Has anybody here used one of these? They look pretty clever, but in Web searches leading to other sites' forums, nobody that uses them seems to report ever catching much in the screen, so I'm sort of wondering if it'd just be a waste of $45.

I'm also sort of wondering how hard it would be to cobble together a similar device myself. Would a PVC tee stand up to hot engine coolant, or would a more expensive nylon part be required?

 

well several people over on TFFN use and recomend them but where to buy it stateside?

 

more than likely no

 

I'm pretty interested in this, surely someone on this board has used one. Perhaps this thread should be moved to the "Cooling, Heating, Ventilation and A/C" forum.

 

The USA distributor that purchase large quantities available for immediate same day shipments is wacasawakan.com in Utah. They also sell the Filters on E-Bay. The search on E-bay is Tefba.

These are far superior Filters than the Gano Filter due to ease of cleaning without having to drain antifreeze, disassemble hoses and use tweezers (like you do with the Gano Filter). The Gano Filter is a little cheaper but I do not want all of the hassle and the time involved to clean them. A real pain in the rear.

The Tefba Radiator Coolant Filter is simple to install, simple to access with a screw-on cap and simple to clean without any disassembly or draining of antifreeze. Far superior to the Gano Filter.

There is a distributor in Texas (fasterjags.com) that charges $20.00 more for the item and only purchases the item in Australia after he has been paid (check the reviews for this seller on the internet about not receiving product after purchase).

I bought mine off E-Bay from the distributor in Utah. Very Fast Shipment. It is so simple to install and clean.

 

That device isn't horribly expensive and it might be a good addition but honestly I wonder if cooling systems generally have a lot of "crud" circulating? How big an issue is this really? Not bashing the product, just curious.

I'm using several NAPA-branded plastic heater hose couplings and even after 4 years they're holding up very well----not a sign of degradation at all. I'm thinking anything designed for and sold as automotive coolant parts will hold up, household plumbing stuff like PVC I'd not trust even in the short term.

Interesting device though!

 

There are many things that run through your cooling system (i.e. solastic, gasket pieces, sludge, loose particles fromchemical washing, etc.). This will lead to eventual clogging of the radiator. All this results in clogging the 60 - 80 fine tubes which comprise your radiator core. On a warm day only 10% blockage can cause boiling and damage to even a brand new car.

The Tefba Inline Radiator Coolant Filter will remove all circulating paticles before they reach your radiator and clog it. 1) Save on costly repairs; 2) So quick and simple to install; so quick and simple to clean; 3) High quality, High temperature components; 4) Comes in upper radiator hose sizes 1 1/4', 1 1/2", 1 3/4" & 2".

The Tefba Inline Radiator Coolant Filter will extend the life and last the laifetime of your vehicle.

In my vehicle, I had a ton of stuff circulating through my cooling system. I kept clogging up my radiator and kept having to have the core of the radiator rooded out. The alternative to using a coolant filter was to tear apart the engine and clean it out. The rebuild is very expensive and the engine runs so well, I hate to tear into it until it does have other problems. When you look at the cost of a Coolant filter ($69.50 on E-bay from the Utah distributor and $3.49 for the extra strong Tefba collector (sludge) tray magnet also on E-bay from the Utah distributor) it was the cheapest answer to my situation. I have been able to drive my vehicle as normal without having any overheating issues or having to coninually have the radiator rodded out. It has trapped a lot of crud in the filter that is easy to clean out and keep it clean.

A small price to pay to keep even more costly repairs from happening.

 

As I thought that's an interesting experience you had 66FordFun----sounds like a cooling system was the solution.

Did you ever autopsy the collected crud to see exactly what your filter had trapped?

 

What I have found captured in the collector (sludge) tray and on the magnet in my Tefba Coolant Filter was gasket pieces, sludge, solastic, rust pieces, etc.. I would have ended up rebuilding the engine earlier than needed without this Filter. The engine runs so well, that I really hated to rebuild earlier than actually needed. I saved a lot of money by putting out only $69.50 now. I don't know why more people are not using them even as a preventative measure to keep particulates out of their cooling system. It makes any future potential problems go away. We have filters on fuel, oil, etc it just makes sense that you would also have one on your coolant system.

 

Perhaps, I can offer another perspective...

IMHO Both Gano and Tefba filters are very effective....but.....

We know from tests conducted by Prestone, conventional coolant (yes- non-extended life type) has a "life" of 13+ years (at that mark they stopped the test) and it's contaminants that kill the coolant and damage components. With that said, here's the possible issue I have with inline filters. As they collect contaminants, they slowly restrict the flow and there have been a couple of instances where these restrictions have caused severe overheating (yes caused by owner failure to clean the filter).

IMHO,

1. Nothing substitutes a periodic flush of the radiator

2. When I drain the coolant, I place a doubled up paper towel over the funnel which filters to less than 3 microns (much better then any of the inline filters)- in terms of contaminants, the coolant is now as clean as when it came out of the original bottle. Provided it meets all the other test I do, it is reinstalled in the vehicle.

3. I have installed a magnesium anode in all overflows (same electrolysis protection used per code for all underground tanks)- Zinc anodes are available as well (JC Whitney, etc.) specifically for automotive applications and sell for about $6- they attract all the nasty stuff that destroys radiators, pumps, hoses etc and they become the sacrificial lamb- and keeps the ph of the fluid neutral. The inside of my cooling system and related components is spotless- literally!

4. I check the ph (using a swimming pool kit) - and check the alcohol content using a conventional coolant bulb type test device ($10 at any parts store)

the results.....

1. Contaminant production is eliminated by 90%+ as a result of the neutral ph maintenance

2. Contaminants that are produced are contained outside of the system flow, in the overflow at the anode. At this point I have less contaminant in my system than if I used an inline filter because we have eliminated 90% of the production and contained the residual.

3. With the paper towel, I can actually see the residual system contaminants (which you can typically count) and by most accounts visually know if a potential problem exist by the type and color of the products. The coolant is as clean as if I had opened a fresh container.

4. The system is clean and performance level known.

My personal results...

My father (an ol salt flats racer & aerospace engineer) starting this in the 1950's and typically the conventional coolant lasts 10-20 years in the vehicle before requiring replacement. Prestone did a test for longitivity on coolant long before the extended requirement came to be.....at 13 years they stopped the test because there was no degradation.

I cannot remember repairing a radiator or heat exchanger or water pump during my 50+ years on this earth on any of my family's vehicles- (I take that back, I replaced 2 water pumps on my 1990 F150 when due to a pulley tension/alignment problem it ate two bearings/seals, my fault as I didn't check it the 1st time, but at 80,000 miles I was not too surprised to see a leak from the water pump bearing).
We typically keep our vehicles for 10+ years. Our list of vehicles includes...

1959 221 CID V8 Ranchero (1965 to 1971)
1932 Flathead V8 Ford Coupe (1960 to present)
1965 Mustang (1965 to present)
1969 F100 (1972 to 1984)
1984 F150 (1984 to 2006) (400K+ miles w2 rebuilds)
1979 Honda (1982 to 1990)
1987 Toyota Celica GT (1987 to 1997)
1990 F150 (1990 to 2006)
1997 Cougar Sport (1990 to present)
2006 Mark LT (2006 to present)
2006 F150 4x4 (2006 to present)

IMHO, basic chemistry makes “gadgets” like inline filters just that, “gadgets”!

 

Good points you both raise 66Ford and Beechkid---interesting needless to say.

My cynical mind wonders right out loud whether 66FordFun isn't somehow connected with Tefba filters, either as an online seller or perhaps importing them into the USA?