How often do you change anti-freeze on Kubotas?

[Paystar]

I also use Zerex G05 in my Kubota’s, mostly for the 5 year service interval. Standard green every 2 years would be a pain.

That's the reason I switched. Didn't want to be having to dispose of used coolant every two years.

 

[number two]

Old school here.
Every 2 or 3 years I drain out all I can then refill with conventional green and distilled water at 50/50 mix.
Replenishes the additives and matches the factory fill.
Plain old green coolant can even be hard to find these days!
Works for me.

 

[4570Man]

I’d recommend filling back up with straight water and running for a bit to flush it out and drain it again. I put a water pump on my truck a few months ago and I doubt the coolant had been changed since it was built in 92. It was bad nasty and it probably took 5 flushes before the water started coming out mostly clear.

 

[JWR]

Every 3 years, or more if it's in a dusty environment. I use Shell ELC. Love it, I use it in all my vehicles.

I also change the hoses and rad cap every 5 years.

diesel 85: "Dusty environment?" I cannot picture how a dusty environment has anything to do with antifreeze. If it does, please explain. [and I assume you meant less than 3 years if dusty, not more...]

In my experience any of the antifreeze brands that are what was once called "permanent antifreeze" can be used indefinitely EXCEPT for the crud that build up inside the cooling system causing it to need to be flushed periodically. As other have mentioned 3 to 5 years is not a bad routine. Another difference among brands is certainly the extra ingredients they use to reduce the crud buildup. In fact, that is probably the ONLY real difference among them.

I cannot imagine any reason for antifreeze needing to be different for diesel engines. A closed system with cooling passages and a water pump should not care how or why combustion is occurring. I would not put it past sales people from labeling stuff "diesel" as a marketing draw or an excuse to charge more. Just like TV antenna people selling "HD TV Antennas" when the antenna has utterly no way to know or care what kind of modulation is being used nor what degree of definition the picture might be. It has to SAY HDTV on the box or you can't sell it.

I certainly date myself by even mentioning "permanent antifreeze." Back in the 50's/60's (and maybe even as late as the 70's) alcohol based antifreeze was still sold (!) Of course it deteriorated rather quickly with evaporation, etc. and it was the other type of antifreeze -- NOT permanent. Seemed to make it through one season.

 

[Fallon]

Diesels deal with a much higher pressure front, which can lead to cylinders ringing like a bell. That causes cavitation which erodes cylinder walls from the outside. Diesels also are cooling EGR valves, maybe turbos & other abnormally hot components compared to a gasser.

Not definitive issues by any means. But diesel coolant often has different addative packages.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Diesels deal with a much higher pressure front, which can lead to cylinders ringing like a bell. That causes cavitation which erodes cylinder walls from the outside. Diesels also are cooling EGR valves, maybe turbos & other abnormally hot components compared to a gasser.

Not definitive issues by any means. But diesel coolant often has different additive packages.

Bestest answer.
Read any truck diesel forum. They all have complex exhaust systems that challenge water chemistry.
The other links just help round out coolant info that may apply to vehicles as well as out tractors.
Plus seems owners/operators manuals are pretty skimpy on details, specs etc.
When I owned the 7.3l power stroke I would get about 11 gallons of demin water. and when time comes will do same for Mr. Wiley. Drain, and flush with demin water. So whatever stays in the system is clean, mineral free and ready to add coolant.

Here are a few reading samples to help get those creative juices flowing.
This piece :
Diesel Engine Coolants
"Typically dry sleeves are used on smaller engines while wet sleeves are used on larger engines. The reason for this is that larger engines create more heat and the wet sleeve does a much better job of conducting that cylinder heat to the coolant because the wet sleeve is in direct contact with the coolant. Engines like the 5.9 liter Cummins ISB and 7.2 liter Cat C7 use a dry sleeve while larger engines, like the 8.3 liter Cummins ISC, 8.9 liter Cummins ISL, etc all use wet sleeves. Dry sleeves aren't as picky with coolants but wet sleeves do have unique requirements and coolant selection and maintenance is critical. This all has to do with cavitation and liner pitting."


What are the Different Types of Antifreeze and Can I Mix Them?

Hoat Coolant, Green & OAT Antifreeze - Advice / ELF

What You Need to Know About Diesel Antifreeze and Coolants | MotorHome Magazine
Diesel Engine Coolant Maintenance | Know Your Parts
https://www.constructionequipment.com/basics-diesel-engine-coolant

Hope this helps some to take care of your machine.

 

[YLee Kioti]

diesel 85: "Dusty environment?" I cannot picture how a dusty environment has anything to do with antifreeze. If it does, please explain. [and I assume you meant less than 3 years if dusty, not more...]

In my experience any of the antifreeze brands that are what was once called "permanent antifreeze" can be used indefinitely EXCEPT for the crud that build up inside the cooling system causing it to need to be flushed periodically. As other have mentioned 3 to 5 years is not a bad routine. Another difference among brands is certainly the extra ingredients they use to reduce the crud buildup. In fact, that is probably the ONLY real difference among them.

