Coolant engine factory full#

Frank Cook, chief technical officer, Old World Industries, a fluids-manufacturing company whose own antifreeze brands include Peak, Final Charge, and Fleet Charge. “Extended-life types continue to gain ground on fully formulated coolant,” says Dr. The nitrite is used up as it protects liners from pitting, however, so the nitrite level requires frequent testing (with paper test strips or laboratory analysis), and the coolant must be treated with a supplemental-coolant-additive (SCA) package if levels are low.Īlthough fully formulated remains a viable product in certain applications, its use continues to diminish.

Virtually all IAT formulations use nitrite (sometimes with molybdate). Until a couple of decades ago, the IAT type was the most widely used heavy-duty diesel antifreeze, routinely described as “fully formulated,” indicating that it has all the additives needed for heavy-duty applications and to distinguish it from “conventional” antifreeze, which is intended for light-duty applications and has no additives to prevent liner pitting.

Coolant engine factory full#

To meet these varied applications, Prestone, as do most antifreeze suppliers, offers a full range of coolants under its Command brand.” “Each of the technologies has its strengths and weaknesses which one is best often will depend on vehicle mix, vehicle application, usage, and maintenance practices.

“Each of these formulations-IAT, NOAT, and nitrite-free organic-acid technology coolants, or NF OATs-works exceeding well in the applications for which they’re recommended,” says Colin Dilley, Ph.D., vice president technology, Prestone.

A nitrite-containing OAT often is identified as a NOAT. Notable among the ELC OAT hybrids are those containing the inorganic additive of nitrite, which has a proven track record in IAT formulations for deterring liner pitting by creating a tough oxide patina on the liner exterior. A generally accepted third category-known as hybrids, hybrid OATs, or HOATs- includes formulations based on OAT chemistry, but containing one or more inorganic additives to enhance particular performance characteristics. Frank Cook, Old World Industriesĭiesel antifreeze is classified into two basic categories that have distinctly different additive chemistries: inorganic additive technology (IAT) and organic acid (or additive) technology (OAT), the latter usually identified as extended-life coolant, or ELC. 'Extended-life types continue to gain ground on fully formulated coolant.” -Dr. Formulations differ by virtue of their additive chemistry, but all diesel-antifreeze additive packages have the same basic tasks-to deter such culprits as rust, scale, corrosion, aeration, acids, and the process of cavitation/erosion/corrosion, which can pit the outside surface of a diesel’s wet cylinder liners (sleeves)-or even perforate liners if the process is left unchecked. Virtually all concentrated heavy-duty antifreeze is roughly 95 percent ethylene glycol (or propylene glycol, which is somewhat less toxic) and 5 percent additives and water. Considering this range of knowledge, we offer a quick refresher. In talking with a variety of machine and vocational-truck owners who work in the “real” world, Construction Equipment is aware that knowledge of diesel-engine coolant (ideally, a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and distilled/deionized water) varies from those who have no idea what’s in the radiator of their backhoe, to fleet managers who can discuss specific additives used in a particular antifreeze formulation. But this is not an ideal world.”-Stede Granger, P.E., OEM technical services manager, Shell Global Solutions (U.S). ”In an ideal world, in which no one ever touched the coolant and the vehicle never leaked, a high-quality extended-life coolant would be virtually maintenance-free.