Flushing and then swapping coolant. What is better for our rigs...the green ELC or the orange DEX ELC...or does it matter?

 

early 99 must be old green w/ additive // 99.5 orange is ok.

 

I copied this from another diesel forum:

Ford did test other ELC coolants along with the G-05 testing ?

Maybe so, but at the end of the backward compatibility test I talked to the engineer in charge of Ford coolant testing, and asked him why Ford never mentions ELC. He replied that the only ELCs Ford has tested are DEX COOL and G-05. DEX COOL flunked the test. G-05 works fine for '99-up PSDs when installed and maintained per Ford instructions, so there was no need to spend the big bucks to test other coolants.

Zerex says their G-05 is good for 5 years or 150,000 miles, so that makes it almost an ELC. Personally, I don't want any coolant in my cooling system for more than 5 years anyway, so it works just fine for me

 

Color can be misleading, but has been used to communicate the type of coolants available for use in our diesel rigs. As Gooch say's: ..."these days it is not appropriate to identify coolants by color. Color means nothing. A "green" coolant could be anything from a conventional, to a pre-charged, to a G-05, to an ELC. Same with red, purple, pink, gold, etc. You have to know what type of coolant it is."

That being said, I've only ever purchased and used Chevron Delo ELC, and that's a red color. I've never seen a green colored ELC.

A green color usually means the coolant is a standard ethyl-glycol coolant needing Supplemental Coolant Additive (SCA's) for diesel applications.

Stay away from Dexcool ELC.

"GM typically uses a "Dexcool" formulation, which is specifically not recommended for your diesel engine. Dexcool type coolants were never intended for diesel applications. There are many modern Heavy Duty Extended Life Coolants specifically designed for diesels. Delo ELC, Rotella ELC, International's Fleetrite ELC, CAT ELC, Mobil 1 ELC, and a host of others. They will address diesel cavitatation, provide superior metal corrosion protection, provide better heat transfer, require no testing and maintenance, be free of harmful abrasive silicates, borates, and phosphates, and have an operating life up to 1 million miles (Delo ELC). In fact International, who made your engine, recommends and factory-fills with these Heavy Duty Extended Life Coolants (Fleetrite ELC/Shell Rotella ELC). And in fact almost all heavy duty diesel manufacturers use Heavy Duty ELC's meeting the most strict requirements in the industry...Caterpillar's EC-1. Very little to do with GM's OAT coolant." https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8935595

Your rig is a 2000, so you can use a true HD ELC in your truck.

"Here is a list of ELC's that would work:
CAT HD ELC
Fleetrite HD ELC (International's brand)
Rotella HD ELC
Prestone HD ELC
Zerex Extreme HD ELC
Chevron/Texaco/Delo ELC
The latest formulation of the Delo ELC has a maintenance-free change interval of 750K miles/8 years or 1M miles with an extender.

Chevron DELO ELC is the bomb!

Fleetrite / Rotella ELC : The Rotella is the same exact stuff as the Fleetrite, just in different bottles and it's the best type of coolant to use. Just make sure you do a proper flush and use distilled water.

Zerez Extreme Duty (RED)...you can get it at Napa. It is already pre charged and doesn't require any monitoring or additives." https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8936443

The Ford "gold" G-05 is a hybrid coolant, and is not considered a true HD ELC.

"Ford's Gold (G-05) coolant is nothing like a Heavy Duty ELC coolant. Thus is will not meet the more strict specs of other Heavy Duty ELC coolants, or provide the higher level of protection. The Gold is simply a universal hybrid, one-size-fits-all coolant that Ford uses in its entire line up that, with the exception of the Powerstroke, are all gasoline engines. Ford simply uses the Gold in your diesel out of convenience, simplicity, cost, and uniformity throughout it's product line and dealerships. The Gold coolant contains conventional (green coolant) components like silicate, which eventually form microscopic abrasives that eat water pump seals. It provides a lower level of cavitation protection using traditional SCA's like Nitrite, it has a shorter life, it reduces heat transfer compared to HD ELC's, and it in fact does require testing and SCA maintenance if you are an enthusiast about protecting your engine. In fact Ford recommends you add SCA to the Gold in certain F-Series applications. Caterpillar and John Deere also recommend adding SCA if it is going to be used in their diesels.

Ironically, Ford's Gold will not meet International's heavy duty diesel B-1 spec. HD ELC's will. The Gold will work, but it's not the best." https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8935595

The above info and more can be found here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...ml#post8935201

Stewart

 

Excellent information. Thanx to you guys for bringing me up to speed on our options.