orange but it says it can mix with other types of coolant for under 25% total volume? I don't want to add yet another type of coolant in the mix....

Driving me nuts about ready to pay a shop to do it, so I know it's right.

[Booyah45828]

Flush out everything that you have and then replace with new. That way you know for sure what you're dealing with. Napa kool is for conventional green antifreeze. Peak final charge, prestone 50/50, and all other antifreezes will have their own seperate additive package depending on the type of coolant(conventional,OAT, or HOAT). You can use an ELC but those require a specific test strip in order to check coverage levels.

You don't want a cocktail of coolants in there. #1 reason is not every coolant is compatible with others and you can turn the whole works into sludge by mixing the wrong types.#2 reason is that when you have multiple additive packages present, you'll find that none of them will work effectively, thus leaving you unprotected.

I use regular green in mine.
Why?
Because I'm not going to be driving it a million miles in order to justify the extra expense of an ELC. Regular green works for me, and will work for everybody that has an older bus(pre-egr/emissions).

[roach711]

[QUOTE=Booyah45828;217320]Flush out everything that you have and then replace with new. /QUOTE]

Definitely the best way to go here.

1 - Drain the system
2 - Refill with plain water then run the engine until it's warm.
3 - Drain again
4 - Repeat 2 & 3 until you get clear water draining out.
5 - There will still be water left in the system after draining so don't use the pre-mixed coolant. Pour in new coolant concentrate equal to 1/2 of your system capacity. This will give you a good 50/50 mix.
6 - If your engine requires it, add in enough SCA to prevent cavitation damage.
7 - Fill the system with plain water to the proper level.

If your area has hard water use distilled water for your flushes and final refill.

Now would be a good time to replace radiator hoses too.

[bigskypc50]

Thanks for the feedback, I just decided to have a shop do it, that way it's pretty much guaranteed to be right and I don't have to worry about it. They said high side would be right under $300.00 (with 10 Gallons), much better then 6K plus for a in-frame rebuilt.

[Simplicity]

Booyah's advice is right on.

I have finally made it around to addressing all my filters and fluids. My research has taught me a couple of things that might be helpful to the OP.

1) Know your engine and transmission and what kind of fluids they take, and why they take that kind of fluid.
2) Understand what SCA/DCA (synonymous) are and why they matter.
3) Determine what type of filter (charged or dummy) you want to use.
4) Learn how to test your coolant. Different coolants can only be tested with specific test strips. Make sure the coolant and test strips are compatible for accurate readings.

Hope this helps.