Having heard from a friend that it is important to periodically check coolant with a litmus test kit, I was wondering if this was really necesary. This past Spring, I performed a very thorough cooling system flush. 6 hours worth of flushing including driving 30 miles with chemicals in system and constant flushing with engine running and draining at the same time matched with house water. This was all done with the T-stat removed. Last drain was with distilled water. Put back in Rotella Ultra ELC and topped off with distilled water. Any suggestions about the use of a Litmus test? Thanks, Mike

2005 PSD Lariat CC SRW.Basically stock...Bilstein shocks.

 

I'm not a chemist or an engineer but it's probably a good Idea if you are using distilled water, pure water can readily absorb things I.E. carbon dioxide and form carbonic acid. I don't know if the antifreeze you use has additives to keep this from happening but better safe than sorry.

 

Here's some good info concerning the different types of coolant. Your ELC is HOAT, designed to last something like 6 years or 80k and there are no comparable charged filters or additive packages I am aware of. Most guys don't run it that long. No need to test, just change it when it's dirty or go by mileage or date.

Coolant OAT/HOAT
My current "project" is a '82 jaguar XJS with a 350 chevy engine. I ran across a interesting article on coolant on a Jag website here is an excerpt about OAT/HOAT. The link at the bottom will take you to the full article.

The green-dyed EG "conventional" coolant we all know and love has an
additive package based around a silicate (and sometimes also phosphate)
based anti-corrosion additive. *It's well-established and does a good job.
It can go 5 years/50K miles without worry.

A few years ago, someone thought a long-life coolant (original plan: life
of vehicle) would be a Good Thing. *This lead to Organic Acid Technology
coolant (OAT), which is marketed as "DexCool" by GM and has been
factory-fill in their products (except C4 Corvette -- not sure about C5
Corvette) since 1995. *It's the orange or orangy-red stuff. *Someone along
the line decided the word "acid" was a Bad Thing to try to sell, so OAT was
recursively changed to Organic Additive Technology. *It can go 5 years/100K
or 150K miles -- provided it's not mixed with other coolant. *OAT has less
cavitation resistance than silicate-based coolant, and can attack certain
sealing materials, so it's not a good idea to convert a green-coolant car
over to OAT unless the manufacturer says it's okay. *OAT also has a
tendency to stain translucent plastics in things like overflow bottles and
pressurized de-gas bottles with a funky brown crud. *Oh, and OAT from one
manufacturer isn't necessarily compatible with OAT from a different
manufacturer. *Texaco is GM's OEM supplier and is licensed to use GM's
"DexCool" trademark on their aftermarket packaging. *I'm not aware of any
other company being licensed to do so.

Many European automakers use a hybrid of OAT -- HOAT (Hybrid Organic
Additive Technology -- clever, huh?), which is the OAT package with a small
amount of silicates added to increase the cavitation resistance and make it
less aggressive against those seals and gaskets. *This is often pale yellow
in color. *DaimlerChrysler is using it in several car lines now, too,
notably the LH sedans and the new minivans (It's possible the
Sebring/Stratus twins now use it -- I don't have that handy at the
present). *This stuff seems to offer pretty much the best of both worlds --
it's not quite as long-lived as straight OAT, but it is much better behaved
in operation than OAT, much like conventional coolant.

Note that these three different additive packages are not really
cross-compatible. *No, they won't eat the insides of your radiator if you
mix a little of one in with another in a pinch, but you'll be better to get
the system flushed out and a fresh mix of 50/50 whatever your car needs put
back into it.

Here's a link to the full article:
http://www.jag-lovers.org/lumps/faqs/coolant.htm

 

Thanks Rusty for the scientific text: It appears that Rotella Utra ELC was designed specifically for heavy duty diesel applications. They are advertizing 12,000 hrs of engine use/600,000 miles. They answered my original ? about litmus testing after searching their Ultra ELC: No testing necessary with litmus. Since I travel about 10k a year, this coolant should outlast my owning this truck. I hope all the hype lives up to their predictions. However, I will be checking concentrations yearly. Thanks again, Merry Christmas........Mike.

