Sorry for the delay, I work offshore, and we didn't have wifi this time out.

It's auto

 

Read a few more threads, have a few questions.

Getting ready to do oil change and fuel filter change. I stumbled across several article on extended life coolants, vs conventional with SCA. I did notice my coolant looks pretty nasty. What's the general conscious?

Also been advice to run a bit of trans fluid in about every 5th tank, and have been told not to.
I've been told a bit of sea foam with the filter change (I believe in the stuff on my gassers), and been told it can make stuff gummy.

Catch me up to speed here guys?!

 

Don't worry about the sea foam .(especially in the oil rails, it is not necessary & not recommended ) Keep the oil changed on a regular basis .. Change the fuel filter every other oil change , Use what ever coolant you wish ( Add the SCA if needed ) . Use the trans fluid in the fuel if you wish , its a matter of opinion & not needed .I use power service in the winter(Cetane) but that is not necessary either . Navistar knew what they were doing when they designed the 7.3 . I don't know why or where all the gloom & doom comes from other than someone is making money from it . Everything you need know is in the owners manual .

Everything else is a matter of opinion .( And they are all over the place ) Do what ever you are comfortable with , you will be hard pressed to hurt the motor. The general consensus its the trans is the weak point . (Auto) Clean fluid & filter & keep it cool

 

On the coolant, most will say use the conventional green with the SCAs. One type of extended life coolant (OAT?) is hard on the brass injector cups.
On the auto tranny fluid in the fuel, that is an old time deal before the fuel additives they have now. Personally I won't use it. If I need a fuel additive, I will use injectable 2 stroke oil for lubricity, or Howes fuel treat for anti gel. The fuel now has most of the lubricity added back into it threw additives. I wouldn't want to run seafoam in the oil for very long, as the injectors are fired by the oil, and additives to the oil seems not to be a good idea.

 

Thanks guys.

Action: I found a pdf manual, but no diesel addendum to be found

What type of trans fluid do these things use in the auto?

 

I was told it depends on the condition of the trans itself . ( a guess ) for most . I am running full synthetic in mine . It is not affected by temps ( Trans is new) I am running 2 mods on my trans , the cure & the TFT mod along with some mechanical upgrades .Mercon was in the last one .

 

No disrespect intended. I think you would be hard pressed to hurt the cups with a sandblaster considering what is going on inside of them .

 

Great advice guys, keep it coming...

 

No disrespect intended. I think you would be hard pressed to hurt the cups with a sandblaster considering what is going on inside of them . The destroyed ones that I have seen , are damaged from the inside out .

 

what are these injector cups you speak of?

 

I think we talked about this in another thread didn't we? It's the chemical makeup of the Organic Acids that eat away at the brass injector cups over time. At least that is what I gathered from extensive research and reading. Use Fleetcharge, which can be found at O'reillys and sometimes WalMart....or roll the dice and use an ELC if you want to. It may not do anything, but why chance it? Inj cups are very difficult to replace and can cause other damage if they fail.

 

Have any facts on the roll of the dice ? SO what engine is it safe to use ELC ? Or is it destroying engines as we type ?Examples & proof needed , not an opinion based on opinions Is it anything like not using SCA wearing holes in the cast iron block or the steel sleeves ?

 

From what I read, just tonight. The ELC's are safe in 99 up, but may react with seals and rubber components in earlier trucks. This is as recommended by International. I gathered this info from a VERY informative thread on another board from like 2008. I can find it and post a link if you guys are interested. Conventional with SCA's is nearly always safe, but "requires more maintenance".

Based on my limited research, I'll probably just go with the fleet charge. Do these things really have a coolant filter? I saw that mentioned a couple of times. Is that an add on?

 

A whole bunch of ifs . May react ?Nearly always safe ?

This site as all of them are set up to make money from the paranoia of owners . Good luck .

 

Well, the PSD engine that went in the OBS trucks was designed before ELCs existed. The SD engine was built with stainless steel injector sleeves rather than brass, after the advent of ELCs. Conventional with SCA is what was in the engine when it rolled off the line. The decision is ultimately the owner's. I have yet to see any hard facts supporting either argument.