OK, all of that info is good and definitely usefull to me. Thanks!
Most of it I know from my Cummins and choosing the right antifreeze/coolant. I use NAPA in it but... since there doesn't seem to be a problem with the Cummins I just use the correct stuff and throw in a bottle of the addative my Dad uses in his whenever I change the coolant (probably every 5 years or so). I NEVER check the PH balance or anything.

BUT on my 7.3 I want to keep up on this. I was under the impression you could check your coolant with strips and ADD an ADDATIVE to keep your coolant "right", is this not so? Do you just have to CHANGE the coolant when it goes bad?
It seems a lot of people, including me, need clarification on this.

 

Just like oil/filter changes, the cooling system should be on your maintenance schedule. Antifreeze does not wear out but it does loose the ability to protect your cooling system as it should. The sca is only a part of of it.

I had a Cummins 400 in my rig. I had a water filter that got changed every oil change, around 12,000 miles. The filter was pre-charged with NalCool, an SCA. I changed antifreeze once a year along with the gear boxes. All the trucks I drove, starting in the early 70's had the same setup. I have the same on the Cummins in my pickup.

My answer to your question would be to get the SCA in the correct range, check every 3-4 months and add SCA when needed. Change the antifreeze on a schedule depending on which type you are using. Extended life I would change every 5 years, sooner if I drove a lot of miles. Regular antifreeze I would go a couple of years, again sooner depending on the miles driven.

That's my recommendation but then I am a bit **** when it comes to fluid changes. I figure it's a cheap insurance on some expensive fix's.

 

That's exactly what I want to do but where do you get an SCA addative.

Is NAPA KOOL an SCA???????
They keep trying to sell it to me but it doesn't say anything about SCAs on the bottle.

 

That's exactly what I want to do but where do you get an SCA addative.

Is NAPA KOOL an SCA???????
They keep trying to sell it to me but it doesn't say anything about SCAs on the bottle. In fact it really doesn't say what it does at all.

 

Yep, NAPA cool is an sca. You can get it at Ford, International, quite a few auto parts stores. You can get antifreeze precharged with sca. Prestone, Peak and a couple others make precharged.

Nalcool is available in a bottle. It's just easier to change the water filter charged with Nalcool for me. There are oil distributors that sell to the public where you can get discounted oil and antifreeze. Of course the more you buy the better the price. I used to go to Dunn Oil here in Salt Lake.

 

I just went through the NAPA online catalog.

I see the NAPA Kool, but not the test strips.

 

Just make sure you are careful with the testing strips because they do have an expiry date on them. I knew next to nothing about them when I first went to by the testing kit, but for some reason I was aware enough to see the date on the side of the bottle. He ordered a new one in for me, but I got the feeling he would have glady sold me the one he had.

Napa is not my preferred autoparts retailer in town......

 

I bought a small package of four as I knew they expired from posts on here. They are WIX brand bought from NAPA.
I think I'll run a test strip per the directions ad Napa Kool and test to see if it has the desired effect with another test strip.

Then a gain I might have my mechanic flush the system, refill with the right coolant and then test.