Which coolant?

[dstig1]

The Grand L5240 with cab in my sig. Overdue for a coolant flush and fill. I'm always a bit wary of coolants these days as there are so many types and mixing some of them can create big problems. I THINK Kubota uses regular old green coolant, like classic Prestone, that has been around since dirt was invented, but I wanted to check here to verify before I commit.

The manual is a bit vague saying to use "Long Life Coolant, Ethylene glycol type" but doesn't talk about IAT or ELC or any of the other acronyms used to describe coolant types.

Please enlighten me.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[number two]

You are correct.
OEM fill is plain old green.
Others will suggest newer long life coolants,but green will be fine.
Good Luck!

 

[mjw357]

I put this in my B3200. Green stuff was in it originally. Drained and flushed with water a couple times put this in. This is more red/orange color, formulated for diesel engines. Prevents cavitation around sleeves.

 

[Roadworthy]

My L2501 manual specifies an ethylene glycol antifreeze - which is the old fashioned stuff. Anything compatible should work.

 

[5030]

I put this in my B3200. Green stuff was in it originally. Drained and flushed with water a couple times put this in. This is more red/orange color, formulated for diesel engines. Prevents cavitation around sleeves.View attachment 3582129

Kubota diesels ARE NOT wet sleeved engines they are dry sleeved as in pressed in sleeves so coolant NEVER touches them. No need to buy expensive long life coolant or coolant that is made to prevent cavatation, as there in none.

Kubota specifies in their manuals, plain old green colored ethlyene glycol. You can use anything you want actually, but no need to waste money on high tech coolant.

Just drain and flush regularly and keep the rad clean outside.

Again, use anything you want, just make sure you flush the cooling system before changing as some coolants aren't compatible with others.

 

[Paystar]

I run Prestone in all my engines. The All Vehicle formula in the yellow jugs. I mix some concentrate with the 50/50 pre-mix to get my freezing point good for minus 40 for where I live.
reason I switched back to Prestone was it makes it easy for me because it's readily available and works in everything I own. And it's good for 10 years, though I don't go that far between changes.
Prestone also still makes the old style green in a black jug called Prime, but it is only good for 1 to 2 years.

 

[Hay Dude]

For diesel engines, run the cherry/pink color.
I switched to that in most of my engines for anti-cavitation and long life.

 

[5030]

Your use of coolant depends entirely on if your engine is wet sleeved (coolant contacts the liners directly or if the cylinder sleeves are pressed into the block (dry linered). As I stated, Kubota engines are all dry liner engines, consequently there is no issue with cavatation, so you can use origional green glycol coolant.

Other makes of tractors you need to check with yiur dealer on the respective shop manuals to see what the manufactirer recommends as I only know about Kubota.

Having said that, I also use conventional green gycol antifreeze in my Caterpillar 3406 even though it's a wet linered engine, but I add a sufficient quantity of DCA 4 additive to the antifreeze, based on what my Brix Refreactometer indicates as well as what the Ph test strips indicate. DCA 4 is an additive specially designed to combat cavitation in wet linered engines and it's available at any heavy truck dealer of repair shop.

Esentially, DCA 4 is a solution of Potassium Permagnate and distilled water and the Potassium Permagnate 'coats' the liners with a film that prevents liner cavitation which is essentially what happens when non treated collant contacts the hot liners, forms a gas bubble and explodes, causing a divot in the liner that keeps growing until it erodes itself through the liner entirely and compromises the combustion chamber, eventually causing engine failure. Of course none of that occues with a dry linered engine.

Having said that, I still renew my antifreeze every 2 years plus I flush the cooling system at the same time.

You can purchase an add on coolant filter (spin on) that contains a block of Potassium Permagnate plut the filter, filters out any debris present in the cooling system. My Cat came with a spin on coolant filter but the filters I run don't contain the Potassium Permagnate block, just the coolant filter.

LIke I said, I change my coolant every 2 years no matter what because the heat and cool cycles of the antifreeze depletes that additive package.

Again, be apprised that not all coolant types mix with each other so if you change coolant, it's wise to flush the entire system, more than once, to remove any old coolant before adding new coolant.

What my mileage is, yours may differ.

 

[5030]

I put this in my B3200. Green stuff was in it originally. Drained and flushed with water a couple times put this in. This is more red/orange color, formulated for diesel engines. Prevents cavitation around sleeves.View attachment 3582129

Once again, your Kubota, like ALL Kubota's are dry linered engines (liner is pressed into the block) and is never in direct contact with coolant, consequently there is no need to add or change to a coolant designed for a wet linered engine. You can buy the cheaper green glycol coolant or whatever you want to, don't matter. There is no advantage to using antifreeze formulated for a wet linered engine because your engine is dry linered.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

My Branson came with pink coolant, so that is what I used