Technical Reference
COOLANT FILTRATION, continued Coolant seems to disappear from my system.Where does it go? Coolant can seem to “disappear” from the system due to the lack of a coolant recovery system, evaporation, hose and clamp leakage or seepage, water pumps and/or thermostats not functioning properly, improperly sealed, cracked or broken head gaskets, cracked cylinder heads or engine blocks, and leaking or seeping radiators, heater cores or oil coolers.The consistent use of oil analysis can help pinpoint some of these problems and help avoid catastrophic failures. Why does my coolant foam? Foam in coolant is usually the sign of trapped air in the system, a leak on the suction side of the water pump, an improperly functioning water pump, low or no coolant in the coolant recovery tank, the lack of a coolant recovery system, the coolant system lack of appropriate SCA’s or the combining of incompatible chemicals in the coolant system. What happens if the coolant system is overcharged with additives? Over charging or over concentrating a coolant system with additives will result in the formation of solids.These solids will form deposits that drop out and clog passage ways in the system preventing proper heat transfer.These solids are also very abrasive and will permanently damage surfaces they come in contact with. If a coolant filter is in use, it will be quickly plugged up. What is the best way to determine the freeze point of the coolant? The most consistently accurate method to determine the freeze point of the coolant is the use of a refractometer. Alternative test methods can also provide an estimate of freeze point. Can I use a liquid SCA in either a gasoline or diesel engine with no coolant filter? Yes. However we do recommend the use of an additive free filter on all coolant systems to remove all solid and liquid contamination. Coolant system maintenance should always be done as a complete package to be most effective. Will adding SCA’s to a coolant system postpone or cure existing corrosion problems? No. If the system is already in poor physical condition, it should be thoroughly cleaned and flushed before the introduction of SCA’s. Once it is clean, the SCA’s will keep it that way provided proper maintenance intervals are followed.
Is it better to use a filter with coolant additive or a liquid SCA with an additive free filter? Which coolant maintenance set-up to use is entirely determined by user preference. When properly installed, pre-charged and maintained, both filters with SCA’s and liquid SCA’s used with additive free filters will offer the coolant system identical levels of protection. Why can’t I use a bigger filter with SCA’s? Coolant filters with SCA’s are different physical sizes because they may contain different amounts of additives.The proper amount of SCA to be used to either pre-charge or maintain the additive level in the coolant is determined by the total capacity of the coolant system. Using the incorrect filter can result in an under-charged or an over-charged system. Both of these situations result in improper coolant system performance and could lead to pre-mature failures. Do supplemental coolant products work with recycled antifreeze? The vacuum distillation recycling method is the only method accepted by original equipment manufacturers. Some processes return the antifreeze to the customer with SCA’s already added. Before installing any products on the systems using recycled antifreeze, you must know whether it contains any SCA’s. If it does, an additive free filter is all that is needed until the first service interval is reached. At this point to properly treat the system, you must know what type of SCA was used by the recycler. Do you really need to test between service intervals? Yes. Leaks in the system could develop, other components that could allow contamination into the coolant system could fail, foreign substances or incompatible fluids could be introduced to the system or coolant system components such as the thermostat or water pump could fail. All of these situations will directly affect the ability of a properly treated coolant system to perform correctly. Periodic testing with test strips can help avoid the potentially catastrophic results of a system that is not protected. What does the additive actually do while circulating in the coolant system? In a clean, properly treated system, the additive physically coats the metal components and protects them from scale build up, corrosion and cavitation erosion (liner pitting).
60 • Engine Liquid Filtration
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