Correct mix formula - 1/2 water and 1/2 coolant??

[boston_blacky]

Greetings;
So I finally found the radiator drain plug on my 2005 Dodge RAM 2500 Diesel. It's-you guessed it-made of plastic! My only question now is - before I drain and flush it this weekend - what's the correct coolant replacement mix. I believe it's half distilled water plus half anti- freeze. Is that right? :@

[RAS43]

rhagfo wrote:

Well two things, Cummins ISB 5.9's use standard Prestone or Zerex anti-freeze. Cummins is a non sleeved engine the block and cylinders are all one piece. Ford and GM both are sleeved engines and require special anti-freeze to prevent cavitation of the cylinders.

I can't speak about GM but the Ford diesels are not sleeved. And I have seen non-sleeved engines that had caitation. A retired diesel mechanic.

[RoyJ]

rhagfo wrote:
I run a 60%/40% mix anti-freeze/water, if you look at the charts this mix gives best corrosion, freezing, and overheating protection.

Slight correction - that mix (high in antifreeze) gives the highest boiling point, which is NOT the same as best overheat protection.

Water has much better heat capacity than antifreeze, so if you tow somewhere hot, with mild winters, you want to run MORE water. Race cars run pure water for that reason.

In a street vehicle, that's no good for corrosion or freeze protection. So at minimum, you need 30% antifreeze in the mix. That's what I run in my Z06 - 30% Dexcool + 70% distilled water. In my Detroit Diesel bus, I run 40% plain old diesel antifreeze, and 60% water.

[45Ricochet]

Pretty good write up here

[ryhed]

60- 40 or some say 70-30 depending on the season. I always use distilled water.

[ib516]

When you drain it, flush it with water. Disconnect the 1" rubber hose from it, and stick a hose over the metal nipple that comes vertical out of the back of the cylinder head on the passenger side, it will run out the lower rad hose if you disconnect it. When I flushed mine, some casting sand came out.

Good time to replace the rad hoses (upper & lower) too.

[carringb]

For disposal, call you local waste water treatment plant. Many municipal systems allow coolant disposal in the sanitary sewer system. This is because one of the common treatment processes requires ethylene glycol to feed the microbes which break down the sewage, and the other steps can effectively remove the metals and balance the PH. But call first!

[boogie_4wheel]

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[thomasmnile]

boogie_4wheel wrote:
3rd Gen Cummins requires the HOAT coolant. Yes, use distilled water.

True. Isn't a bigger concern with a flush/refill, especially with HOAT or OAT anti-freeze is making sure the refill introduces as little air into the cooling system as possible? Was reading that even the "overflow" bottle on the new Rams was part of the pressurized coolant system now.

The first time I had a coolant flush/refill done on my Ram, the tech. hooked it up to something that looked like a kidney dialysis machine.

[Golden_HVAC]

Disposal and recycling the old fluid is more important than you think. Most radiators where made with lead solder for many years, and the water will have a lot of metal in it when disposed, so even the so called "Non-toxic" coolants will contain significant amounts of metal in them.

Good luck!

Fred.

[bobsallyh]

Easiest place to find HOAT is at NAPA, Zerex makes it and most NAPAs I've been in have it. When trying to close the drain plug don't get frustrated as it will eventually start to screw in. By the way, it doesn't actually come off the rad, and do use distilled water. Did mine at 100,000 miles.

[coolbreeze01]

boogie_4wheel wrote:
3rd Gen Cummins requires the HOAT coolant. Yes, use distilled water.

Correct.......

[boogie_4wheel]

3rd Gen Cummins requires the HOAT coolant. Yes, use distilled water.

[rhagfo]

donn0128 wrote:
Yes, but, before you do that, how are you going to dispose of the toxic waste? Used coolant is toxic waste afterall. And do you have Cummins approved coolant and not some cheap junk found at the local auto parts store? Cummins is very specific about their coolant so be careful not to use the wrong stuff.

Well two things, Cummins ISB 5.9's use standard Prestone or Zerex anti-freeze. Cummins is a non sleeved engine the block and cylinders are all one piece. Ford and GM both are sleeved engines and require special anti-freeze to prevent cavitation of the cylinders.

I run a 60%/40% mix anti-freeze/water, if you look at the charts this mix gives best corrosion, freezing, and overheating protection.

[eHoefler]

Also, the newer engines use a different coolant than the old days, Dex-Cool comes to mind, it is usually orange or red. It has a mix ratio of 2 coolant to 1 distilled water to get max benefit from the coolant.