Community Forums

jerry davis · 07-15-2010, 04:36 PM

I would like to change my 05's coolant myself. Is there anything to consider when refilling, such as air pockets etc. Or can one simply refill the system and start up the engine.

Is there a step by step process that one should go through?

ChrisNiemann · 07-15-2010, 10:00 PM

1. be sure ALL the old fluid is drained. there should be a drain valve on the bottom of your radiator somewhere, open that up in the evening, open the radiator cap, put a large pan under it and go to bed, come back in the morning after it has had plenty of time to drain.

2. its your choice on how you feel about things, but as a notice from my knowledge... the green stuff may be harmful to animals if it is just dumped in the open. However, the ORANGE fluid... that is horrible on your internals, it will eat away and cause buildup on your waterpump fins, radiator fins, plug your thermostat, and even corrode your temperatur sensor that will cause you motor to run odd and might even prevent it from starting depending on your computer system. just a thought to keep in mind, i love animals and all, but i don't dump my antifreeze out in the storm drain either...

3. DO NOT USE WATER FROM YOU FAUCET OR HOSE!! either buy 50/50 mix or buy straight antifreeze and buy a gallon of distilled water for every gallon of anitfreeze (i save the hassle of mixing and just buy the 50/50) water from you house is considered "hard water" to an engine no matter how much rock salt you use, hard water will do about the same thing as orange fluid.

4. when ready, tighten the valve on the bottom of the radiator (make sure its tight!) and begin filling your radiator. once the radiator is full, give it a bit to settle and top it off again. once this is done you should still be able to squeeze you upper radiator hose with ease, this is a HUGE air pocket...

5. start your motor, if this is not a diesel, try and crank it over a few times without starting it to allow the water pump to pull in water so it doesn't run dry. anyway, start your motor and turn your heater on FULL BLAST. this will open the valve to your heater core and allow fluid to fill that too. you will have to let your motor run for quite some time before it starts to warm up any. pay attention to the water level in the radiator, it will go down, and it might come back up, but let it run for a while, if you can't see the water level anymore, add more to top it off. once your motor is up to "normal" temperature (i know Chevy runs about 190-210) and your water level is topped off, you should be able to squeeze the upper radiator hose very little as it should be full of water. if you squeeze it hard, water should overflow out of the radiator neck. i always let mine run for about another 20min just to make sure all the air is out. if you see air bubbles still coming out of the neck of the radiator, let it keep running until they are gone. CAUTION!! WHEN YOU ARE SQUEEZING THE HOSES, REMEMBER THAT THE WATER INSIDE OF THEM IS ABOUT 200*F... IT IS GOING TO BE KINDA WARM!! I've worked on cars all my life so it's just second nature to me, but i've seen plenty of people swear they burned themselves doing this... IT WILL BE HOT! wear gloves or steal momma's hot pad holders!!

6. once all the bubbles are out and level is full, check your overflow tank, make sure it is filled to the proper level as well

7. reinstall the radiator cap, reinstall the overflow tank cap, shut off your heater, and shut down the motor. you have now completed the entire process to replacing your coolant!

****OR****

if you are around Oklahoma City, OK... just swing it by my shop and I'll take care of it for ya! $125 + fluid.... always gotta throw the business deal out there.

takepride · 07-15-2010, 10:15 PM

Thanks Chris:

Great explanation. FWIW all Alpines are diesels. The ongoing debate about changing fluid is usually whether to use the ES Compleat or stick with the original coolant type.

I've never changed my own (on my Alpine), but I'm thinking it would take a really big pan.

ChrisNiemann · 07-15-2010, 10:22 PM

big pan indeed. as everyone states and when it comes to Diesel i do follow... put in what the manual tells you to! that way there is no he said she said or preference to the smell of the fluid or the pretty design on the label, just use what the manual says, other than that, everything else in what i wrote is all the same. hope it helps out some, thanks for the input on the Alpine....

jerry davis · 07-16-2010, 01:36 PM

What I was really looking for was if there were any instructions specific to WRV's system design that would make the changing of coolant more complicated that just draining and filling.

Dave Fernandez · 07-16-2010, 11:57 PM

When changing coolant in a Cummins Engine with a wet sleeve which the ISL and ISC have you should purchase a Heavy Duty Engine Coolant approved for the Cummins Engine. After you change the coolant and have a driven few miles you should check the coolant using the Fleetguard, 3-Way™ Coolant Test Strip, for Heavy Duty Diesel Engines to insure that you have the proper mixture of MOLYBDATE and NITRITE in the coolant.

Supplemental Coolant Additives (SCAs)

http://www.fleetguard.com/pdfs/produ...es/LT15626.pdf

jerry davis · 07-17-2010, 07:22 PM

Dave,

I understand about types of coolant and all the rest. Again, what I want to know is if there are any problems with air pockets or other similar stuff that are specific for the setup we have in our coaches.

Some engine/radiator configurations require bleeding trapped air after starting the engine in order to get the coolant circulating properly.

kraig · 07-17-2010, 10:12 PM

Jerry

To answer your question about air pockets, I would call Cummins tech support @ 1 800 Diesels or 1 800 343 7357 Mon-Friday Eastern time. You should have your engine serial number when you call. I have called them many times over the years about operation, maintenance and problems. They have emailed me the last time I called a page out of wiring diagram.

Dave Fernandez · 07-18-2010, 12:30 AM

Hello Jerry:

You should not have any problems with air pockets as the Surge Tank is above the head. Also if you look at the back of the Surge Tank you should see some hose going from the top back of Surge Tank to the top of the Head which allows the air to escape to the Surge Tank and avoid any air pockets.