Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years?

   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #1  

meyerske

New member
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Messages
9
Location
Washington, PA
Tractor
Kubota bx1800
Even with today's coolants, do we still have to change coolant every 2 years?
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #2  
You'll likely get a lot of comments on this but it certainly wouldn't hurt. The main issue is sludge buildup which is kept to a minimum if you change the coolant.

That being said, foolish or not, I personally have not ever changed the coolant on any of my 6 Kubotas. I owned them for between 2 and 12 years. I did add some after a few boil overs on my old B7100 though.
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #3  
Even with today's coolants, do we still have to change coolant every 2 years?

Depends what is in there.

I use a Delo coolant that is good for up to 8 years; though 5 years is more common in modern coolants.

"2 year" coolant will typically need SCA for diesel applications, most modern organic acid formulations will not (need SCA added).

Many people just ignore coolant (and hydraulic fluid) until a problem becomes obvious - that approach can be inconvenient, and very expensive though....

Rgds, D.
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #4  
I did mine at about 4 years and maybe 500 hrs. I suppose it's due again since it's been another 3-4 years. I figure it's good to change once in a while to replenish the corrosion inhibition chemicals. I do try to be very "clean" with the coolant and use good stuff. When I change, I do a chemical clean/flush, rinse VERY thoroughly with tap water (lots of calcium), drain VERY thoroughly, and then refill with distilled water and "FleetGuard". All good to date.
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #5  
I let mine go 800 hours because I used a high quality coolant. I drained it and it looked like new. However, that doesn't mean that it holds its coolant properties. For how easy it is to change it and flush it, there should be no reason to leave it.
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #6  
I do change every 2 years on my JD 3520 compact. JD said I could buy test strips (ph?) after the 2 year initial change and maybe have to add some kind of additive to the original charge for up to 5 years of use.
it's so easy to change I don't bother with that and just change the stuff.
Did that with my old 650 and after 28 years never replaced a water pump or had any coolant related issues.
Works for me.:drink:
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #7  
I swap out the coolant in my Kubotas every 4 years, regardless of hours. Changing the coolant in the BX-25 is a royal pain. I remove the lower radiator hose to do it.
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #8  
I am due for this work also. Haven't done it before. Looks like the drain hose is not necessarily in an efficient place to drain, but hopefully I'm wrong. What do you guys do with the old stuff? Will oil change shops take coolant?
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #9  
Good reminder. I need to get that done. "coolant" protects against corrosion from dissimilar metals.
 
   / Still Have to Change Coolant Every 2 Years? #10  
I've done every 3 years and I hope it hasn't bitten me in the back side. I have a GMC truck with Dexcool that just got a new radiator. The other cars and trucks no issue. Tractor will be the same. You can check electrolysis with a multimeter, whether that tells the whole story, I dunno.
 
 
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