Coolant Change

[RedJammer]

Hi,
I am attempting to change my old anti-freeze over to Final Change Coolant. My question is: I called a Monaco Tech and asked about the capacity of my system (2001 38 foot Diplomat, 330 isc Engine) he was not sure, but thought 13 gallons was typical for my coach.
Well, after all was said and done, I have 8 gallons of coolant sitting in containers. I do not think I spilled more than a quart throughout the whole process.
The following are the steps I took in draining the system:
1. Opened the drain cock at the bottom of the radiator.
2. Loosened and opened top and bottom radiator hoses.
3. Opened the drain cock on the drivers side of the engine below the oil cooler.
4. Disconnected the heater hoses at the front of the coach, drained and blew out, with compressed air.
What am I missing or was the guy at Monaco Tech that far off?
Would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you,

[William Willard]

That`s about what I drained when I changed my coolant on a 07 Camelot -- Bill Willard

[Mr_D]

You can't drain all the coolant. Our DSDP takes 12 gallons according to Spartan. I could only drain about 8½ gallon out.
Here's a write up that Brett Wolfe did for the CAT owners club:

I just changed out my coolant to Caterpillar ELC and replaced all water hoses and belts. Thought I would share the experience. To my knowledge no chassis/coach maker is using ELC—so all are “low silicate coolant for diesels” with included or added SCA. Coolant needs to be changed per manufacturer’s instructions (usually every 3 years). Additionally the SCA, pH and freeze point need to be checked on regular intervals using SCA test strips and SCA added as needed. The test strips are inexpensive and easy to use (we check the SCA concentration in all coaches at Cat RV Club Rallies). When either the time lapses (time starts when coolant installed in cooling system, NOT when purchased) or testing reveals an out-of-line conditions like pH or freeze point, it is time to change it. You can avoid all the testing and SCA adding, and go to 6 year change intervals by going to Caterpillar ELC and get better cooling system protection as well. Whichever coolant you choose, most of the steps are the same.

The job is reasonably time consuming TO DO RIGHT, but low-tech.

Turn dash heater to full hot for the rest of the procedure—fan off. With the engine cold or at least cool, drain coolant. On some, there is a drain cock. On others, pull the lower radiator hose. I catch it in 2 Rubbermade 10 gallon storage bin lined with black trash sacks so I do not even get them dirty. At the end of the whole process, use a coffee can and funnel to pour old coolant into new coolant/water containers for recycling. Our city maintenance shop recycles coolant for free.

Refill cooling system with tap water. IMPORTANT: Be sure to remove any air lock from the thermostat housing. Some systems have a hose set up for this—on ours I just loosen the coolant line to the air pump and bleed the air out. Allow engine to warm up (using the cruise control to select idle speed of 1,000-1,100 speeds this up). Run for about 10 minutes at regular temp. If the temp gauge does not rise as normal, you likely have an air block and need to bleed the thermostat housing. Allow engine to cool 20-30 minutes and drain again. Repeat until the color is clear.

At this point, if this is the first coolant change on a 2-3 year old coach and you are not changing coolant brands/types, skip right to “Last rinse”. For older systems or for switching types of coolant, add a Cooling System Cleaner such as Cat Fast Acting Cooling System Cleaner 4C4611. Follow directions. Run, allow engine to cool, drain and again flush until effluent is clear. The flushing is markedly sped up by pulling off the heater hose (usually 5/8 to ¾” lines going to dash heater/motor-aid water heater, etc from the water pump. Put a hose nozzle in the hose and let it run until what comes out is clear. Run the engine to temperature at least once with tap water.

If your hoses are over 3-4 years old, this is a good time to change them as well (before last rinse). Same for thermostat(s). Last Rinse is with distilled water. At $.62/gal at Walmart, it is silly to skip this step and leave your system full of high-mineral content water (there will be several gallons of residual water that you can not easily remove). Run engine for 10 minutes after getting to operating temperature. Cool and drain. Also drain and flush your coolant overflow container and refill with new coolant/distilled water.

Add the proper amount of Coolant CONCENTRATE (NOT PRE-DILUTE) to make 50% of cooling system capacity. My cooling system is 18 gallons, so I added 9 gallons of Caterpillar ELC CONCENTRATE (119-5150) (plus one for overflow container). Top off with distilled water to achieve your 50/50 mixture.

This is also a good time to clean the OUTSIDE of the radiator/after-cooler whether you have rear or side radiator. On rear radiator, most if the debris will be on the FRONT of the after-cooler (accessed from under the bed). On side radiators, most debris is on the outside of the after-cooler (side of coach). If it is just dirt, a hose and regular nozzle is all you need. If greasy or oily, use Joy liquid (dish washing detergent) in a spray bottle. Be SURE to rinse it off completely. You need to insure that the perimeter is as clean as the center. Ya, I know it is easier to see the center, but the fan
blades "sling" the dirt to the perimeter.

Check belts while you are in there.

Notice that he's using the concentrate in order to make up for the retained distilled water.

[Barlow46]

It seems that if you put back in what you take out, you would be close enough to start with. Then you could add a 50/50 mix (if needed) after you run it a bit and give it a chance to "burp". Anytime I remove a fluid from a mechanical device, I always save what I take out until I can measure it to determine what I need to put back in. Works most of the time unless you were very low or over filled (as in oil change) to start with.

[Coma]

To the OP. I've drained mine twice. 28 qt both times, the second time was to change the coolant filter.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by Coma

To the OP. I've drained mine twice. 28 qt both times, the second time was to change the coolant filter.

Why did you drain coolant to change coolant filter? How often do you change the filter? Do you check SCA level or are you using an OAT type coolant?

[moisheh]

You should have flushed the system with distilled water at least twice.

[Coma]

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

Why did you drain coolant to change coolant filter? How often do you change the filter? Do you check SCA level or are you using an OAT type coolant?

The valve was frozen in the open position.

I switched to OAT last year. I had used a paper filter blank during that service, which had a year of service life. I found that there is a filter with long life media, so I put that on in order to have one less thing to do.

[aRVowl]

Coma, May we please get a reference for the coolant filter with the "long life media"? Thanks

[Coma]

NP. WF2123

Spike45 recommended this on another thread.

Cummins brochure here.