A typical antifreeze/coolant formulation is 96% water and glycol. However, the remaining 4% is important and can have a lasting impact on a heavy-duty diesel engine.
In heavy-duty diesel engine applications, antifreeze/coolant is formulated to prevent liner cavitation in wet sleeve liners. It also protects against scale, corrosion, and hard water deposits.
Cavitation occurs in wet-sleeve liners from the rapid formation and collapse of vapor bubbles. These bubbles appear because of vibrations occurring as the piston moves up and down. High pressures generated in very small areas cause the collapsing bubbles to hammer the liner, which effectively drill small holes into the liner wall.
Antifreeze/coolant additives, referred to as inhibitors, prevent this catastrophic occurrence by forming a hard surface on the liner wall that shields the metal. Inhibitors fall into two general categories: inorganic and organic.
Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) prefer organic acid technology (OAT) inhibitors in today’s equipment. They eliminate the need to add or maintain supplemental coolant additives (SCAs). OAT inhibitors are opportunistic by moving to trouble spots as needed and selectively protecting the cooling system. This results in longer-lasting protection.
Conventional inhibitors are typically comprised of inorganic molecules. They act quickly and cover all components throughout the cooling system. Unfortunately, they also deplete quickly and result in short-lived protection unless SCAs are added periodically.
Typical Antifreeze/Coolant Composition
| Water |
Glycol |
Additives |
| Transfers heat to radiator |
Lowers the freezing point |
Corrosion protection |
| |
Raises the boiling point |
Liner cavitation protection |
| |
Reduces water surface tension |
Scaling and deposit protection |
| |
Transfers heat to the radiator |
|
FS Extended Life OAT Antifreeze/Coolant is a premium organic acid technology antifreeze/coolant formulated for heavy-duty and light-duty diesel and gasoline applications. Our OAT antifreeze/coolant:
- Eliminates the need for supplemental coolant additives (SCAs) and coolant filters.
- Provides superior long-term elastomer compatibility.
- Prevents pitting caused by cavitation and corrosion of brass, copper, solder, steel, cast iron, and aluminum.
- Has extended service life with up to 1,000,000 miles, 8 years, or 20,000 hours protection.
- Is free of phosphates, silicate, nitrites, amines, and borates.
- Is compatible with most major OEM brands of extended life coolant.
- Provides maximum freeze up and boil-over protection.
- Is available as pre-diluted (50/50) or as concentrate.
NOAT Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant is also available, which contains nitrite for heavy-duty engines that require it.
If you have been maintaining vehicles for decades, it is easy to stick with what you know. For cooling system fluids, the conventional “green” antifreeze has been a go-to for many. The maintenance practices are easy to remember: replace every 12 months or 12,000 miles. But the old standard green isn’t the best coolant for modern engines, and misusing it can even cause damage! *
Here are three things to consider if you are sticking with conventional antifreeze/coolant technology:
- If you are using it in a vehicle with the model year 1996 or newer, you are likely using sub-optimal antifreeze/coolant for your system. Most automotive makes from these model years use organic acid technology (OAT) due to the high aluminum content of their cooling systems.
- Sticking with conventional technology can be more costly. The increased maintenance compared to OAT antifreeze/coolant can cost you time and money.
- Using conventional “green” antifreeze/coolant in heavy-duty applications can cause catastrophic damage in the form of liner pitting/cavitation. Review manufacturer recommendations. You typically need to add an SCA to green antifreeze/coolant to use it in heavy-duty applications.
*Reference: KOST USA