Hey guys I tried to find out using the search engine but to no avail. Where would be a place to pick up SCA test strips?? Is there any specific online place that sells the proper ones? Would this test for SCA's? And please don't tell me Napa because there aren't any around here I've read about cavitation but done nothing about it. I figure at 105K, there is still time to catch this problem if the previous owner didn't use SCA's.

Would it hurt not to use test strips but just to put the recommended amount of ford vc-8 in?? I haven't touched coolant system for 10K so wouldn't I be ready for some more additive anyway?

 

john deer usually has them.

 

coolant test strips items - Get great deals on eBay Motors, Home Garden items on eBay.com!

 

I got mine from CARQUEST Auto Parts® - Great people, great products, great prices!

 

How will I know if I need to put a SCA in the coolant? What will be to low/high? I thought I needed special strips that just test to see if SCA's are present??

 

Depending on which one you use there will be instructions of much SCA or DCA you need to add. When I get my replacement motor I will be using fleetguard with SCA already added. Then its just a case of testing every six months or so and maintaining the SCA level.

 

So I can get just any test strip kit, all of them will work??

This good?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Diese...#ht_500wt_1182

 

I would say so. Some think only fleeguard strips should be used but all these strips test for the same things. I have carquest which test for everything and tell me everything that the fleetguards will.

Its kind of similar to keeping fish in an enclosed filtration system. Lots of company's sell test strips to test PH, Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. They all do the same thing.

 

why not just buy a good elc? then you dont have to worry about sca's at all? for anyone new reading this and wondering what sca's and elc is.... sca stands for supplemental coolant additive, and elc is extended life coolant.

 

only thing about that is, i think they say you use 3 test strips every time you check it.

 

When used to take it to the shop about 10K ago, my mechanic did a coolant flush and put new coolant in and I don't know what specifically. Our relations didn't end well considering he loosened the bolts on another one of my cars transmission pan and told me it was leaking; so I don't really want to call him back and ask what he put in. He did that to my car well after flushing the coolant in the truck (so I don't think he put crap in the truck) and he was a very good mechanic but I think he got desperate when the economy went south. I'm hoping he put elc in, but I'm not sure. So I wanted to test it to figure out whats in there and then add sca's if needed. I would flush the rad. but I need the truck for winter.

 

If its not green it may be ELC. But I could be wrong

 

I get mine from International.

 

Its green.

 

if its green, then its not elc.