coolant / glycol tester

[ford12]

Hi all
Does anyone have any advice on the best tool to get to test the coolant.
Thanks

[Blue Dog]

You'd do better to change the coolant at specified intervals given the price of the stuff, rather than worrying about the concentration level.

[ford12]

Originally Posted by Blue Dog

You'd do better to change the coolant at specified intervals given the price of the stuff, rather than worrying about the concentration level.

Not worried about the price. More worried if fraud have done the right thing or not

[snap0964]

Concentration is everything - there is a thread on here covering this.

I have Castrol test strips - like a litmus type of thing, the colour shows glycol level and alkaline level.
The garage I help out has a tool that you smear some coolant on a sightglass and look through it in the light, and it shows you the percentage glycol.

Probably easiest to go to a garage and ask them for a quick test - takes a minute. You're looking around the mid 30's percentage wise.

[GASWAGON]

When I finished my apprenticeship at Cummins we used to use these little test strips that u dip into the header tank during a service.

Depending on the colour of the strip it would give u an indication of weather to change the coolant or not.

Cummins use steel piston liners that were tapped into the cylinder block and used big o-rings around the liner to seal bottom and top areas.......The area in between used to get a thing called electrolysis where the outside of the liners (exposed to very hot coolant and all the combustion heat) were wet and the coolant would heat up bubble and make holes/pitting in the liners.

Used to see it alot on very expensive rebuilds where everything was changed over......Most trucks do about 1 million kilometers before requiring major overhaul.

But good old cast iron block engines like the mighty Ford I6 dont suffer from this and the glycol stops coolant from freezing and also from getting too hot. Corrosion inhibitors stop parts like thermostat and water pump impeller and steel coolant pipes and heater core from corroding away.

Check workshop manuals for change intervals or ask mechanic for a quick test.

[Blue Dog]

Originally Posted by snap0964

Concentration is everything - there is a thread on here covering this.

I have Castrol test strips - like a litmus type of thing, the colour shows glycol level and alkaline level.
The garage I help out has a tool that you smear some coolant on a sightglass and look through it in the light, and it shows you the percentage glycol.

Probably easiest to go to a garage and ask them for a quick test - takes a minute. You're looking around the mid 30's percentage wise.

I forgot I've got one of those...........
Shows how often I use it!
You can also test your brake fluid with the same tool.
It requires cleaning with distilled water before & after use.

An example:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ATC-Glyco...YAAOSwFNZWxWor

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by Blue Dog

I forgot I've got one of those...........
Shows how often I use it!
You can also test your brake fluid with the same tool.
It requires cleaning with distilled water before & after use.

An example:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ATC-Glyco...YAAOSwFNZWxWor

Yes they test your brake fluid for water contamination on roadworthy tests.

[aussiblue]

If it's glycol base this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Glycol-Re...cAAOSw1DtXLHwG or http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CPS-REFRA...QAAOSwjqVZGj-S

[gregaust]

That tool is called a refractrometer

[MattSAU2XR8]

Test strips as I recall are good for green coolant, but not necessarily red - the red can apparently be working OK even if test strip says not!

With the green coolant being so cheap I'd suggest just drop the coolant every 3 years and refill with 50 % glycol concentrate and 50 % distilled water.

If you do it this often there shouldn't be any need to use flushing compound.

Most jap bikes use 50 % glycol concentrate and the coolant galleries and radiators are usually immaculate when pulled down

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by CoolBFWagon

When I finished my apprenticeship at Cummins we used to use these little test strips that u dip into the header tank during a service.

Depending on the colour of the strip it would give u an indication of weather to change the coolant or not.

Cummins use steel piston liners that were tapped into the cylinder block and used big o-rings around the liner to seal bottom and top areas.......The area in between used to get a thing called electrolysis where the outside of the liners (exposed to very hot coolant and all the combustion heat) were wet and the coolant would heat up bubble and make holes/pitting in the liners.

Used to see it alot on very expensive rebuilds where everything was changed over......Most trucks do about 1 million kilometers before requiring major overhaul.

Yes, was a big problem particularly with V 903 liners around the lower seals, mine included. Gotta keep the coolant up.

Often wondered whether using waterless coolant would fix this old problem ?

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Yes, was a big problem particularly with V 903 liners around the lower seals, mine included. Gotta keep the coolant up.

Often wondered whether using waterless coolant would fix this old problem ?

Yes the good old V903......Apparently they stopped making them because they were too reliable...... Only Mack and Scania make V8's now.

If i were you i would run genuine Cummins coolant that they recommend for the 903.

[BigJamo]

Thanks for the ebay info, cheers.

[ford12]

Just got some penrite test strips from repco.
Thanks all for your feedback.