ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 25
What you don't know can hurt your diesel engine
Is your recycled coolant at full strength?
By Stephen Petit
More people are using recycled heavy-duty diesel engine coolant, and for good reason. It's less expensive, it saves a non-renewable resource (ethylene
glycol is a natural gas derivative), and it reduces the
amount of hazardous waste a shop generates.
Formulated properly, recycled coolant should deliver the performance you expect. Key phrase: formulated properly.
"The recycling process sifts out contaminants but
it can also remove important chemical additives and
extenders," says Frank Burrow, manager of warranty
and product support at Red Dot Corp., which makes
HVAC systems and components for commercial vehicles and heavy equipment.
Without them, a concentration of water and EG
alone can attack metals and other materials in the
system.
"One of the first places you'll see premature wear
is in the coolant hose," Burrow says. "Tiny cracks
can develop on the hose interior, typically near the
hose ends, and allow the coolant to reach and degrade the reinforcement yam."
As the hose deteriorates, it sheds debris into the
coolant. "Now you not only have a weak point in the
hose, there's foreign material circulating through the
system," Burrow says, "not to mention the risk of
even more critical wear and tear deeper inside the
engine."
If you buy recycled coolant, talk to your supplier
about his methods for mixing in the additive packages. A reputable recycler will do it in a consistent,
temperature-controlled environment.
If you mix in additives yourself, double-check
to make sure you're doing it properly. Otherwise,
the chemical additives won't stay in suspension and
you'll get an uneven concentration as you draw coolant from the drum. "It's like adding sugar to cold
coffee," Burrow says. "You won't taste the sweetness until the last swallow because all the sugar is
on the bottom." ❆
Improperly mixed coolant can speed up wear on materials like coolant hose, sending foreign material circulating
through the system.
Spring 2017 * ACTION/NAPA
25
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017
Tips from Gates
Water pump weeps
Regulating recharge
Change is coming for some HD vehicle refrigerants
The road not traveled: A/C for off-highway vehicles
Retrofi tting R-1234yf mobile air conditioning systems is prohibited
Hybrid and battery electric vehicle A/C
Is your recycled coolant at full strength
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Cover1
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Cover2
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 3
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Water pump weeps
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Regulating recharge
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Change is coming for some HD vehicle refrigerants
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - The road not traveled: A/C for off-highway vehicles
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 8
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 9
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 10
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 11
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Retrofi tting R-1234yf mobile air conditioning systems is prohibited
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 13
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 14
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 15
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 16
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 17
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Hybrid and battery electric vehicle A/C
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 19
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 20
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 21
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 22
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 23
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 24
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Is your recycled coolant at full strength
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - 26
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Cover3
ACtion Magazine - Napa Special Edition - June 2017 - Cover4
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