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gsgriffin · 11-01-2017, 03:56 AM

2004 Dip 330ISC

Was doing my first oil change. Everything seemed to go well. Saw the small filter next to the oil and thought it might be a secondary oil filter (not a lot of information anywhere on exactly how to do the oil change on these)....untwisted a little, and some coolant leaked out for a little bit before tightening back on. OK. Now I know where the coolant filter is.

With fresh oil in and level checked after running for a bit, the engine started to warm up beyond normal. It seemed to hit the sweet spot of about 178 for me, hovered for a bit, and then continued to rise. The next day, I added some coolant, and did a very short test drive in my neighborhood. It heated WAY up. Opened the back, and the rear doors seemed to be holding the reservoir cap on. It blew off and gallons of coolant came gushing out.

I'm assuming this was vapor lock caused by the leaking from the filter. Heated air inside the pipes or engine and caused a back pressure that pushed fluid back out the reservoir. Assumptions.

1) I've been doing a lot of reading and research and have been surprised to not be able to find information on this particular engine and doing a coolant change or how to fill or how to get rid of vapor lock. Would love to know how specifically on this year and engine. I get there are several ways and many variation....hopefully someone with a 2004 Monaco 330 ISC has done this.
2) See lots of posts about coolants but not always clear as many posts are from years ago may not be taking into account new coolants. Originally, there were details for coolants with SCA. Now, there are OAT coolants made for heavy duty diesel trucks that say "No SCA needed" and meets the standards to CAT and Cummins. It is orange colored. Is this coolant good for wet sleeve with no SCA or should I ignore that statement on the container and add SCA to OAT?

CountryB · 11-01-2017, 04:25 AM

The filter with the coolant is also (usually) a "dispenser" for the Supplemental Cooling Additive (SCA). Although there are coolant filters that do not have SCA (see the pdf in the link).

If your engine has the coolant with the SCA, you should test the SCA level in the coolant (there are test strips available) and replace that filter/dispenser based on SCA level or the Cummins schedule. https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/si...LT32599_07.pdf

I doubt that you cooling system is vapor locked. That's not something that happens on these diesels. It's more of a problem on cars where part of the cooling system (like thermostat housing) is higher than the radiator fill neck, and therefore can trap air.

I think more likely, you left the radiator cap loose and it then popped off once pressure in the system built up.

The standard coolant fill uses the SCA but there are newer Extended Life coolants such as the Organic Acid Technology (OAT) that does not require the SCA. The OAT is a replacement for SCA coolant - perfected I'd say since the OAT coolant lasts many years longer. https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/si...es/LT32533.pdf

gsgriffin · 11-01-2017, 06:28 AM

Interesting. Thanks for the clarity. So, in theory, I should just be able to add coolant, run the engine, check coolant level, add as needed, and everything will be filled up? Of course, check and fill when not hot...

CountryB · 11-01-2017, 06:41 AM

Here's more info on the OAT. Coolant Experts

If you have the old type (green) coolant with SCA you can change out to the new (orange) OAT type. If your considering changing over, I would do a coolant flush first.

When you drain and refill be sure to run the dash heater (if you have one) so the coolant flows through the heater core and the 30+ feet of heater hose going to the front (assuming you have a rear engine diesel).

mccrob · 11-01-2017, 09:15 AM

Your Cummins engine has a hose before the thermostat that will bleed all air out of the system no vapor lock you have other problems

veraken · 11-02-2017, 06:19 AM

The first thing I would do is get a Coolant Analysis done so you have a baseline of what condition your coolant is in. JG Lubricants give a 10% discount if you enter "irv2" in the promo code.

First flush the old antifreeze from your system. Make sure to turn on the dash heat to enable the old coolant in the heater hoses to be circulated out. This may take 2-3 cycles and for this I used regular tap water. For the final flush, I used distilled water. I bought 2 gallons of the Concentrate Final Charge, and after the flushing was good, I added the concentrate (2 Gallons) to the system, as there is always some water left behind in the system after draining. Then I added the 50/50 mixture of Final Charge to fill the rest of the system. Make sure to change your coolant filter to a non SCA filter.

gsgriffin · 11-16-2017, 02:24 PM

I now have side-radiator envy. I checked fluids again and ran until I could see the temp wasn't stabilizing. Turned off and crawled under to look again (because I have a pushed with rear radiator....can't see without getting way under). I also then noticed that the ALT Charge light stayed on....voltage stayed at 12.5v...hmmm. connected? But, of course!!

With a flashlight, could finally see the serpentine belt was broken and the compressor belt was sideways....hmmm.

Was not easy getting the belts on.....wish I had side radiator so this would have been easy to see and easy to fix. Few hours later, all good!!