Hi. I have been searching / googling for the last two days on the correct coolant for my '97 7.3. What I think is causing the confusion on my part is that Prestone has a 150k "Extended Life Coolant" that meets ASTM D3306 and ASTM D4985.

1. This coolant should be charged with Napacool or similar - is this Correct?

2. Also, this coolant is Not what people here are describing as "ELC" - is this correct?

3. If #1 and #2 are Correct then Prestone Extended Life Coolant is acceptable and will not damage the engine.

Did I make the right choice?

Thank you for reading and responding.
Steve

 

When I replaced my water pump I bought the prestone extended life .. also got a couple of bottles of some kind of anti-scale additive at the ford dealership. No problems yet and its been 4 years.

 

Fleetcharge pre charged with SCA additive

 

Fleet Charge.

 

Thanks for reading and responding, I appreciate it.

I found a good answer here -

Part I: Choosing and Using a Supplemental Coolant Additive

Low-silicate heavy-duty antifreeze to which SCAs must be added before use. These are characterized by ASTM specification D-4985 ("Standard Specification for Low-Silicate Heavy Duty Antifreeze Requiring an Initial Charge of Supplemental Coolant Additive"). They are becoming obsolete.

The Prestone 150,000 mile Extended Life Coolant is not the typical ELC that is most frequently mentioned in the Forum but a marketing term because it still requires Charging with SCAs.

Steve

 

ELC are not good for our motors, so I've read. This is SCA precharged and full strength!

 

Tractor supply carries fleet charge cheap, too, if you have one nearby. 4 gallons into the engine then full with DI water. Then check SCAs with test strips after 1 yr/10k miles. Pretty simple.

 

NOT correct. That _IS_ "ELC" (ELC stands for "Extended Life Coolant"). As said, it should NOT be used in our engines. Use Fleet Charge as mentioned, or old-school "green" conventional anti-freeze and add your own SCA (NAPA-Cool, Fleetguard DCA-xxx, etc). Advance Auto also carries Fleet Charge at a good price, but not all locations stock it. If you have one near you that carries it, you can "buy" it online for store pickup, use one of their discount codes, and it winds up about $11-12 / gallon.

 

Thanks to All for Responses!

The Fleet Charge complies with ASTM D6210 and that does not show as compatible under Ford Specification ESE-M97-B44-A. I guess Fleet Charge works for a '99.5 or later 7.3 Engine.

Madpogue, I respectfully disagree with your determination that the Prestone 150,000 mile Extended Life coolant should not be used in '94.5 to '97 7.3 Diesels.

My Power Stroke Owner Guide Supplement, page 32 - Coolant Specification states "Use only a permanent-type coolant that meets Ford Specification ESE-M97B44-A such as Ford Premium Cooling System Fluid E2FZ-19549-AA."

To Cross Reference the Ford Specification, I checked the Bluestreak Advanced Specification Library - [url=http://go-bluestreak.com/bluestreak-solutions/advanced-specification-library] - but was unable to access the database.

My second choice was to google the net and I found this Link -

http://www.nulon.com.au/support/specifications/

Enter an OEM Specification (or mouse over the Blue 'Ford Specifications' Menu on the Left Side Bar and choose the desired Specification) and then mouse-over the products that show.

The Prestone product meets ASTM Standards D3306 and D4985, per the label.

The Ford Specification, ESE-M97B44-A and subsequent Revisions show the ASTM D3306 and D4985 Standards. Please see the Comparison Sheet shown below. While it is based on the NULON coolant, Ford Specs are Ford Specs and ASTMs are ASTMs.

Please also note the comparison is from OEM Specifications to Other Industry Reference Type documents and ASTM Standards. I don't know why some OEMs are listed as Claims and not Specifications - but an interesting point.

Again, Thanks to All - Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The Napa branded heavy duty coolant is (last I checked) produced by the same company that produces Fleet Charge and Final Charge (ELC). The MSDS sheets of the Napa and Fleet Charge coolants at the time were identical. Although its a slightly different color. The later model 7.3 SD rigs use a different coolant than the OBS rigs.

Check the link below.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...formation.html