Changing coolant yearly or lack thereof.

[sixdogs]

There are many types of coolant on the market today and they are not all compatible with each other.
I use a combination of full strength and I make up my own pre-mixed with a 60/40 ratio. The 60/40 ratio may be a
bit of over kill but it makes me much more comfortable regardless of the ambient temperatures.
My filling method after several flushes with well water is the last two flushes are with distilled water and using an
air hose to blow the water out of the block.
Then I fill it to a bit over half capacity with full strength then finish off with my 60/40 mix.

As I mentioned in my first line these new coolants are not compatible with each other or the old green stuff.
An example of what can happen with one of the new "long" life coolants and the old green stuff.




The first picture is after I couldn't figure out my over heating problem, after flushing and refilling a system.
It had run for several days and then overheated one night while it was idling and providing lighting for late work.
That was the internal of the water pump, the second picture is the impeller from the water pump the new one compared
to the old that chewed itself up trying to pump a waxy hard setting material. It toke considerable cleaning and several
chemicals to get the engine cleaned out.

You use air to blow the remaining water out of the block? That's a great idea I never thought of. I may be the last to know but you tell more and how you got about it?

 

[oldpilot]

>In any case, looks like a year in the radiator degraded the coolant, which is strange.

Very strange indeed. Years ago I used to change coolant every second year. Now it's every five years that I even think about it.

 

[priberc]

I quit using antifreeze cooling in my John Deere 2240 years ago, I had an old timer (about 40 years ago), told me that the first thing he did when he got a tractor or vehicle (if it didn't have warranty) was to drain the radiator and fill it back up with automatic transmission fluid, he stated since he started doing that he has never had a water pump failure (due to the lubricating qualities of the transmission fluid) on tractor or vehicle. I started doing that and noticed that the engine temperature whether I had coolant or transmission fluid in it stayed the same (I'm in Texas where we can have have temps in the summer of 115 Degrees and low teens in the winter}. Also I never had water pump problems after that. Since then every tractor I have had since then I put transmission fluid in the radiator.

First time I have heard of that. Checking out the prices of ATF here it works out to $60+ dollars a gallon here in Canada. So 40-45$ a gallon in the US....ouch. I can't remember the last time I changed a water pump in anything. Cars trucks or tractors that I own or cats skidders hoes and class 8 trucks I have operated and driven for others. What you do may work and work very well. A quick search has the water pump for your 2240 at 180$ CAD .....is the cost of the ATF worth it to save a part that 1, fails rarely and 2, is not eye watering expensive? IMO no

 

[ForestGrump]

Antifreeze contains corrosion and scale inhibitors which in time loose their effectiveness. Sometimes you can find this as an additive that you should add if your antifreeze is a few years old.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Before this gets too far, waterpumps do not usually fail due to the fluid/water/coolant/antifreeze that they pump through the system. Usually, as in the images further up, mixing coolant types has a solidifying effect they do not like.

Waterpumps are mechanical, the normal failure reason is bearing and shaft wear from the belt pressure on the drive pulley.

Nothing to do with the fluid, one exception though might be block overheating which could cause gasket failure if the thermostat and cap are too high. However that is not really a pump failure either, nor would the connector hose cracking due to age and light exposure be a pump failure.

 

[ljjhouser]

I only trust a refractometer anymore,not those hydrometers.
For the Kubota's I mix green coolant 50/50 with distilled water.

Thanks for the refractormeter comment. I ordered one today. Never thought of it before. Thanks again, Larry

 

[GeneV]

You use air to blow the remaining water out of the block? That's a great idea I never thought of. I may be the last to know but you tell more and how you got about it?

I never done it for coolant, but I do that to get oil out when doing oil changes. After oil drains out on it's own, just to get the last remnants out. I stick the air gun tip in there, and cover the hole with something like a rag or my hand, whatever. I don't blast air in there, just a steady stream. It does get quite a bit more oil out, btw.

 

[sixdogs]

I never done it for coolant, but I do that to get oil out when doing oil changes. After oil drains out on it's own, just to get the last remnants out. I stick the air gun tip in there, and cover the hole with something like a rag or my hand, whatever. I don't blast air in there, just a steady stream. It does get quite a bit more oil out, btw.

