Fully Formulated Coolant/Antifreeze – WHY?

The new technology - Fleet Charge Fully Formulated Antifreeze/Coolant:

Most fleet managers have different kinds of vehicles to maintain. These may include cars, pickups, and large trucks. For years, fleet managers had to purchase, inventory, and correctly use two or three different types of antifreeze to meet the needs of the different vehicles in the fleet. Even more difficult, the largest trucks required a low silicate coolant that needed to be mixed with a separate supplemental coolant additive (SCA) and deionized water. Many industry and professional organizations involved with heavy duty engines and coolants have been discussing the benefits of using a SCA precharged, or fully formulated, antifreeze/coolant. Fleet Charge, the leading fully formulated antifreeze, offers convenience, low cost and performance benefits as detailed below.

Background:

To reduce vehicle downtime and lost revenue, heavy-duty fleets should use a coolant specifically formulated for use in diesel engines. This type of antifreeze is referred to in the industry as a "low silicate" antifreeze, or by ASTM D-4985, the specification numbers that were established to define its characteristics. However, a low-silicate antifreeze, by design, requires the addition of a separate supplemental coolant additive (SCA) before it goes into service. Chemistries of competing antifreezes that meet the ASTM D-4985 specification vary, so SCA’s must be engineered to be compatible and complementary to many different antifreezes. As a result, some overlap of chemistry is inevitable in the finished coolant. Furthermore, the blending of antifreeze, water and SCA’s is difficult to test and monitor. It is possible for too much or too little of one of the three components to be used, resulting in either inadequate protection or problematic chemical imbalances. In fact, over 40% of a diesel engine downtime is coolant related. Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant solves these problems.

Fleet Charge Fully Formulated Coolant:

To eliminate the confusion and difficulties of performing coolant blending on the shop floor, as well as to provide an optimum chemical formulation, Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant was developed. Fleet Charge meets or exceeds all heavy duty and automotive antifreeze specifications. It is easy to use because it is simply mixed 50/50 with water and poured into the cooling system. It is precharged with the necessary base chemistry and the SCA chemistry needed to provide complete system protection for virtually any vehicle.

Resulting Benefits:

• No misapplications.

• Simplifies fleet maintenance procedures. One antifreeze for all the vehicles in the fleet; large and small, gas or diesel.

• Better quality control, no damage to forgetting the SCA pre-charge at initial fill and when topping off.

• Reduced cost compared to mixing components.

• Half the inventory investment.

• Low silicate and low total dissolved solids formula improves water pump and radiator life.

• Phosphate free formula reduces the risk of scale.

• Longer coolant life.

• Less chance of inhibitor instability.

• State of the art corrosion inhibitors eliminate the need for expensive deionized water.

• Complies with engine OEM requirements.
  

Problems with Conventional "Mixed" Coolants
in Heavy-Duty Applications

FleetCharge^® fully formulated coolant eliminates the problems associated with the use of conventional Heavy-Duty Coolants. The first coolants used in trucks were very similar to automotive coolants. As heavy trucks became more powerful and engineers learned to utilize the energy generated by diesel engines more efficiently, the advancing technology of truck engines required changes in coolant chemistry. A new vehicle, or one being serviced, received an “initial fill coolant” that had to be prepared by mixing half low-silicate, heavy duty antifreeze[1] and half purified water[2] to result in a properly pre-mixed engine coolant - but the pre-mixed coolant is not ready for use! The coolant still required a “pre-charge” of a supplemental coolant additive (SCA) added to it. The SCA pre-charge is typically added at 3.0%, by volume. SCA’s contains additives not included in the low-silicate antifreeze, such as nitrite, that are essential to trouble-free operation of diesel engines. Furthermore, SCAs that meet ASTM specifications must be capable of protecting a coolant system, at recommended dose, all by themselves. As a result, there is a duplication of some of the inhibitors in the antifreeze. When service technicians continuously add SCAs to a conventional coolant, a saturation point is reached and problems develop.

Problems experienced include:

1. Precipitation, or drop out, of inhibitors, especially silicate and phosphate.
2. Over concentration of SCA chemicals.
3. Premature water pump failures.
4. Damaged cylinder liners.
5. Damaged radiators.

