You folks are changing your coolant right?

[Highbeam]

Our owner's manuals require a flush of the cooling system every two years. I ignored this for the last 917 hours and 5 or 6 years until yesterday. It's no big deal, the system only holds 2 gallons so a single gallon of A/F and you're done. Kioti even gave us a real, brass, remote mount, petcaulk to make it easier.

I feel so warm and fuzzy now having fresh coolant.

I also changed out what appears to be perfectly good 90 weight axle lube and a fuel filter the same day. Nice to do maintenance.

 

[Gittyup]

Did you flush the coolant system? Are there drain plugs that have to be removed from the engine block? I'm at 4 years and 350 hours. But, I think it'l have to wait until spring.

 

[boatyard]

It took me many years of complaining about the lousy radiators and the cost of replacing them over the life of my cars. Then I got serious about flushing and changing the coolant on schedule. And low and behold, I have not needed a single radiator on the last three cars, or about 400,000 miles. The tractor will remain on a two year schedule as well. Much cheaper than a new radiator.

 

[Highbeam]

I followed the directions which are a little sneaky. At first they say to dump the coolant refill with water plus a "cleaner product" following the products directions, dump, and the refill with 50/50. Then in the antifreeze section they say not to use a cleaning product if you are using antifreeze since this will sludge the radiator. Nowhere does it say to use a powerflush and since there are no heater hoses, nowhere to splice in the tee anyway. So I did a dump, refill with water, run till fully warmed, dump, then add one gallon of pure A/F, and then top off with water. I also flushed out the reservoir and got brown funk off of the bottom.

 

[o2batsea]

Use Dex Cool and you'll be cool. no silicates.

 

[Highbeam]

Death cool? You can't be serious. If there was ever a coolant to avoid that would be the one. Won't take much searching to find the bagillions of horror stories on that coolant.

I used regular green toxic a/f like what came in the Kioti.

 

[sodamo]

I did mine at 500 hours, about 4 years.

 

[VictorW]

Dex Cool did have it's problems and I'd rather stick with the normal green/yellowish colored Prestone or similar brand. Why have extended life if you're dumping it every two years. The main problem, especially with aluminum radiators and engines, is the increased acidity of the a/f as time goes by. There are additives, along with having to test it, to bring it back to safe levels but I'd rather dump and fill with new as Highbeam and boatyard do. If you were worried about silicates, Honda makes a good silicate free a/f that they use in their motorcycles. I have a 27 year old Honda and the radiator shows no corrosion but the a/f has been changed numerous times.

 

[mx5guy]

I use Preston a/f in Miata with aluminum rad no issues, does diesel need special a/f? 50/ 50 mix ok?

 

[Brad_Blazer]

For a wet sleeve diesel it's best to use a coolant like FleetCharge with an anti-cavitation additive.
http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/ca...ntenance_of_diesel_engine_cooling_systems.htm