ELC coolants - just a question

[scha0786]

Was looking for replacement baldwin filters for my coolant filter and am ready to do the switch to Cat EC-1 rated coolant when I stumbled upon this article.

https://www.dieselsite.com/pdffiles/...,%20RMI-25.pdf

is it true that the ELC has an organic acid in it that could possibly eat away at my seals? Is the old 6 leaker designed for this OAT?

Am I better off running OEM ford junk and flushing with restore and restore plus ever 50k or.......

I know a big dispute with the OEM ford stuff is that under high heat the silica gel falls out and leaves a goo. But if my EGR was gone and does not see high exhaust gas heat wouldn't the silica be less likely to fall out?

just thinking outloud here, maybe some ford techs wanna jump in?

[FordWake]

Originally Posted by scha0786

Was looking for replacement baldwin filters for my coolant filter and am ready to do the switch to Cat EC-1 rated coolant when I stumbled upon this article.

https://www.dieselsite.com/pdffiles/...,%20RMI-25.pdf

is it true that the ELC has an organic acid in it that could possibly eat away at my seals? Is the old 6 leaker designed for this OAT?

Am I better off running OEM ford junk and flushing with restore and restore plus ever 50k or.......

I know a big dispute with the OEM ford stuff is that under high heat the silica gel falls out and leaves a goo. But if my EGR was gone and does not see high exhaust gas heat wouldn't the silica be less likely to fall out?

just thinking outloud here, maybe some ford techs wanna jump in?

International only runs Fleetrite ELC in it.. So your fine.

[NYC F-350]

The seals that they discuss in that article refer to the seals in the old 7.3 engine.
Look carefully at the date, pre 6.0.
That is very old, out of date information.
Your 6.0 is constructed quite differently than the 7.3. Using an ELC will indeed be fine.
International installs the Fleetrite ELC.

AND, as an edit: That actually refers to the EARLY 7.3's. Ford changed out the troublesome seals in the later years.

[NYC F-350]

Originally Posted by scha0786

is it true that the ELC has an organic acid in it that could possibly eat away at my seals? Is the old 6 leaker designed for this OAT? No, like I said, that was referring to the design of the EARLY 7.3

Am I better off running OEM ford junk and flushing with restore and restore plus ever 50k or.......You CAN run the Ford gold. BUT, it requires very careful/frequent monitoring and replacement. The beauty of the ELC's are that they react better to the heat cycles and will last much longer. This is not to say you can "fill and forget", you still have to check it, just not as frequent as you do using the Ford Gold. (Disclaimer: My opinion, and probably not very popular around here)

I know a big dispute with the OEM ford stuff is that under high heat the silica gel falls out and leaves a goo. But if my EGR was gone and does not see high exhaust gas heat wouldn't the silica be less likely to fall out?
The highest heat the coolant comes into contact with is the water jacket around the cylinders and not your EGR cooler.

just thinking outloud here, maybe some ford techs wanna jump in?

Even in the summary, it talks about the 7.3, not your 6.0

SUMMARY: Cavitation in our 7.3L Powerstroke is a known issue. EGs are an accepted coolant for
our truck but they require the use of SCAs. While SCAs addresse the symptoms of cavitation, they
do not address the cause. SCAs attempt to stop the erosion from cavitation, instead of dealing with
the cavitation itself. The harmful wear to your coolant system and it’s components by the abrasive
SCAs is not worth the band-aid it provides.

Another point of interest is that nowhere is a CAT EC-1 rated coolant mentioned anywhere in the article.

[scha0786]

very true, I did notice that the article was old but thought I would ask.

So I am assuming the fleetrire ELC has the OAT in it also.

thanks I will continue my plan of flushing with Final charge this weekend.

thanks guys

[scha0786]

talked with dieselsite yesterday and they DO NOT recommend ELC in the powerstroke. They said the ELC stuff with the OAT is highly corrosive.

just relaying info..........

[FordWake]

Originally Posted by scha0786

talked with dieselsite yesterday and they DO NOT recommend ELC in the powerstroke. They said the ELC stuff with the OAT is highly corrosive.

just relaying info..........

This is funny to me.. Dieselsite doesn't recommend something that the manufacturer of the engine uses. Doesn't make sense. International uses Fleetrite ELC Or Rotella ELC in the VT365 (Ford 6.0). Plain and simple. If the manufacturer recommends it then it can't be bad for it. I tested the goo in my oil cooler.. turns out its silicate goo due to the coolant being spent. That was only 62k on that coolant. I would recommend flushing at 30k if you stick with Ford Gold. It depends on how you use the truck, but 30k out of 100k coolant is ridiculous. I plan on flushing every 100k with my CAT ELC coolant.

[NYC F-350]

That doesn't sound right to me either.
I am sure that Bob is well aware of the fact that International uses the Fleetrite (which is re-labeled Rotella ELC). How can he recommend against what the manufacturer uses? Makes no sense whatsoever.

[scha0786]

This guy also does NOT recommend any type of Ethylene Glycol in the 6 leaker

6.0 Powerstroke Diesel Three F's... Fluids, Filters, & Fuel (Video 1 of 3) -- POWERSTROKEHELP.COM

all ELC are Ehtylene Glycol Based. Not saying they are bad but......

also, called Elite Diesel Engineering - they too recommended sticking with the Ford gold....hmmmmm

[Gui272]

When I picked up my cat ELC the guy at the cat dealer told me not to use it too. He said to use some other coolant they sell that's not as acidic. I didn't do the flush yet. Not sure what to believe.