Cat 3208 coolant

[Doodie99]

So my new to me Mainship has been On the hard for approx 18 years. I am going through the engine soon but i need to start by draining the coolant. It has green coolant that looks like old style coolant. I know ELC is what Cat recommends for its diesels but this is a 1988 Cat 3208 that ELC did not exist back then. So I'm not sure if i should use basic green coolant on my first year or so to to work through any issues or switch to ELC. I don't know how ELC is compatible with Green coolant.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I've got the cat manual that should cover your engines. Next time I'm at the boat, tomorrow or Monday, I'll get the spec if someone else doesn't answer before then.

 

[Comodave]

If it hasn’t been run in that timeframe I would probably flush it before you put in the new antifreeze.

 

[FF]

The question with Antifreeze is are the cylinders bare to the coolant , so require SCA which is a slyme that coats the bare cylinders . Its use requires a test kit.

As the cylinder rings the vibration causes air bubbles to pop and that eats the cylinder from the outside.

The cat 3208 use cylinders simply bored into the cast iron block, so the old style "Green stuff" is all that is required.

A good 2 part flush and rinse with fresh water would be a good idea.

 

[Doodie99]

I was thinking that the 3208 is a solid casting and that prevents the cavitation of sleeved engines. so i am on the right track. I do think flushing with water makes sense. But is there anything else i should flush it with? In my youth an the big v8s you could flush them well with water and 1/4 cup of Laundry detergent but a big Cat motor is a little different.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

3208s have been used in heavy equipment for years. Nothing special. The good ol' green stuff Prestone concentrate mixed half and half from Wal-Mart works just fine.

 

[Slowmo]

We run the pink long life coolant (Chevron) in our 3208s. While it isn't necessary it does provide longer life so you don't need to change as often. However you should not mix so especially if you do change make sure you flush first.

 

[Portage_Bay]

From da book. Printed October 98

 

[FF]

Any large truck supply will have good 2 part engine cleaner.

There will be rust , old AF , perhaps oil and other gunk in the cooling system after 18 years if sitting.

Antifreeze is like oil , there are multiple additives, water pump lubricant , anti rust and anti foaming agents.

Changing out the AF renews these.

Least expensive is pure AF and distilled water , tho I add a can of water pump lubricant with every change.

 

[mike66]

If you flush out the old and end with clear water, try to drain as much out as possible, then add 1/2 the coolant total capacity specified with concentrate. Then top up with distilled water. This way you are guaranteed the proper mix.

 

[Mischief Managed]

I run ELC in mine. It's reasonably priced right from CAT in 5 gallon pre-mixed pails. Wal Mart sells ELC rated "Final Charge" coolant that will work too. I would definitely flush it with cooling system cleaner and water. When I flushed mine, I added barbed fittings to the block drains and 1/2" silicone hose and Tees to the fittings with a single ball valve that is capped off with a threaded plug. When I want to drain the cooling system, I just fish out the ball valve from under the engine, unscrew the cap, and open the valve into a bucket. It's much less messy than draining directly into the bilge. You could add barbs and more Tees and hose to the exhaust manifolds too, they hold a lot of coolant. Make sure you drain the thermostat and other bolt on housings on the front of the engines. They all have drain plugs on the bottom if they hold coolant.

 

[FF]

After 18 years of sitting all the rubber hoses , and belts would be suspect.

If you do remove the hoses reverse flushing becomes easy, and might help with the clean out.

 

[Mischief Managed]

After 18 years of sitting all the rubber hoses , and belts would be suspect.

If you do remove the hoses reverse flushing becomes easy, and might help with the clean out.

Most (maybe all???) of the factory hoses on mine are silicone and CAT used really nice hose clamps. I replaced them all after 29 years, but they still seemed fine. The OEM hoses were reasonably priced too. The short hoses under the HE are a huge pain to replace.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I replaced all my hoses a few years ago. I was surprised to see orginnal 30 year old hoses. I did the work myself. About $480 per engine.

 

[dannc]

So my new to me Mainship has been On the hard for approx 18 years. I am going through the engine soon but i need to start by draining the coolant. It has green coolant that looks like old style coolant. I know ELC is what Cat recommends for its diesels but this is a 1988 Cat 3208 that ELC did not exist back then. So I'm not sure if i should use basic green coolant on my first year or so to to work through any issues or switch to ELC. I don't know how ELC is compatible with Green coolant.

You can't tell the coolant chemistry by the color.

My Ford diesel came with a gold colored coolant which is a long life coolant. For the same engine, Ford has a green coolant which is NOT long life. My JD tractor, with a Yanmar engine, has a green coolant which IS a long life coolant and is compatible with the Ford gold coolant. The Ford green coolant is a different chemistry than the Ford gold or the JD green coolant.

Follow what the manual says to do and find a coolant that matches the manual but do not go by color.

Later,
Dan

 

[Doodie99]

I do plan on replacing hoses. I think they are original. And look to be in good shape but I have read up on many of the coolant types and the newer ELC is more rubber friendly also so that's the plan. Drain, Flush and replace hoses, thermostat and new ELC.