CAT ELC?

[bird hunter]

Good morning,

Just recently got a new radiator in my '90 7.3 IDI and I'm not sure what type of "green" coolant they used. I have added the Motorcraft VC-8. What I am interested in doing is draining and refilling my system with Caterpillar ELC which has SCAs already in it. My local parts store carries it and the stuff is good for 6 years, 600K or 6000 hours whichever comes first. I would like to go this route instead of routinely checking SCA levels and having to change the coolant out every 2 years.

Is this CAT ELC safe to use in our IDI's??

Also, can I just drain my rad and engine or do I have to flush the system first and then refill??

Thanks to all.

 

[The Warden]

You're going to need to flush the system very thoroughly before putting the ELC in, and you need to make ABSOLUTELY certain that all water's out of the system! Apparently, even a few drops can ruin the ELC

As to whether ELC's safe, I've heard that it can eat through older gaskets and O-rings (i.e. on the oil cooler), although I don't know how much evidence there is to support this statement...but, in any event, if you've replaced them recently, it should be safe. I started running ELC right after I replaced all of my gaskets and seals, and after 5 years, everything's been just fine Only problem I've had is that I've found that ELC will eat teflon tape...I started getting small leaks from my coolant filter fittings almost immediately. I put some RTV around the fittings as a temporary fix, and the next time I have to take the system apart for any reason, I'll re-do the fittings with pipe sealant...

Just for the record, I'm putting my recommendation specifically on the blood-red Caterpillar ELC...I wouldn't recommend the orange GM Dex-Cool stuff to my worst enemy

 

[PackRat]

Actually Cat ELC is still good, up to 10% water, but I wouldn't recommend it.

1+ on the complete flush. By complete flush, I mean everything, including the green goo the is stuck to the inside of the block, too. Any trace of conventional coolant will turn ELC into a muddy brown mess, that is nearly useless as coolant.

I switched my 91 Chevy over to ELC. Only took me a couple weeks to change it back. Couldn't get it clean enough to keep the ELC from turning.

 

[Mat J]

iv got cat ec-1 its great no problems with it.

 

[Diesel JD]

Hey. I'd say the only worry is what Tim said you really need to get all the old coolant and water out of the system and use the cleaning additive caterpillar recommends to pretreat the system with. Other than that it's only the worry over old seals. I think using ELC may have hastened the demise of my old water pump, but then it already had about 180,000 miles on it by then. I didn't worry about he oil cooler because I switched over immediately after I had new orings and gaskets put in.

 

[bird hunter]

Thanks for all the input. I'm deciding to stick with the green coolant and checking/adding SCA's as needed. I don't see myself getting all the old coolant out of the block and system. Plus it seems the seals and gaskets in our IDI's are possibly not safe to use with Cat ELC with it having organic acid technology (OAT). Too bad it seems like real good stuff.

 

[Diesel JD]

I'm using it.... ain't skeered. But if you can't change the old seals and the possibility of having to fix them is a concern for you you're probably making the right choice.

 

[Diesel_brad]

And dont forget. If you are out in the middle of nowhere and you breakdown what are your chances of some one having CAT coolant. Use green. EVERYONE has it

 

[The Warden]

And dont forget. If you are out in the middle of nowhere and you breakdown what are your chances of some one having CAT coolant. Use green. EVERYONE has it

Actually, most truck stops should have it, or something similar...IIRC Chevron/Texaco has an ELC that is 100% compatible with Cat ELC. Any red ELC should work (although, again, orange won't!).

You make a valid point, though...and this is one of the main reasons why I won't even consider that Evans stuff that some other people swear by...

 

[mankypro]

I use ELC in my 01' PSD I use green with an SCA coolant filter in the IDI.

I flushed my PSD with distilled water several times before going to ELC, dropped the 1/4" block plugs too. It's expensive stuff, but it's really the best. Just use green and get a WIX coolant filter in line with SCA's.

 

[Diesel JD]

I think the Texaco ELC and the Shell Rotella ELC are compatible. I think there is one other also that has organic acid technology, but I will check the name and specs before I name it here.

 

[The Warden]

I think the Texaco ELC and the Shell Rotella ELC are compatible. I think there is one other also that has organic acid technology, but I will check the name and specs before I name it here.

I think (but not 100% certain) that you're correct that Texaco and Rotella ELC are compatible.

{added on edit} I did some quick research, and found this pdf file directly from Caterpillar: http://www.cat.com/cda/files/87058/7/elcfaq.pdf The whole file's worth reading, but look under the question "When will ELC be available at truck stops?" about halfway down on Page 7. This states specifically that Texaco and Rotella ELC meet Cat's specifications....so, yes, they're the same. Cat's recommending that you only use their stuff, but I tend to think that that's a marketing technique...

 

[Diesel JD]

I heard it from Old Mister Bill originally I think. I love this stuff and I really don't worry about the cooling system ever giving me a problem related to the coolant. I feel as long as the motor is in good shape and no significant leaks that cooling system will be fine and I won't have to think about it or SCAs. Honestly if it were up to me, our whole fleet would have this coolant since it works well with gas, diesel and "other" engines from what I hear. My parents just had to replace a radiator in Mom's 4Runner because of crappy deposits in it...all plugged up.