 

The ELC coolant appears to be what is needed to protect the 6.0 from clogging oil coolers. I have added Rotella's answer for keeping the cooling system clean and green; maybe this will help with our cooling system anxiety. Mike

Shell Rotella Ultra ELC leads revamped coolant line-up

<VAR id=yiv1995335326yui-ie-cursor></VAR>The Ultra ELC (extended life coolant) uses “smart chemistry” to sense when corrosion is about to take place and delivers the product to that specific spot, said Stede Granger, OEM technical services manager for Shell, at the Great American Trucking Show here.
The Trucker Staff

8/27/2010
DALLAS – Shell Lubricants has introduced a revamped Shell Rotella heavy-duty engine antifreeze/coolant product portfolio that is led by Shell Rotella Ultra ELC, the most advanced coolant in the portfolio and one that is both “green” and long-lasting.

The Ultra ELC (extended life coolant) uses “smart chemistry” to sense when corrosion is about to take place and delivers the product to that specific spot, said Stede Granger, OEM technical services manager for Shell, at the Great American Trucking Show here.

An advanced coolant, Shell Rotella Ultra ELC is formulated to meet more severe operational conditions of modern, hotter-running engines. This is particularly important for new emission engines, especially those with EGR, Shell spokesmen noted.

The planet-conscious will appreciate that Ultra ELC is nitrite free (good for the environment) but still protects against pitting corrosion that can damage the vibrating cylinder liner.

Shell Rotella Ultra ELC is an extended-life antifreeze/coolant for use in heavy-duty diesel, gasoline and natural gas-powered engines.

“Shell Rotella Ultra ELC is an improved performance, next-generation, extended-life engine coolant that is designed to meet the more severe operating conditions of new emission-compliant engines,” said Granger. “Shell Rotella Ultra ELC is the most technologically advanced coolant offered by the Shell Rotella brand.”

Shell Rotella Ultra ELC is joined in the line of heavy-duty coolants by Shell Rotella Fully Formulated, which has replaced Shell Diesel Ready Fully Formulated Coolant/Antifreeze, and Shell Rotella ELC. Positioning a complete line of coolants under the Shell Rotella brand complements the Shell Rotella portfolio of heavy-duty engine oils, which also offer high-performance protection for today’s heavy duty diesel engines, said Shell Lubricants spokesmen.

Shell Rotella Ultra ELC, Shell Rotella ELC and Shell Rotella Fully Formulated are currently available in bulk and drums and will be available in gallon bottles before the end of 2010.

“The inclusion of Shell Rotella Ultra ELC in the coolant portfolio is an important part of the continued growth and development of the Shell Rotella product line,” said Mark Reed, global brand manager for Shell Rotella. “This further strengthens our position as technology leaders by providing a diverse line of coolants and engine oil products that are designed to meet the challenges of today’s and future heavy-duty engines.”

Unlike fully formulated coolants, ELCs are designed to go 600,000 on-highway miles (and beyond with proper monitoring) and provide overall reduction in cooling system maintenance. ELCs also offer complete cooling system component protection by helping to reduce water-pump failures, hard-water-scale deposits and silicate gel (the green goo one often sees). Understanding the challenges faced by consumers, the Shell Rotella coolant product portfolio has been designed to help make maintenance needs easier.

Shell Rotella Ultra ELC a is formulated to be an extended-life antifreeze/coolant in the heavy-duty engines found in on- and off-highway vehicles, and in marine, farm, mining and construction equipment. In addition to being nitrite-free it also contains no amines, phosphates (NAP), borates or silicates. Improvements compared to Shell Rotella ELC antifreeze/coolant include enhanced oxidation control and corrosion protection of aluminum alloys and lead solder, as well as better elastomer compatibility with silicone seals. In addition to organic additive technology corrosion inhibitors, Shell Rotella Ultra ELC antifreeze/coolant contains molybdate to provide extra protection to cylinder liners found in heavy-duty applications and will not require an initial charge or additional supplemental coolant additives (SCAs) in the future.

For more information about Shell Rotella products visit www.Rotella.com.