I have to add some of the coolant additive, and it says add 4 oz to every gallon. How many gallons of coolant is in my 99 7.3? Thanks for the help if you can

 

Somebody that actually still has their owner's manual will be along shortly but I used one bottle of additive the last time I changed the water pump and flushed the system and that was enough to get the test strips to read right.

 

GT, My early '99 holds 32.75 quarts which includes 5 quarts in the coolant recovery tank. Add 2.6 quarts if equipped with auxiliary heater option. Carroll

 

For those not willing to do the math, that's 8 gallons standard or 8.5 gallons with aux. heater... Basically, you need 32 oz of coolant additive.

 

8 gallons completely drained. When I replaced the o-ring for the inlet pipe to the waterpump I drained the degas tank and radiator and it took 4 gallons to refill it. I use the test trips to make sure I have the proper amount of SCA in the system.

 

Make sure you pick up some Distilled Water unless you're using premixed antifreeze... Drinking water and spring water will have minerals that you don't want floating in your cooling system...

 

Thanks for breaking it down for me. I cant find anywhere close by that sells the test strips. Under normal conditions do people have to add the stuff? I know its been at least a year.

 

If you have completely drained/flushed the coolant system it will need 3-4 pints, but if you're only maintaining the levels already there it probably will only need 1 pint, and may not need any. Overcharging the SCA's can be as hard on it as not having enough...you really need to test it. The proper Fleetguard test strips can be purchased at any Ford dealer.

 

Scott, are you sure about your numbers? That would be 48-64 ounces of additive or 3-4 bottles... Maybe you were thinking of cups instead of pints...
1 cup = 8 ounces
1 pint = 2 cups

I agree that the best thing to do is get some of the test strips. I have the advantage of having my oil changed at a local truck stop that has the test strips available. I think they charge me an extra $2 to test the SCA level in my coolant... I don't know what the Ford price for the strips is...

I don't think I have ever had to add any to my cooling system unless there was a problem and I had a major leak like when my water pump went out.

 

I bought my test strips at Napa. Napa also has the SCA, however as hard as it is to beleive, the stealership was cheaper for the SCA.

 

Yep, I'm sure. 1 pint of Fords SCA is equal to 5 units. Divide five units by the system capacity of 8.2 gallons and that yields .6 units per gallon per pint. According to the data on the test strip packaging the optimum SCA level is 1.5 to 3.0 units per gallon, so four pints in an empty system will yield an optimum 2.4 unit SCA level.

 

Ok, like I said, I don't have the test strips so I didn't know that they recommend a different amount than the SCA bottle does.

I was going by the SCA bottle's recommendation of 4 oz. per gallon. It does mention that some engine manufacturer's recommendations could be different.

 

Well I found some test strips at the local Cummins dealer, No one else had them....Including ford. It testes at 2.2, so I'm going to add some additive, but here comes the fuzzy area. How much do I add? the whole pint?
Also, A few people Ive talked to, said all diesel motors need have this additive, but my buddy has a Duramax, and he says he doesnt need it. He laughed at how hard the strips are to find, and I honestly had to agree. Does he need the additive and just not know it? Thanks for all the help guys

 

I don't know about duramax, however this is from the cummins website:
Do I need to use a coolant additive in my Dodge Ram?
We do not recommend an additive for the Cummins engine used in the Dodge Ram. Coolant additives are used to protect liners from cavitation and since the engine in the Dodge Turbo Diesel has no liners, it does not require an additive.

 

You are still good at 2.2, no need to add any at this point. One pint will put you at 2.8 which is also good.

I've seen pictures of some pretty serious cavitation damage in a Cummins, so I don't believe they are immune.

IMO the newer diesels don't need the additive because of the improvements in the coolant.