Very interesting. Thank you.

 

[LouNY]

You use air to blow the remaining water out of the block? That's a great idea I never thought of. I may be the last to know but you tell more and how you got about it?

It all depends on the application,
I'll have the radiator hoses off, if the tractor doesn't have a cab I'll pull the thermostat wrap a rag around my blow gun to fill the upper port
and let the air blow in and push much more water and sometimes a bunch of rust and sludge out.
On a cab tractor I'll blow out using the heater hose port to the lower radiator hose port.
Often on a tractor with alot of hours you will get a considerable amount of sludge out, I'll keep flushing with water and air till it stays clean.

 

[4570Man]

First time I have heard of that. Checking out the prices of ATF here it works out to $60+ dollars a gallon here in Canada. So 40-45$ a gallon in the US....ouch. I can't remember the last time I changed a water pump in anything. Cars trucks or tractors that I own or cats skidders hoes and class 8 trucks I have operated and driven for others. What you do may work and work very well. A quick search has the water pump for your 2240 at 180$ CAD .....is the cost of the ATF worth it to save a part that 1, fails rarely and 2, is not eye watering expensive? IMO no

You can usually buy cheap transmission fluid for $50-60 for a 5 gallon bucket. But I don’t see any reason why transmission fluid would be superior to any oil in that application and you can buy cheap hydraulic fluid for $20-30 for a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[LouNY]

I'd like to see what that fan belt does at -30F with any kind of oil in the water jacket.

 

[4570Man]

I'd like to see what that fan belt does at -30F with any kind of oil in the water jacket.

The water pump impeller is pretty small diameter. It shouldn’t have much trouble turning in cold oil.

 

[Craiger-mags]

This method is worth consideration

 

[tomplum]

Ooh.This is getting as exciting as and engine oil thread!

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Ever wonder why boiling oil was preferred over boiling water on siege defense?

That said, it does take quite a lot lower temperature to freeze/gel.

As long as the ATF stays under 400F it should be semi-safe, after that it spontaneously combusts. Could be a bit safer in a closed system, so one should avoid leaks and blowovers I guess.

 

[4570Man]

Ever wonder why boiling oil was preferred over boiling water on siege defense?

That said, it does take quite a lot lower temperature to freeze/gel.

As long as the ATF stays under 400F it should be semi-safe, after that it spontaneously combusts. Could be a bit safer in a closed system, so one should avoid leaks and blowovers I guess.

If your engine over heats to 400 you’ve probably got worse problems.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

If your engine over heats to 400 you’ve probably got worse problems.

Exhaust manifold temperature.

 

[number two]

Thanks for the refractormeter comment. I ordered one today. Never thought of it before. Thanks again, Larry

You will not regret it-accuracy you can depend on.
Throw away the other stuff.
Gave my two best friends one each for Xmas some years ago to add to their tool/equipment arsenal.
Good Luck!

 

[Flad]

I am one of the un lucky ones I have a serious allergy to any thing containing ethylene glycol, It is not well known that it's a serious environmental and health hazard, I hope you all use rubber gloves and dispose of your spent coolant at an approved waste disposal facility.

I use a soluable anti bacterial coolant oil like what is used in machining applications in all my radiators it's cheaper and lasts for years, It rarely get below freezing hear -3c is about the coldest for a day or two and the hottest is around 42c and that's hot and never had a problem, other alternatives are ATF, and light steam turbine oil, all of the above have anti corrosive properties on all types of metals and high boiling point's, these are no where near as dangerous as ethylene glycol, but must be disposed of like all oils and chemicals at an approved disposal facility, we have one at our local waste transfer station.

So if you suddenly get sick shortly after or within a day or so after coming in to contact with your coolant
you will know why, or if you just dump it on the ground where it can find it's way into your animals water and your animals get a mysterious illness you will know why, ethylene glycol is easily diluted in water and dangerous in minute ppm amounts. Some manufacturers put clear warnings on their products, others in fine print and try to play down the dangers.

 

[axeman79]

I've been using heavy equipment for 40 years and the one thing I've learned is always do the scheduled maintenance and always use superior products. How can you go wrong for a few dollars more?