May 2018 | VehicleServicePros.com 29
“SCAs and extenders can prolong the life of
coolant,” he adds. “However, our industry fl eet
testing suggests that just as many systems are
overcharged as are undercharged. Both are
equally damaging. To maintain optimal protection,
frequent testing and analytics are needed
to ensure the proper chemical composition of
the cooling system.”
Dilley suggests testing
the coolant during every oil
change.
Extending service
intervals
Looking to present trends in
coolant and cooling system
technologies, it is easy to
see what the future likely
holds for these systems. Th e
main goal is always minimal
maintenance without sacrificing
performance. One
way to make that happen is
to extend the service intervals
and life of the coolant,
while maintaining proper
chemistry to keep the cooling
system components in
good working condition.
“The most dramatic
change is the transition
from older coolant formulas
that contain nitrites to
new nitrite-free extended
life formulas,” Prestone’s
Dilley says. “As fl eets began
replacing older vehicles for
ones with newer engines,
the older coolant formulas
traditionally purple or
red were transitioning to
new yellow or red non-2EH
and nitrite-free formulas.
Th ese changes have caused
signifi cant confusion in the
industry as the change from
nitrite to nitrite-free coolant
was not well communicated
or associated with any
specifi c color change.”
Aside from the color
confusion, however, the
benefi ts from switching to
extended-life formula coolants
are being seen with
some companies off ering
replacement intervals of
over 1 million miles.
“If you look at the
International A26 engine,
we off er the best-in-class
coolant replacement interval,
and that’s 1.2 million
miles in an over-the-road
application,” Navistar’s
Nachtman says. “Th e B10
life the industry standard
for measuring the life expectancy
of an engine of the
engine is also 1.2 million miles. So, in theory,
that would mean you would be able to run the
engine its entire life with the same coolant that
came from the factory.”
Nachtman adds that coolant testing still needs
to be done at regular intervals to keep the correct
chemistry, and an additive package may need to
be added as well.
Conclusion
While diesel engine cooling systems may seem
complicated, regular maintenance and inspection
can be a relatively easy way to keep a fl eet’s vehicles
on the road. Testing coolants at the recommended
intervals will help maintain proper
chemistry, which will protect and extend the life
of the cooling system, and the vehicle’s engine.
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