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Guest
I just flushed my radiator and put in the CAT Extended Life Coolant. The claims they make about the stuff are pretty wild. Ayone used it? Notice any special benefits?
We've used it in a couple of the trucks we've driven and have no reason to doubt the manufacturer's claims. However, it is not a fill and forget solution. Over time, testing is required and chemicals may need to be added to replace those that broke down with age.
Having some experience with the stuff, I developed a bias against it.
1. It is significantly more expensive than traditional coolant.
2. It cannot be mixed with traditional coolant. If you develop a leak, you can only replace it with the extended life coolant.
3. It is not always easy to find. We once spent a week trying to come up with a gallon of it to replace a gallon that had leaked out. The extra gallon we carried with us filled the immediate need. It was the spare gallon we were seeking to replace.
You'd think most truck stops carry it. We found they don't. Before committing to the stuff yourself, you might want to run a simulation. Pretend you need two gallons of it while you are out running. See how easy or hard it is for you to find. Maybe our experience was a fluke.
4. The main reason I prefer traditional coolant is you change it more frequently, which makes it easier to flush and fill your cooling system more frequently too. I know the manufacturer claims the stuff does not require more flush and fills, but it just goes against my intuition to let a cooling system go unflushed for so long. Cooling system care (or neglect) can make a profound difference in component life and even engine life when you consider the pitting that can occur on the cooling system side of the sleeves.
Just as extended oil changes make me a bit leery, so does extended life coolant. On the other hand, if you are a fleet owner - a small fleet of expediting trucks, or a large fleet of line haul trucks - the use of extended life coolant may make sense. You can more or less neglect the cooling system for the three or four years you depreciate your trucks. You'll save some money in cooling system maintenance costs and the cooling system problems that may develop later will be the next owner's problem.
Having some experience with the stuff, I developed a bias against it.
1. It is significantly more expensive than traditional coolant.
2. It cannot be mixed with traditional coolant. If you develop a leak, you can only replace it with the extended life coolant.
3. It is not always easy to find. We once spent a week trying to come up with a gallon of it to replace a gallon that had leaked out. The extra gallon we carried with us filled the immediate need. It was the spare gallon we were seeking to replace.
You'd think most truck stops carry it. We found they don't. Before committing to the stuff yourself, you might want to run a simulation. Pretend you need two gallons of it while you are out running. See how easy or hard it is for you to find. Maybe our experience was a fluke.
4. The main reason I prefer traditional coolant is you change it more frequently, which makes it easier to flush and fill your cooling system more frequently too. I know the manufacturer claims the stuff does not require more flush and fills, but it just goes against my intuition to let a cooling system go unflushed for so long. Cooling system care (or neglect) can make a profound difference in component life and even engine life when you consider the pitting that can occur on the cooling system side of the sleeves.
Just as extended oil changes make me a bit leery, so does extended life coolant. On the other hand, if you are a fleet owner - a small fleet of expediting trucks, or a large fleet of line haul trucks - the use of extended life coolant may make sense. You can more or less neglect the cooling system for the three or four years you depreciate your trucks. You'll save some money in cooling system maintenance costs and the cooling system problems that may develop later will be the next owner's problem.
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Guest
It cost $77 for the 7 gallons I needed for my truck. The coolant is not supposed to need any attention for 300,000 miles and then it just needs the bottle of booster to be added for another 300,000 miles. There is no way I would run anything for 300,000 miles, but for the extra $50 or $60 that the ELC costs the peace of mind is worth it. The problem of finding it out on the road is, however, a legitimate concern.