I dont get it /coolant additive
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I dont get it /coolant additive
I just did a complete coolant change on my 2000 PSD. My manual says to use 4 pints of FW-15 coolant additive. When I went to my Ford dealer i found that they changed the coolant additive to FW-16. The instructions on the bottle said to use 4oz per gallon of cooling system capacity which is about 8 gallons so that would mean 32oz or 2 pints which is what I put in. When I checked it with the test strips it gave me a readiiing of 1.2 I know that is to low so I don't know if I should put in another 2 pints. Does anybody have any info on this.
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Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Bonney Lake, WA
I dont get it /coolant additive
Jakedog-
The first thing I'd do is to make sure you've run the truck long enough for the coolant additive that you've put in to circulate completely and to "spread out" in your system. Are you checking at the reservoir? It might take a little longer for that fluid to get totally mixed with the other stuff. Once you are sure you're getting an accurate reading, you do need to get it up to around 2.5. My rig is a little older, so my cooling system is a different size, but one bottle raises my number by .9, if that helps. If you got the Fleetguard strips, there are instructions with them to help you determine how much to add. Those are available at an International Dealer if you have trouble finding them.
I hope this helps.
The first thing I'd do is to make sure you've run the truck long enough for the coolant additive that you've put in to circulate completely and to "spread out" in your system. Are you checking at the reservoir? It might take a little longer for that fluid to get totally mixed with the other stuff. Once you are sure you're getting an accurate reading, you do need to get it up to around 2.5. My rig is a little older, so my cooling system is a different size, but one bottle raises my number by .9, if that helps. If you got the Fleetguard strips, there are instructions with them to help you determine how much to add. Those are available at an International Dealer if you have trouble finding them.
I hope this helps.
Posting Guru
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I dont get it /coolant additive
Each pint of additive equals .6 units. .6x4pints=2.4 units of additive. This puts you right in the middle of 1.5-3.0 units. Add 2 more pints and you will be fine. Recheck your additive with the test strips about every 10,000 miles.
Les
Les
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Ripon USA
I dont get it /coolant additive
>Each pint of additive equals .6 units. .6x4pints=2.4 units
>of additive. This puts you right in the middle of 1.5-3.0
>units. Add 2 more pints and you will be fine. Recheck your
>additive with the test strips about every 10,000 miles.
>
>Les
That would not always be correct. It will depend on the cooling system capacity.
I would add one more pint, see what you get from that, then you will know what a pint will do in your cooling system.
>of additive. This puts you right in the middle of 1.5-3.0
>units. Add 2 more pints and you will be fine. Recheck your
>additive with the test strips about every 10,000 miles.
>
>Les
That would not always be correct. It will depend on the cooling system capacity.
I would add one more pint, see what you get from that, then you will know what a pint will do in your cooling system.
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I dont get it /coolant additive
To add more confusion, I went the ford dealer to get another bottle of coolant additive when I was there I talked to their diesel guy and he said that you only need two bottles and that ford doesnt recommend using the test strips
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From: Bonney Lake, WA
I dont get it /coolant additive
Lodihoseman- You're right, the capacity of the system makes a huge difference in how much one bottle will affect the reading. My truck is a '95, so for my rig, one bottle will raise the reading by .9. The newer rigs, like the one driven by Jakedog, have a different capacity, and I believe Powerstroke250 answered for that size system.
Jakedog- You're also right. Ford, for some reason, seems to think that adding a certain amount, (whatever that is, 2 bottles?) to a fresh batch of coolant, and then adding a bottle every 15,000 miles is adequate. I guess it would technically get you into the correct range, but the strips allow you to "dial it in" completely, and were developed for any/all diesels, not specifically Fords. It could be, though I don't profess to be an expert here, that Ford was merely trying to develop a "user-friendly" way for "Joe Consumer" to keep his system within tolerance.
The Diesel Dude might just "weigh in" on this subject, and whatever he says, I'd listen to him.
Jakedog- You're also right. Ford, for some reason, seems to think that adding a certain amount, (whatever that is, 2 bottles?) to a fresh batch of coolant, and then adding a bottle every 15,000 miles is adequate. I guess it would technically get you into the correct range, but the strips allow you to "dial it in" completely, and were developed for any/all diesels, not specifically Fords. It could be, though I don't profess to be an expert here, that Ford was merely trying to develop a "user-friendly" way for "Joe Consumer" to keep his system within tolerance.
The Diesel Dude might just "weigh in" on this subject, and whatever he says, I'd listen to him.
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Posting Guru
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I dont get it /coolant additive
The 2000 PSD has the same cooling system as my 99, 32.75qts. 4 pints FW-16.
Les
Les
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