I changed my anti-freeze this weekend in my 2001 F350 Crewcab Diesel Pickup. How much of this additive should i add. I ran water through the system to flush the old anti-freeze out and added new. So in other words i currently have none in my system. I have been told 2 bottles by one dealership and 4 bottles by another. The maintenace manual says if the system needs recharging add 4 oz. per gallon. There are 16 oz in a bottle. Since there is 8 gallons of coolant (4 water/4 anti-freeze) i am assuming that i need to add 2 of these bottles. i am also assuming that since the coolant system has no additive currently in it that it need to be re-charged. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

Two bottles will make the test strip change to the nice purple dot at the strong end of a good reading. On my truck it's the last one before it says it's too strong.

 

And yes that additive needs to be in there NOW!

 

I changed the coolant in my tank, just that. I replaced with regular antifreeze, I think it was a gallon and a half, how much additive do I need to put back in.

 

Get some test strips and test it. They have a graduated scale that tells you how much to add.

 

Thanks

 

OK, What additive? I've heard of it before but can't find what it's all about. ie: what, why, where, when. What happens if not. 2000 7.3L 4x4 CC; My owners manual says nothing about it.
Luke

 

Be sure and look at the diesel engine owners manual, not the truck owners manual. The additive doesn't go into the radiators of gas-powered trucks.

 

Can someone tell me where I can order the test strips online? I went to about 5 different parts stores locally and the Ford dealer. No one had them, or even knew what I was talking about.

 

Any International dealer should have them.Dealer Locator
I believe NAPA may sell them as well.
Mike

 

I don't know if any of the site sponsors sell them, but you can get them online at: ShopDiesel.com

 

CAT, Cummins, Detroit Diesel and truck lube shops should also have the strips. NAPA has the additive, if they can't find it in the catalogs, they should be able to cross-reference it from Fleetgard P/N DCA4.

 

It should be in your Diesel Supplement Book. Commonly refered to as DCA. (Diesel Coolant Additive). Any Ford dealer parts dept has it. Comes in 1 pt bottle. Need to get the check strips and monitor it closely and add as req'd. Among other things it helps prevent coolant cavitation, which would become fatal if left alone.
I got test strips at NAPA, but you can get them online from Fleetgard.

 

Buffalo,

As others have mentioned any of the Internationals or NAPAs have the kits. I bought mine from Carquest. The kits are expensive and have expiration dates so buy no more than you need. Also try to get a sample of the coolant in the block vice the expansion tank. The water in the tank is stagnant and will not give representative results.

Rocker: The D in DCA stands for Dry not Diesel. The acronymn is Dry Chemical Additive. In this case the "dry" chemical is added to a liquid to make addition easier.

What is being tested for along with pH and glycol is the change in nitrite level. Not the concentration of the additive. And more is not better. Too much is as bad as too little as chemical corrosion of the engine will occur.

Be careful and go slowly. You can always add more but taking it out . . . .

Or you can just use the gold antifreeze and avoid all of this.

Reg

 

What is gold antifreeze? Where can you get it and how much?