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Old 07-20-2017, 05:05 PM   #1
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Getting back into a Class A DP and have questions

I purchased a 2005 Monaco Diplomat new and sold it in 2008. I've bounced back and forth between a few Toyhaulers and a Thor Four Winds Class C since then. Last year the guy who purchased the Diplomat from me called and offered to sell it back to me at a great price. Long story short but I now own my Diplomat again.

But enough about me. It has the ISL 400 HP with just over 60K miles. Its been very well taken care of but Its time to do some maintenance. Last week I had the oil change done and fuel filters replaced. My next task is the coolant. One shop wants $800 and another wants $300. When pressed, the high guy stated that the flushing process is time consuming and he uses a cleaning agent. He also uses coolant in the $30/gallon range. He doesnt know how the other guy can do it that cheap. The low guy is a reputable local RV dealer. So what have you guys paid to have this service done?

So I'm thinking about doing it myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and my son is very much so and he will be doing all the dirty work.

My questions are which coolant should I use and how much will I need?

Will cleaning with sodium bicarbonate as the manual suggests be sufficient or should I buy a chemical cleaner? if so, which brand?(the flush was last done in 2011)

The surge tank is original and there are two allen bolts facing rear that are leaking and have some corrosion. Should the tank be replaced or just the bolts removed, cleaned, sealed, and replaced?

Thats it for now, dont wanna wear out my welcome, but Im sure I'll be back.
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:40 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
I purchased a 2005 Monaco Diplomat new and sold it in 2008. I've bounced back and forth between a few Toyhaulers and a Thor Four Winds Class C since then. Last year the guy who purchased the Diplomat from me called and offered to sell it back to me at a great price. Long story short but I now own my Diplomat again.

But enough about me. It has the ISL 400 HP with just over 60K miles. Its been very well taken care of but Its time to do some maintenance. Last week I had the oil change done and fuel filters replaced. My next task is the coolant. One shop wants $800 and another wants $300. When pressed, the high guy stated that the flushing process is time consuming and he uses a cleaning agent. He also uses coolant in the $30/gallon range. He doesnt know how the other guy can do it that cheap. The low guy is a reputable local RV dealer. So what have you guys paid to have this service done?

So I'm thinking about doing it myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined and my son is very much so and he will be doing all the dirty work.

My questions are which coolant should I use and how much will I need?

Will cleaning with sodium bicarbonate as the manual suggests be sufficient or should I buy a chemical cleaner? if so, which brand?(the flush was last done in 2011)

The surge tank is original and there are two allen bolts facing rear that are leaking and have some corrosion. Should the tank be replaced or just the bolts removed, cleaned, sealed, and replaced?

Thats it for now, dont wanna wear out my welcome, but Im sure I'll be back.
Welcome back to the DP world. There is no reason you can't do it yourself. Here is a link to a Cummins approved cleaner /flush if you feel you need that step. https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/cleaners
If you change to this coolant you may never need to change it again. Just check your SCA levels as recommended.
https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/organicacidtechnology
The best way to get a true 50/50 mix is to find out how much your cooling system holds. Fill it 50% with non diluted coolant. Now fill with distilled water and you have a true 50/50 mix. Doing it this way takes into account the water you can't get out after the final flush. If you use the pre diluted it is impossible to get a 50/50 mix because of the trapped water in the system.
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Old 07-20-2017, 11:20 PM   #3
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I'm told to never use green colored antifreeze coolant and to make sure it is red in color. The Cummins shop explained that over time, the green stuff can pit the cylendar walls causing big buck repairs. Also if you are draining and flushing, consider new hoses too.
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Old 07-20-2017, 11:35 PM   #4
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I use Fleet Guard "OAT" 50/50 premix anti freeze.... have had no issues
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Old 07-21-2017, 04:11 PM   #5
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The first thing I would do is get a Coolant Analysis done so you have a baseline of what condition your coolant is in and see if there might be some potential damage. This can be done by a company like JG Lubricants - Buy an Engine Oil Analysis Kit Today | Engine Oil Analysis Service

I changed mine to the extended life coolant. 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 then changed my coolant filter to one without SCA additives. I bought 2 gallons of the Concentrate Final Charge. 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 premixed 50/50 Final Charge mixture to fill the rest of the system.
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Old 07-24-2017, 12:34 PM   #6
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Thanks for all the replies. I'm getting ready to do the coolant flush and was searching for the capacity and found this doc. http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/engine/ISL400_specs.pdf

It says 11.7 Quarts. I believe this is a typo and should be 11.7 gallons. Do you all agree? I'd check my manual that came with it but Im not near it ast this time.

Also is the Fleetguard Restore Plus Coolant System cleaner advisable to use?
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Old 07-24-2017, 12:46 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
Thanks for all the replies. I'm getting ready to do the coolant flush and was searching for the capacity and found this doc. http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/engine/ISL400_specs.pdf


Also is the Fleetguard Restore Plus Coolant System cleaner advisable to use?
Yup, that's the stuff.
and then use Fleetguard "OAT" coolant (anti-freeze)
It is less subject to causing electrolysis issues on cylinder sleeves.
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Old 07-24-2017, 01:27 PM   #8
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If you have original coolant that has SCA additives and you want to use an OAT coolant, you need to flush it out really well. If you already have an OAT coolant, then a flush isn't necessary. I used Peak Final Charge for about $12.00 a gallon of 50/50 premix after a $5 reabate.
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Old 07-24-2017, 01:28 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
Thanks for all the replies. I'm getting ready to do the coolant flush and was searching for the capacity and found this doc. http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/engine/ISL400_specs.pdf

It says 11.7 Quarts. I believe this is a typo and should be 11.7 gallons. Do you all agree? I'd check my manual that came with it but Im not near it ast this time.

Also is the Fleetguard Restore Plus Coolant System cleaner advisable to use?
My ISC with side radiator took about 13 gallons of premix.
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Old 07-24-2017, 03:01 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevlar View Post
Thanks for all the replies. I'm getting ready to do the coolant flush and was searching for the capacity and found this doc. http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/engine/ISL400_specs.pdf

It says 11.7 Quarts. I believe this is a typo and should be 11.7 gallons. Do you all agree? I'd check my manual that came with it but Im not near it ast this time.
Possibly that is the coolant capacity of the engine itself because it is a Cummins document. The additional coolant amount would depend on what radiator, hoses and accessories the chassis maker installs.
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Old 07-24-2017, 03:03 PM   #11
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Possibly that is the coolant capacity of the engine itself because it is a Cummins document. The additional coolant would depend on what radiator and accessories the chassis maker installs.
Good point and probably correct.. Thanks
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Old 07-26-2017, 12:47 AM   #12
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I use Fleet Guard "OAT" 50/50 premix anti freeze.... have had no issues
Too late to edit so here goes...
The part # for OAT antifreeze..
Fleetguard CC-36077 (50/50 mix)
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Old 07-26-2017, 06:58 PM   #13
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If you want a 50/50 mix go read what I posted earlier.
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Old 07-26-2017, 07:21 PM   #14
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you better not to use 50/50 pre-mix. when you flush/fill-run-drain, for 3 times, you are using water (last one using distilled water), of course getting up temp and openning the dash heat and aquahot, you would have left a big chunk of clear water inside the system. adding 50/50 pre-mix will make the coolant much lighter. the correct procedure is - fill the 50% of total capacity with full concentrate, then add distilled water to the neck. top off with distilled water only in the first couple hundred miles. at that time you'd get real 50/50 coolant.
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