I cannot imagine any reason for antifreeze needing to be different for diesel engines. A closed system with cooling passages and a water pump should not care how or why combustion is occurring. I would not put it past sales people from labeling stuff "diesel" as a marketing draw or an excuse to charge more. Just like TV antenna people selling "HD TV Antennas" when the antenna has utterly no way to know or care what kind of modulation is being used nor what degree of definition the picture might be. It has to SAY HDTV on the box or you can't sell it.

I certainly date myself by even mentioning "permanent antifreeze." Back in the 50's/60's (and maybe even as late as the 70's) alcohol based antifreeze was still sold (!) Of course it deteriorated rather quickly with evaporation, etc. and it was the other type of antifreeze -- NOT permanent. Seemed to make it through one season.

A lot has changed within the last 40 years. The era of cast iron blocks and copper radiators are gone. Today there are exotic metal compound to strengthen block and reduce weight as well as the cooling system heat exchanger. So a lot of chemistry is involved in water electrolysis in dealing with dissimilar metals.

Highly unlikely that any company would risk their entire business model on false advertisement just to charge more for the coolant. There are so many savvy gear heads out there with so many skills that anyone trying to pull a fast one would be outed rather quickly.

 

[RalphVa]

When I get ready to change it on my Isuzu diesel generator, I'll seriously consider using VW TDI anti freeze from the VW dealer. I already use the Castrol 5w30 oil in it that's speced for the 2010 TDI.

Don't plan on changing it until about year 10.

Cannot figure why the tractor folks are still recommending every other year change. That was for our 1983 240D Benz. Way out of date. If you put in an overflow container (if there's none there, like on the Isuzu when it was delivered) and there's no head gasket leak, what can foul it up?

Ralph

 

[JWR]

Diesels deal with a much higher pressure front, which can lead to cylinders ringing like a bell. That causes cavitation which erodes cylinder walls from the outside. Diesels also are cooling EGR valves, maybe turbos & other abnormally hot components compared to a gasser.

Not definitive issues by any means. But diesel coolant often has different addative packages.

As usual Fallon knows a bunch more than most of us. Anyway, he caused me to go off and do more reading. The off-cuff comments I made in post #14 are probably true EXCEPT for diesels that have wet-sleeve engines. I had always associated cavitation with very high pressure/high speed pumps or propellers. In the case of wet sleeve diesels, the bubbles in the coolant can and do collapse with violence enough to start pits in the wet sleeves, even to the point of eventual failure. Not due to high velocity pumps or propellers but apparently due to some other "bubbles in the coolant" phenomenon. Very possibly what Fallon calls "ringing the cylinders like bells" due to higher pressure front migration. Resonance or vibration maybe ? The best basic tutorial I could find on the antifreeze issue is at

The Basics of Diesel-Engine Coolant | Construction Equipment .

Quite an eye opener. It will send me (and probably many others) scrambling to find out whether our machines have wet sleeved engines or not. I doubt any but the much larger industrial diesels have wet sleeve cylinders. I believe that in dry sleeve cases my original comments apply and it really matters not whether the thing is diesel or gas. If wet = whole different ballgame where the additives and antifreeze formulation are a much bigger deal. The critical idea of the additives being to prevent cavitation of wet sleeves but of course there are all sorts of other goals for preventing crud buildup in the system, etc.

 

[rScotty]

Bestest answer.

Here are a few reading samples to help get those creative juices flowing.
This piece :
Diesel Engine Coolants
"Typically dry sleeves are used on smaller engines while wet sleeves are used on larger engines. The reason for this is that larger engines create more heat and the wet sleeve does a much better job of conducting that cylinder heat to the coolant because the wet sleeve is in direct contact with the coolant. Engines like the 5.9 liter Cummins ISB and 7.2 liter Cat C7 use a dry sleeve while larger engines, like the 8.3 liter Cummins ISC, 8.9 liter Cummins ISL, etc all use wet sleeves. Dry sleeves aren't as picky with coolants but wet sleeves do have unique requirements and coolant selection and maintenance is critical. This all has to do with cavitation and liner pitting."
Hope this helps some to take care of your machine.

I'm not familiar with those engines. Do those engines really use dry sleeves instead of a simple bored block? Or did the author misuse the term?
50+ years ago Yanmar used wet sleeves in all their engines. Even the little 13 hp and up tractors. It really is a better solution.
And like other diesel manufacturers 50 years ago, Yanmar solved any possible cavitation/pitting problemby simply making the sleeve thick enough. Lifetime coolant lasted decades.

I won't argue whether today's engines need more frequent coolant changes. I just don't know enough about the interaction of the alloys in use in them. But if it is true that they do, then the additive packages are likely to be specific to each different model. The days of "one type of coolant fits all" may be over.

One data point: My Ford F250 7.3 diesel is pushing 20 & has almost 200K miles. I have the coolant tested annually. One of the things they test for is the additive package. In particular the anti-cavitation additive. As far as I know, it is running the original coolant that it had when new.
rScotty