Replacing coolant - 3116TA Cats

W

Warren

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The existing coolant in my engines is an orange color. I assume that that is the Cat Extended Life Coolant. It is quite inconvenient for me to buy replacement coolant from Caterpillar. Is it OK to drain the cooling system and replace it with Prestone or equivalent? Can I top up the tank/reservoir with dilute Prestone if I do have ELC?

Has anyone done the cooling system drain and replace process? Where would I find the lowest drain point? Any tips would be appreciated..
Many thanks,
Warren
 
Warren there is a coolant drain on the large metal tube under the bend at the bottom. The tube runs vertically at the inboard side of the aft end of the stbd engine. The plug is an o-ring type seal so don't over tighten it.

Go to the trouble to get Cat ELC.......it has the right additive package in it to protect your engines from coolant cavitation and corrosion. It is also a long life coolant that can be etended by adding Cat ELC Extender. With regular antifreeze you will have to being an regimen of testing your coolant with reagent strips to measure the additives and then add appropriate amounts of it as the test indicates.

Another approach is to use Cummins Fleetguard coolant. I use it in all of my non- Caterpillar diesels with good results. The Cat ELC is just so easy...drain the old, add the new and go boating for 3-5 years, then do it again.
 
Thanks for the excellent post Frank! Is Cat ELC orange in color?

I assume that you refer to the Part #9S4182 PLUG for draining antifreeze. And good tip about the 'O' ring! Do you recommend that I run tap water into the Expansion (Radiator) Cap and out the drain to flush the system before adding new Cat ELC? (there are no obvious contaminants in the a/f, I just want to do the job right)

My Maintenance Manual says to run the engine with the cap removed until the coolant reaches normal operating temp and presumably any air bubbles are removed - good idea? (Sounds a bit risky/messy to me!)

I assume that the dealer will inform but any idea how much ELC will be required per engine?

Many thanks!
Warren
 
Cats seem to purge themselves very easily. All I do is fillthe system and crank the engine and let it run until the thermostat opens and the level goes down as far as it is going to, then watch the coolant recovery tank levels for a few trips out.

If the antifreeze is clean, I would just drain it and refill but it wouldn't hurt to fresh water flush. I like to avoid it if I can so that I do not introduce treated city water chemicals into the cooling system.......8 gal of distilled water wouldn't break the boat, though.
 
Thanks for the posts everybody. One question remains: The drain plug is very low so I can't get a bucket under it - do you run the Cat ELC into the bilge and vacuum it out?

That's the only practical way that I can see doing it. Suggestions??
Warren
 
Thanks Frank, Dave, all! Your assistance gives us the confidence to get the job done..

With appreciation,
Warren
 
After reading the thread on "manuals", I write this with my tail between my legs. Not to mention, this is basically a mild thread hijack.

While cleaning the ER, I noticed the port main had some coolant laying in the bilge. I found the source of the leak, and cleaned up the bilge. Unfortunately, I left the manuals on the boat and don't know what type of coolant to use to top off the coolant recovery reservoir.

After doing the customary search on CSR, this is the closest I came.

So my question, is the CAT ELC also the stuff to use for their 3126 engines??? The color of the fluid seemed to me to look like Red Cool-Aid (no I did not taste it)

Any help appreciated as I want to get it topped off before going for another ride.
 
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Randy,

CAT ELC is spec'd for the 3196 as well as the 3116 (and probably all CAT engines). The ELC is the color you describe. You may also find a label near the coolant fill cap on the engine that indicates that CAT ELC was used, and possibly what date it was installed. Mine has this label from when the engines were put into service.
 
I agree with Jeff - the ELC is likely formulated for all Cat diesel engines, it's recommended in my "3116 & 3126 Marine Engine Manual" Cat part #SEBU6164-03 dated Feb. 1997. And it does look like red Cool-aid.

If in doubt, change it all.. that's why I did it. There was no record indicating when the coolant was changed by the first owner. Eight gal. of ELC/engine was a reassurance for me and the manual says the coolant life is "6000 hours or four years". That's peace of mind.
Warren
 
I hate to throw a wrench into this discussion, but it may be important. If I'm not mistaken (because I heard this 3rd hand) a CAT mechanic advised us NOT TO USE the extended life coolant in our 3116s. Said it had something to do with it being thinner or more slippery or something than the regular coolant and that can cause leakages.

I'm gonna hafta verify this in the morning. But as we all know, (or at least we should by now), CAT changes its recommendations periodically depending on what it finds in real-world experiences. So manual specs might not be up-to-date.

David
 
Sorry, that dog won't hunt.........but be sure you ask the guys who say not to use ELC what their authority on the subject is. I bet it turns out to be someone or a techinician who preferred going to Walmart instead of the Cat dealer for antifreeze.

Caterpillar makes and sells 2 types of antifreeze...Cat DEAC (Diesel Engine Antifreeze/Coolant and Cat ELC (Extended life Coolant). Both are ethelyne glychol based products, but the DEAC must be diluted and have Cat SCA (Supplimental Coolant Additive). Then you must monitor the SCA level in the coolant.

ELC is prediluted and has all the right additives already incorporated in its formula.

DEAC is a 3000 hour coolant; ELC is a 12,000 hour coolant.

You guys do what you want, but I'm sticking with ELC because it is what Cat recommends and it is easy, convienent and very cost effective considering the extended service life.

The discussion here is about Caterpillar products, but Cummins also offers an OEM glychol based coolant formulated for diesel engines under their Fleetguard label.
 
Okay. From a "technical communications" guy at Albans CAT in Baltimore. Both DEAC and ELC are fine products. ELC is recommended for newer engines (2004 --->). CAT has had some, SOME complaints of seepage with ELC in older (<---2004) engines and found that switching back to DEAC fixed that problem. They've found that ELC does not do well with some older gaskets. ELC is 12,000 hours and DEAC is 6,000 hours (that's what the guy said). DEAC should be tested at the end of the boating season and added to or adjusted accordingly.

As far as I'm aware, we were not having a problem with the ELC, so now I don't know why the CAT mechanic told us to switch to DEAC. But it really doesn't sound like it's a big deal anyway. Time will tell.

David
 
Messing with coolant in deisel engines is a very tricky bussiness.
A previous post talked of cavitation which he did not elaborate on.
What basically happens when the coolant is not to specs. is it gets bubbles in it which hammer against the cylinder liners and will eventually eat holes in them.
I know this from experiance on a 3406 truck engine.
So maintain your coolant to the manufacturers specs. no matter how hard it is to get it.
Jack
 
I did get the ELC coolant from Ohio CAT. The color matched (I must give Kudos to the previous owner for his exemplary maintanance habits). The tank was topped off and I am again playing (with a dry bilge). It does feel good to find and solve your own problems. Especially when you so often pay the "stupid" tax.

Thanks for the help guys.
 
Help please. I am having difficulty locating the drain plug. I have '96 model 3116s. Anyone able to direct me more specifically? Frank, I do not seem to have the large vertical pipe on the inboard aft side of the stbd engine. Trying to get this done tonight.

Thanks in advance!
 
David,

You have inboards, not v-drives, so the coolant tube with the drain plug on your stbd engine will be on the front, outboard corner of the engine. It is painted white and has a bend near the bottom where the drain plug is located on the underneath side.
 
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