One of the first and still most common problems that heavy duty technicians observe is “green goo” or, more technically, silicate drop-out. This results from using an automotive (light-duty) antifreeze in heavy-duty trucks or excessive addition of supplemental coolant additives. It may also be caused by using more than 50% antifreeze in the cooling system. As a coolant continues in service, routine addition of chemicals, called supplemental coolant additives, is necessary. Typically the SCAs are added at 15,000 to 20,000 mile intervals. Changing the coolant at 200,000 miles or 2 years was also specified. Over concentration sometimes resulted from not changing the coolant while continuing to add SCAs. Premature water pump failure and radiator damage were symptoms of excessive SCAs in the coolant. Frequently, the reverse situation was observed. Drivers and mechanics often “topped off” coolant systems with plain water or the wrong antifreeze, diluting the SCA concentration. Wet sleeve cylinder liner cavitation and freezing damage resulted from coolant weak in SCAs or glycol. The previous system was plagued by opportunities for human error.

FleetCharge fully formulated coolant eliminates these problems because it’s fully-formulated technology includes an optimally balanced SCA technology and can be mixed with the drinking water from city water systems. Most of the problems observed with the conventional antifreezes resulted from improper maintenance practices.

• Fleet Charge is fully formulated with a high-quality Supplemental Coolant Additive (SCA).

• Fleet Charge eliminates the need for SCAs at initial fill and when topping off.

• Fleet Charge contains nitrite for superior wet sleeve liner cavitation protection.

• Fleet Charge’s phosphate-free formula reduces the risk of scale and meets Detroit Diesel requirements for a phosphate-free coolant.

• Fleet Charge’s low silicate and low total dissolved solids formula prevents drop out and gel.

• Fleet Charge, in combination with Penray’s Need-Release SCA filter, is a fill-for-life coolant.

• Fleet Charge has the advantage of lower dissolved solids, improved water pump life and complete compatibility with conventional antifreezes/coolants.

• Fleet Charge is recommended for use in all light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, simplifying fleet maintenance procedures.

• Fleet Charge meets ASTM D-6210, the specification for a fully formulated coolant for use in heavy duty applications.

• Fleet Charge meets TMC RP 329, the specification for a fully formulated coolant which does not require a SCA pre-charge to be added before use in heavy duty engines.

1] “Low Silicate Heavy Duty Engine Coolant” is defined by ASTM specification D 4985. A common example was the public formulation known as GM 6038-M, which is now obsolete but still commonly referenced. Other mixtures are possible from 33% antifreeze to 67% antifreeze.

[2] Purified water such as distilled or deionized water, in the real world, is hardly ever used, but hard water from drinking sources can cause serious performance problems.

Fill-For-Life Advantage

Fleet Charge^® fully formulated coolant offers the lowest cost, easiest solution to fleet coolant system maintenance challenges.

Some extended life coolant programs use inhibitor chemicals that are completely different from the majority of coolants used in North America. As a result, mixing the two technologies is not recommended, and some industry experts have found that it is detrimental under some conditions. Truck Maintenance Council (TMC) guidelines, to which industry members all agreed, limit mixing to 15%.

Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant is an optimized formulation that uses mostly the same inhibitors preferred by North American manufacturers. It meets the specifications for all light, medium and heavy-duty engines (ASTM D 3306, ASTM D 6210). The benefits of this approach are several:

• Fully compatible with conventional “green” coolants.

• Fully compatible with Penray (Nalcool) and Fleetguard DCA additives.

• Fully compatible in cars, pickups, delivery and heavy-duty engines.

• Requires no initial charge of SCA, because it is “fully formulated”. That saves time, money, and the possibility of human error in mixing the coolant additive.

• Easy to measure the coolant properties in the field with a test strip.

• The formula is easy to maintain in the event of automotive coolant or plain water having been added. A quick test strip check will indicate how to “fix” the formula with a SCA additive and/or concentrated FleetChargefully formulated coolant.

• No problems with seal materials. No problems with hoses. Does not promote leaks that are reported with some “orange” formulations.

• Recommended for use in the extended program from Penray called “Fill-For-Life^TM” (http://www.penray.com/hd2000/fill4life1.htm).

• No special modifications or additives for any engine make, just mix with water 50/50 and pour it in. Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant meets industry and OEM specifications including Caterpillar, Cummins, Freightliner, Ford, GM, Mack, Navistar, Volvo. It’s the easiest program around!

• Meets Fleetguard requirements for use with the Compleat^® ES filter.
  

• Lowest cost ESI system. Offers 1,000,000 mile coolant change intervals in the Fill-For-Life program.

