lmorris Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Have a truck here with a plugged heater core. On the back of this truck is the heated work camper that came off their old 6.4L equipped truck. Is it possible that there was a reaction within the coolant as it goes through the older heater that once had Premium Gold flowing through it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I'd grab the "chemistry set" and do a coolant analysis. Ford says "thou shalt not have any nitrites in thy specialty orange coolant". FWIW, Premium Gold has nitrites and Specialty Orange has none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I love the chemistry kit. I gotta remember to put together another pair "Nerd" looking safety glasses for when I am using it. Cause you gotta have some fun whilst you work. For those of you who have not been paying attention, the nitrites that Jim mentioned that are in the gold coolant accelerate the break down and depletion of the anti-corrosion protection in the orange coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted September 22, 2011 Author Share Posted September 22, 2011 The truck had to go out to a job site this mornimg. It's coming back in a week or so for the flush anyways. I will test it then. The customer said they thoroughly flushed the auxilary heater before putting it on the truck, we shall see. He may even replace the heater core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deezul Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Had a customer add green coolant to his resevoir because "Check Coolant" light came on the dash. He filled it right to the cap and was complaining because coolant was over everywhere once it heated up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Quote: He filled it right to the cap and was complaining because coolant was over everywhere once it heated up... Keith, where the hell is the facepalm smiley? We need the facepalm smiley dammit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbriggs Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Funny how nobody sees the word additive?, just check coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Chris, it's only going to get worse. Since MY 08 we have seen a steady chain of low tire warnings - the customer walks around the vehicle and doesn't see anything that looks obviously low. When you ask if he/she has "checked the tire pressures", they will reply yes (walking around the car is, apparently, enough.... right?). Low tire light on = truck is a POS. It is a truck problem and not a tire problem. Ford is having similar concerns with the intelligent oil life monitor. This feature keeps track of the oil quality and NOT oil quantity... leading to oil that is OK.... or it would be if there was enough of it in the motor.... Consumers need educating.... and while a good salesweasel will spend time showing his customer how his new toy works, it will still fall upon us and our SAs to flesh out our customers knowledge. Like how to switch the temp display back to C or F after a button pushing frenzy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbudge Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Educate? But I have been driving for years! (As told to me more times than I care to recall) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 The saddest I have heard when asking if the customer has checked the owners manual when a warning message pops up is.... "Read the manual...I will wait for the DVD to come out.." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Guy finally came back. We ended up putting a new heater core in it. He also apparently did his own dump and fill, his version of a flush from what I heard. We tested the coolant, no signs of nitrate, but there was some brown crusty stuff in the heater core. Works great now. It possibly came from the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergy12 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Got my first 6.7 with gold coolant in it today!! Nitrite levels 1600PPM. 117,000KM and customer just recently had a coolant flush done at a quicky lube joint(claimed they used compatible coolant) no side effects of it yet that i know of just noticed on the oil change and when checking the additive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchan68 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Well, rather than start a new thread, I'll ask here since it pertains to this thread. Gentlemen, what are your thoughts and opinions of flushing out the Ford Gold coolant and refilling the system with this Ford Orange stuff on 6.0L trucks? It seems that there is a significant population on 6.0L owners out there, who are of the belief that the Ford Gold coolant is what is directly responsible for the clogged oil coolers. As such, many have opted to switch it out to the CAT ELC type coolant that doesn't contain silicates. Is the Ford Orange just as good, if not better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Well, rather than start a new thread, I'll ask here since it pertains to this thread. Gentlemen, what are your thoughts and opinions of flushing out the Ford Gold coolant and refilling the system with this Ford Orange stuff on 6.0L trucks? It seems that there is a significant population on 6.0L owners out there, who are of the belief that the Ford Gold coolant is what is directly responsible for the clogged oil coolers. As such, many have opted to switch it out to the CAT ELC type coolant that doesn't contain silicates. Is the Ford Orange just as good, if not better? First I ask, direct our attention to the label sometimes found on the degas bottle warning through the use of a symbol NOT to use the orange stuff. Is this simply to avoid the rapid deterioration of the coolant due to the incompatibility if the two types are mixed? Or is there some other reason like compatibility with the materials used in the engine? My guess is the first. Silicate precipitation seems to be a major concern though so eliminating it might prove beneficial in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forddieseldoctor Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Anyone happen to know what happens if a customer runs coolant that has nitrates in it? I got a fleet customer who runs the cat red in everything. (and yet they wonder why they chew up 6.0 egr coolers like it's going out of style) I got one of their 6.7's in here and they've got the red in it. I'm gonna try to get it through their on-site mechanic's head that you shouldn't run the red coolant. I dipped a test strip and it comes up with nitrates in it. And I know that the first question out of his mouth is gonna be what's it gonna damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted March 28, 2016 Author Share Posted March 28, 2016 I tried Google for any information, what a nightmare that was. Some forum threads that popped up are down right scary. I had some information from the last 6.7L training school session, but I can't find it anywhere. I put the question to the "Experts" on the P2P forums and will monitor it to see what responses I get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy_M Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I've seen the red ELC ran in several light duty diesels without issue personally. May have an arguement with the 6.7 as its not really used in the MD sector as the past engines, but the International version of the 6.0/6.4 engines they used their Fleetrite ELC, similar to the Shell and Cat red coolants. I run the red in my 7.3's since it already has the anti corrosion and cavitation packages, as well as silicate free. My trucks with the green it originally called for seemed they would go through a water pump every 2-3yrs, sitting at nearly 7 years now since I last did a pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 An ambulance fleet near me has been putting something "red" in the cooling systems of their E-Series ambulances. All of them have recently had their radiators replaced and three of them had to have that degas hose with the 3-way junction replaced. The plastic was eaten away and brittle. Coincidence? Maybe. Most things in the engine compartment of a diesel van tend to get crusty but this was one customer with multiple vehicles. I am almost sure that they did not perform a proper flush of the system before changing over either. Just mention it and they look at you like you are an idiot. Ssssssssigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8WA Sman Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I have spent countless hours researching fluids and this now my take. Coolant and pretty much any fluid that goes into vehicles is specialized/engineered and has been for quite some time. Tell them what the OE recommends and move on, if they/the customer doesn't want to use the OE fluid let figure out as to why???..either by research or paying the stupid tax. Now my research time on fluids is spent trying to make sure that I use the correct fluid. The general consensus on the Orange coolant Ford uses (similar to Dex-cool) seems to be that two of the things it doesn't like is.. air/oxygen and being mixed with uncompatible fluids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanG Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I remember from school the instructor said orange mixed with anything else will turn the system to a brown muddy color and ruin the entire system, something like that. Its been a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forddieseldoctor Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Update: Replaced the leaking radiator and replaced ghe plugged egr cooler. Flushed the engine out with water and refilled with orange. Convinced the customer to buy the Motorcraft coolant for their 6.7's. The radiator looks like it was leaking on both sides where the fins attatch to the aluminum ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted March 30, 2016 Author Share Posted March 30, 2016 I wouldn't credit that type of leak to the coolant. Every rad I have changed has looked like that. Still no responses on the post I left on the P2P site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forddieseldoctor Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 The ones I've changed previously haven't had the staining there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellyf Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Just put in the right stuff. The end. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forddieseldoctor Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 I understand that. But I got stubborn customers and there's articles out on the internet that say coolant is coolant no mattet what the flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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