Hi guys, I took a sample of coolant and brought it inside to get to room temp, it's been a couple hours, you would think it should be good enough.
I've used two strips thus far and only the second one barely changed on the nitrate one, None of the three colors are even close to anything on the chart.

I use the Napa 50/50 coolant, do I really have something going on with my coolant or is it not really at room temp yet? Confused, any ideas?

Thanks.

 

The instructions state to take the reading within minutes of dipping the strip....Are you using green coolant? Are you adding the proper amount SCA ? this is very important to have the correct amount in the coolant..

 

I have green coolant, I used a stop watch to make sure I tested in time. I use NapaKool, they said that is what is necessary. I can't remember when it was, sometime in early 2010, how often should I add that stuff?

 

The whole point of testing strips is to tell you how much SCA additive is in your coolant.. It shows you on the read chart how to add, if any, according to the "colors" of the molydate and nitrite readings, where the two intersect.. I get my SCA from Ford.. about $11 a pint.

 

Then I guess it's time to put more in, because it's reading nothing.........little to no color change period, the only thing that changed was the freezepoint, it pretty much matched the lowest, 30% / +4deg

 

I miss read your 1st post about warming up your coolant.. I get it now... should be between 50* and 130* when testing..

Here is some reading what happens if your sca is not maintained :
Diesel Technician Society

 

I tested it one more time, room temp is 70 in here, it should have been plenty warm, still no changes. Does NAPA Kook have SCA in it?

 

Ford told me that the factory calls for a pint every 10-20,000 miles.
Just use as a rule of thumb. But a test strip is the way to go in my opinion.

 

It depends. If it comes pre-charged, then yes. If not, then no.

Some coolants come pre-charged, some don't, without Googling it, I can't answer your question.

Stewart

 

Do you still have the empty jug yet.? it should state if it has sca in it..

 

I do, but it's weatherized, hard to read, I might have one more around and I'll see what it says.

 

Q.. did you do a complete flush when starting to use Napa Kool.. ? If not, you probably low on SCA additive.. It looks like the Napa Kool has the additive but you still need to maintain the sca level after a period of time.. here is some other forum discussion on the subject..


Conventional coolants (usually "Green") require the addition and maintenance of SCA. These types of coolants are what Ford specifies for your '99. The NapaKool will meet the requirement very well.

Pre-charged conventional coolants (usually purple, pink, blue, or green) do not require the addition of SCA at initial fill, but they will require the maintenance and addition of SCA thereafter. Most of these types of coolants also meet your Ford coolant specification. The NapaKool will work well for them too.

The NapaKool will also work as an additional SCA to raise and maintain the Nitrite level in Hybrid coolants (referred to here as "Gold" or G-05). These are the coolants Ford began specifying in some '02-up vehicles.

Heavy Duty Extended Life Coolants (HD ELC's - usually "Red") require no such SCA. These are the coolants International recommends for all 2/2/99-up engines.

FYI, there are two types of SCA. DCA-2 and DCA-4.

NapaKool is a DCA-2 SCA. DCA-2 is a Nitrite-only based SCA. Nitrite is the primary and most effective cavitation inhibitor in any SCA. DCA-2 usually contains potassium buffers, free of phosphate. DCA-2 was the first SCA, and it remains the most popular. It can be tested with any test strip that shows Nitrite levels, either a 2-way or 3-way strip.

DCA-4 is a Molybdate/Nitrite based SCA. It uses both Molybdate and Nitrite "synergy" as a cavitation inhibitor. DCA-4 usually has sodium buffers and phosphates. DCA-4 is somewhat harder to find, maintain, and optimize. It can be tested with a 3-way test strip, although conversions are available for using 2-way strips.

 

^^^Great info Clintbonnie. Reps sent.

 

NAPA FleetCharge is pre-charged with SCA and can be purchased in 50/50 mix or concentrated so you mix it yourself. If you drained your coolant and refilled with standard NAPA coolant then you might not have enough SCA (even if you added some NAPA Kool). I can't tell from your original post if you started with FleetCharge or not...

When was the last time your coolant was changed?

At any rate, it could take quite a while for the sample to match room temp. You might try leaving it in a window sill where the sunlight can warm it up a little bit and then try testing again.

Here is a photo of what my test strips look like when the color changes. Hope this helps...

 

Agreed. Reps sent as well.