My mechanic is going to replace all the water hoses and antifreeze. Also the thermostat, 180. Any tips I should tell him? Best extended life antifreeze to use?
Thanks
We have used Peak Final Charge Global for several years and are happy with it. Be sure to use a "blank" coolant filter with it.
Make sure you don't have any silicone hoses as they are good to go. Usually blue or green.
Pierce
remind your mechanic that the shut off for the water filter
is plastic and they are prone to break. I have had a mechanic
break the one on my last coach, and partly break the one on
my present coach. they should imo been a recall
I can find the part number but there is a all metal one you can get.
I do not understand...
Tim
Cummins recommend Texaco or Shell ELC . Good luck finding a factory OEM thermostat. All the new one are made in China.
Scott
Silicone hoses never have to be replaced. They are not black but green or blue in color and will have a name on them that escapes me now. All of our engine to radiator and associated hoses are made of silicone. They are more expansive compared to their rubber counterparts. I don't know the years or models that have these hoses but they are easy to identify so take a look.
Pierce
Replace the water pump while you are at it. I recommend Cummins thermostat and water pump. Cummins now makes stainless water shut off for thermostat housing. They also still sell crappy nylon one.
I am getting ready to service the cooling system on my 230HP Cummins, and here's some of the reading I've found so far. Now, to be fair to me, part of the last 50 years I was younger and inexperienced. I have gone cheap on coolant, running it too long, using not enough, maybe even using nothing but water and I've learned some things along the way.
For pre-ethylene glycol engines, soluble oil in the water helps prevent rust without poisoning the lubricating oil.
For ethylene glycol engines, that 2 year coolant change keeps the innards from corroding by keeping the additive package "fresh."
For mixed metal engines you really really don't want to run straight water. Lucky for me motorcycle radiators aren't expensive to clean.
So. On our previous motorhome I allowed the coolant mix to get a "little thin" and the freeze pushed one of the side tanks "open." Luck may beat good, but it's best to make your own luck. And here I am. We had travel plans for 2020 and we all know what happened. I think, for us 2022 is going to be a good year, so time to service the cooling system. I want to go with an extended life coolant and additive filter. I just have to finish plowing through the reading first. Or print out the cooling system product guide, tape it to the wall, and throw darts. Good luck to you sir.
We have used one extended life coolant for 10 million miles with no internal engine failures or unwanted surprises . I try a product in our Diesel trucks and if it performs well in extreme conditions for an extended period, I use it in my motor home and stick with it. I've done that with tires,start batteries, fuel additives and the list goes on. I don't preach about or push products on the internet or argue with anyone over what product is superior but I do know what has served us well.
Be careful about using a charged coolant filter when using extended life coolant. Since you like reading read up on Penn Cool coolant treatment. We stopped using treatment when changed over to extended life coolant. I have a couple cases Left over.
Good for 5 years or 500,000 miles without being treated farther.. Time to change coolant by then.
Nothing beats prior experience. 10,000,000.0 miles is a lot of history. Thanks for sharing, hard to outsmart perfection. IMO. My single worst concern is a major failure, although probably unwarranted. I attempt to stay OEM to the letter in a attempt to meet what they expected to be a serviceable expected life. Calendar does play a role also. Thanks for posting.
Scott
Scott I think Texaco brand has the same ingredients as the PM brand I get from Truck Pro. Double check what I just said. I understand your being careful , pitted liners is no joke and will do it sitting still. Brett has done a number of write ups on coolant and their ingredients.
Metal shutoff valve,part number 3010536,on Ebay under Cummins shutoff valve.
Thanks John. Found it on ebay with your info. Merry Christmas
I just did this project on mine. I used final charge ELC. I also did the water pump and thermostat. It is a pretty straight forward project. Check out Rebuilding Crashed 1995 U295 - Page 3 (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=42527.msg437200#msg437200)
Ok. Thanks everyone. I'll go with extended antifeeze, a new water pump and thermostat and an uncharged coolant filter and only replace the rubber hoses and the shutoff will become metal from plastic
Thanks again
I have the new metal valve but did not install yet,my plastic one is broken but you can be fast and change filter and not lose much
coolant,that's what I did.
I too ordered the metal valve. What is involved in changing it?
Scott
Found this
C8.3 Water filter shut off valve broken (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=37277.0)
I wish there was a good video on you tube that shows how
a competent mechanic goes about freeing up and removing
a broken plastic coolant shut off valve and replaces it with a
metal one. when they broke mine on my U-280 back in the
90's, they replaced it with the metal one and charged me
accordingly. I remember they said "oh it broke, and we had to
drill it out". that charge along with heavier valve springs for
the pac brake and fluid change came to over 5k. I knew even
less then than I do now, but I still keep spending.
I'll figure it out and post pictures. Last year I was able to rotate, but unknown today. I was actually more interested in how it's retained rather than removing if stuck. I'll be sure to take some pictures however it goes.
Today is a rain day, so I spent the morning sorting out literature and making notes. I did some reading on Penn Cool additives, but I'm leaning toward Fleet Guard ES Compleat PG with a DCA4 filter of 2 or 4 units. I found a NAPA 4071 4 unit DCA filter in place between steel shutoff valves with unknown coolant in the system.
The usual reason for making this final choice after reviewing the literature:
1) I like the way complete is spelled.
2) It's blue.
3) With any luck it will properly protect my engine and cooling systems innards.
4) It should out last me.
5) I'm retired, I want to, and it's time to spend some savings.
By all means please do what makes you happy, one thing to consider though is if perhaps you need some coolant on the road easy to get is important. That is why I chose the Final Charge. You can get it almost anywhere, no DCA required. Simple.
I agree though, blue is neat :)
It helps that the color theme of our Foretravel, from the factory is blue.
Worrying about purchasing Fleetguard on the road is a non-issue. IF I have a major leak, there's always water. Regular inspections and replacement of suspect hoses pretty much eliminates major leaks. Plus, on our U225 SBID Foretravel thoughtfully built a compartment into the foot of the bed for spare coolant and oil. Coolant additives are always necessary for cooling system protection. On our previous RV, re-flowing the solder was necessary because of solder bloom.
I've never had a vehicle with a coolant filter before, so it's just another thing to play with for me. Plus I'm not really interested in changing 6 gallons of coolant every two years when I can just change another filter during the annual oil and filter change. After testing the coolant of course to see where the additive package stands.
FWIW My older cars always have a box in the trunk with oil, coolant and brake fluid. In the glove box are a spare set of points, condenser, and sometimes even spare brushes for the generator and starter.
For those of you replacing the coolant filter shutoff,don't forget it has a o-ring,if you order one,get a spare or 2.Part number 3818885