Low Emissions Diesel Engines
& Coolant Technology

Clean Air legislation is affecting the way that Americans work, live and view the future. As America’s consumption of diesel fuels continues to increase, it is a necessity to dramatically reduce the pollutants resulting from the use of every gallon of fuel. The EPA has mandated a series of emissions reductions in diesel engines. These progressive reductions are required in 2002, 2004 and 2007. Ultimately, the 2007 standards represent a 90% reduction in NO-2 and an 80% reduction in particulate mater (PM). The timeline was accelerated by the October 1998 consent decree involving the diesel engine OEM’s, EPA and Federal Department of Justice.

Significant changes to diesel fuel and to diesel engines will both be necessary to achieve the emissions reductions. One of the changes to the engines may include the addition of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) devices. The EGRs will be cooled in the standard coolant system, by the engine coolant. In some experiments, the heat from these systems has been associated with premature aging of the coolant. Of special concern is the degradation of the base antifreeze chemistry, ethylene or propylene glycol. Additive packages are also aging by oxidation faster than is normally observed in engines not equipped with EGRs.

At this time, the 2002 / 2004 / 2007 coolant behavior data is extremely young, in research terms. Continuing efforts to quantify the recently discovered behavior and to understand the possible effects of the accelerated aging are underway.

The Functions and Maintenance of Engine Coolant

The great importance of engine coolant to trouble-free vehicle operation is poorly understood. Maintenance managers and industry experts estimate that over 40% of a heavy-duty engine’s downtime is related to coolant system problems, virtually all of which is preventable with proper preventative maintenance! The coolant removes excess heat from the engine. Without coolant, the engine metals would quickly soften and deform, resulting in catastrophic damage. In addition, since water is corrosive to engine metals, the coolant has to contain anti-corrosive protective chemicals to prevent rust and other damage that weakens the engine parts or radiator. There are many metals to protect: aluminum, steel, cast iron, copper, brass and solder. Furthermore, the coolant must not attack the rubber hoses or gaskets in the engine. Of course, it must provide antifreeze and anti-boil protection.

Antifreeze is actually a treatment for the water that is used to cool an engine. The water is very important, as it is the primary part of the coolant that removes the heat. The antifreeze treats the water to prevent rust, corrosion, hose failures, radiator failures, liner pitting and a host of other possible problems. Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant was the first, and is still the best, diesel specific coolant that is engineered for any vehicle in a fleet. The industry has agreed that most antifreeze/coolants are formulated to be mixed half-and-half with water. This is important, because even if you live in Minneapolis or Phoenix you should use 50% antifreeze to insure that your engine is properly protected. In extremely cold climates, it is permissible to increase the antifreeze to a maximum of 70%. Most people don’t realize that above that, the freeze point actually gets warmer! The maximum antifreeze protection with Flee Charge (and other EG based antifreezes) is –86 degrees F when 70% Fleet Charge is mixed with 30% water.

General Considerations:

Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant was engineered to address the needs of virtually every light, medium or heavy duty engine in your fleet. The basic coolant recipe is simple: half Fleet Charge and half water. In most cases, local drinking water is just fine for use with Fleet Charge. (We don’t recommend well water or really hard water.) At every oil change, check the coolant to insure it is still 50/50 with a test strip or refractometer.

Light and medium-duty vehicles – Most of these engines only need to have 50/50 Fleet Charge maintained in their systems. Once a year, add 1 pint of Pencool 3000 for every four gallons of coolant capacity. The additive replenishes the inhibitors that Fleet Charge came with, and eliminates the need for annual or bi-annual coolant changes. Drain, flush (with plain water) and refill the cooling system every five years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Heavy-duty trucks – Fleet Charge offers the option of conventional or extended maintenance for heavy-duty trucks. Conventional maintenance involves filling the coolant system with 50/50 Fleet Charge. Every two months or 20,000 miles, check the system with a two-way test strip that measures freeze point and nitrite concentration. After reading the test strip, adjust the freeze point by adding Fleet Charge coolant, if necessary. If the nitrite concentration is low, replace the coolant filter with a quality SCA-containing filter, or add liquid SCA of your choice as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Drain the coolant every two years or 250,000 miles when using this conventional maintenance program.

Save time and money!

Fleet Charge fully formulated coolant offers the best value, protection and lowest operating cost as part of a Fill-For Life Program. The Fill-For-Life program requires very little attention, just an initial fill with 50% Fleet Charge and 50% water, and the installation of a Need-Release filter. The filter is changed every 18 months or 150,000 miles. As a precaution against undetected dilution of the coolant, a test strip check every three months is recommended. Fleet Charge, as part of the Fill-For-Life program can remain in service for the life of the engine or until overhaul. Pretty easy, isn’t it?