What type of coolant

[harleyman134]

I need to add coolant to my 2005 MADP (Cummings ISL) but can't find out what kind of coolant to add. I've scowered the manuals and looked at the coolant system for information and so far no luck. Anybody have any idea what kind of coolant I need to add?

Thanks

Sonny

[RJay]

Sonny,
I have an ISL and I have an OAT, probably Fleetguard. Check you owners manual or you might call Cummins and give them your engine serial number and they might be able to tell you. The color of my coolant is kind of a red/orange but color can no longer be used to determine type.

[Route 66]

I'm pretty sure it's a Spartan issue.

Call Spartan with the last 6 digits of your VIN.

[Norm4015]

My 2005 Cummmins ISL Dutch Star on a Spartan chassis came with the plain old green type coolant. I asked Chris at Spartan about using OAT and he recommended against it. He said the coolant would have to be "completely" flushed from the entire system, the coolant level sensor would need to be replaced and the ECM would have to be reprogrammed. He gave me an estimate of $800 for Spartan to do it. So I stayed with the standard green coolant and keep an eye on the DCA level.

[RJay]

Yes, with the SCA type coolant you have to periodically test for SCA levels. I wasn't aware that it was so involved to switch to OAT coolant. If I were you I'd call Fleetguard and talk to them about it.

[RVDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJay I wasn't aware that it was so involved to switch to OAT coolant. If I were you I'd call Fleetguard and talk to them about it.

Search these forums for a couple of previous posts about why the green to OAT switch is such a big deal... The extreme flushing may be a little over rated (Final Charge will allow I think up to 25% of non OAT mixing per the Final Charge spec sheet) but the sender and ECM were an issue for some reason explained in those posts.

[GaryKD]

Hi Sonny,
What color is the coolant now in your coach? If it is green, you can bet you have coolant that needs an SCA (Supplemental Cooling Additives) check once a year. Please get this check done. If you have someone do the check for you they can tell you what coolant to add.

I changed my coolant from the green to red Extended Life Coolant (ELC). It was an all day job of draining, re-filling and running the engine until warm. Then repeating the process until the water being drained was clear (no green). I forget the details, but I used about 90 gallons of water during this process.

The advantage of ELC coolant is there is no need for the SCA check. After three years one adds a quart of their extender (Final Charge) and one is good for another three years. This is a total of six years until the next drain and refill procedure.

[harleyman134]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryKD Hi Sonny, What color is the coolant now in your coach? If it is green, you can bet you have coolant that needs an SCA (Supplemental Cooling Additives) check once a year. Please get this check done. If you have someone do the check for you they can tell you what coolant to add. I changed my coolant from the green to red Extended Life Coolant (ELC). It was an all day job of draining, re-filling and running the engine until warm. Then repeating the process until the water being drained was clear (no green). I forget the details, but I used about 90 gallons of water during this process. The advantage of ELC coolant is there is no need for the SCA check. After three years one adds a quart of their extender (Final Charge) and one is good for another three years. This is a total of six years until the next drain and refill procedure.

Mine is the green coolant, I'm making arrangements to have it checked and or changed next week. Thanks for the info.