Does anyone NOT run SCA's in their coolant

[Twostacks]

Just wondering how many members have high mileage 7.3 (over 150,000)
and never had an SCA additive included in thier antifreeze. I was reading an excellent post on cavitation last night, I beleive it was Mel's post. My question is will all 7.3's cavitate if no sca additives are used???

 

[gonecrazyi]

I never ran any in my 7.3 any it ran up to around 160,000 thousand. I highly doubt the previous owner ran them either.

 

[SparkandFire]

I am most definately not the expert on this, all I know is what I've read (and I have no experience to back this up)

From what I've read, each and every single 7.3 will, at some point, suffer cavitation if not treated with the SCA's. In fact, each cylinder will have a fractional amount of cavitation after each and every combustion... that's the nature of cavitation.

We have large pumps here that move 210 deg.F hot water around under 70 psi, and those things are TRASHED after a year or so from cavitation...

From what I've read, the SCA's stop cavitation dead in it's tracks. Even if you ran a real long time without it, the minute you get the stuff in to your system, there is no more cavitation.

My uncle bought a 7.3 F350 2wd dually IDI truck brand new in '89, and still owns it. I asked him about SCA's and he said he only learned about it in 2001, after he had almost 200 k miles on the truck. He now has over 300k miles with no trouble whatsoever (and still absolutely refuses to sell me his truck)...

 

[Goofyexponent]

I have never ran and SCA's in my coolant, but Saturday the Kenworth blew the bottom rad hose dumping 11 gallons of coolant on the highway. When we fixed it (in FREEZING COLD WEATHER WITH NO GLOVES I MIGHT ADD!!!) my boss bought this purple coolant....with SCA's right in it. I know what I will be using when I flush my coolant here this month!!!

As for my truck, I do not know the history, but I seriously DOUBT that it has had ANY SCA's put in her...I haven't yet as I changed the coolant last year and ran a good strong mix. This year, as mentioned above, it will be getting the SCA mixed coolant!

 

[82F100SWB]

Purple eh? Esso HD Antifreeze?
I use that stuff in everything, their HD stuff has always been precharged, even when it was still green.

 

[Agnem]

There are an awful lot of 7.3's on the road that did not come with SCA's installed, and which never got SCA's by their original owners. This is one of the reasons why any 7.3 purchase above 100K is risky. You are buying without a doubt a partially cavitated engine. The only question that remains is was the additive put in in time? The additive forms a sacrificial liner, so if you run it you can prevent caviation. If you don't, then your just wating for the grim reaper to come and claim that engine.

 

[Rot Box]

My engine was re-sleeved due to cavitation. Luckily for me it happened to the guy I bought it from. Going off of his records it looks like it made it 180K before it let loose... Hard to say though.

I'm a little bit nervous because only one sleeve was installed so the other cylinders could be on deaths doorstep Also worried about the sleeve job and whether it was done properly or not. I guess I worry too much, but I have a new 6.9 waiting if poo hits the fan

 

[trugertha1]

i have 27x,*** kms and i know for a fact theres been no sca in it since 100,000km when the previous owner replaced the rad, the previous owner assures me that hes never heard of sca haha... and with that being said ive done a few rad changes since then no sca added, and still no boom..i hoped it would go before i started using this truck for a project but it didn't, now i dunno what to do with this idi, anyone need a boat anchor haha

 

[RLDSL]

All, read this ALL diesel engines cavitate and suffer head gasket erosion to some degree without SCAs, or a coolant like Evans that doesn't require them. It's just the amount of cavitation that has occoured, type of water in the engine number of variables etc that make it all a big crap shoot. And the obvious thin liner problem on the 7.3 doesn't help any

 

[Diesel JD]

All, read this ALL diesel engines cavitate and suffer head gasket erosion to some degree without SCAs, or a coolant like Evans that doesn't require them. It's just the amount of cavitation that has occoured, type of water in the engine number of variables etc that make it all a big crap shoot. And the obvious thin liner problem on the 7.3 doesn't help any

I would think from my understanding of the phenomenon that this is correct info, however I think a lot of diesels, 7.3s included will die of something else long before cavitation gets them. The 6.9 probably is a good example of this, they are the same design as the 7.3 only with .110" thicker sleeves, so while cavitation is undoubtedly happening in the 6.9 it probably would last longer than your interest but if you ran it long enough with no additive it would eventually go through. I guess this is also true of the Cummins, PSD and other diesels not associated with the Big C. That having been said, since I have had my 86 I run SCAs in it until 2006 when switched over to the Cat ELC which of course has them. Previous owner even maintained this engine in that way. I got a good one.

 

[IDIDieselJohn]

Who the hell doesn't run coolant aditives especially in there 7.3 when they know about what could and will happen??

My 7.3 has had Coolant aditives since day 1 when I bought it brand new May 20th 1990.

Now has 377k miles thanks to it. Big thanks to an old diesel mechanic friend of mine who told me about that before buying the truck.

I also run DCA4 in my 6.9! Cheap insurance.

 

[Logroller]

you know if you buy diesel ready anti-freeze you dont have to worry about buying extra additives for them ,, b/c its already in there ,,, like rotella diesel ready 50/50 red antifreeze

 

[F350farmboy]

^^Or fleet-charge (?) Its purple/pink and its pre-charged, sold at TSC

 

[gatorman21218]

^^Or fleet-charge (?) Its purple/pink and its pre-charged, sold at TSC

And Napa. Thats what I use. Its no more expensive than prestone so I too ask why not use it? Buy 4 gallons of it and 4 gallons of distilled water and you have 60 dollar insurence for a 5000 dollar problem

 

[Alex S]

I would think from my understanding of the phenomenon that this is correct info, however I think a lot of diesels, 7.3s included will die of something else long before cavitation gets them

agreed I have never herd of a cavitation problem on a GM 6.2 and i have seen a few with more then 400K