Coolant filter kit

[DirtyWood]

I just got this:
Baldwin Filter Base
Part #: CFB5000|Brand: BALDWIN|MPN #: CFB

Need to sort out how / were the best mount location is on the 86 F350, get some tees, ball valves, and a filter. But parts are stacking up. Thanks for the write up and the pictures. I'm in the middle of distilled water flush to go from green to pink pre charged coolant. Gonna do one more then change over and hopefully have everything I need for the filter. I thought it was reasonable protection and maintenance benifit (probably won't check for SCAs - just put a charged filter in every other filter change) for the price.

If the pink coolant you're using is Fleet Charge it will be a while before you need to use a charged filter to add SCA content. I can't recall exactly how long it was but after a few years of use I checked the SCA levels in Fleet Charge and they were still good. I read on a website for Freightliner RVs that Fleet Charge was recommended and that SCA levels are checked every 6 months or 25,000 miles. For me 25k miles is 2.5 years worth of driving so Fleet Charge is hard to beat for ease and simplicity.

 

[onetonjohn]

I am planning to use the fleet charge. Sounds like I should use no SCA filter for 2 or 3 times before doing the every other filter assuming I change the filter ever 10K miles which is about 2 years for me.

 

[onetonjohn]

You'd better be careful here. If you do this, you'll overcharge the SCAs. Especially considering that the first filter usually doesn't take very long to plug up. This is why it's important to check them. Look into overcharging your SCAs to see why you don't want to.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll do one no charge filter, and change after 1K miles or so. Then do another no charge and change after 5K or so. Then after that a third no charge for like 15K miles, then every other one? The test strips I used in the past were crap and it was hard to tell where SCAs were. I don't think the color matched anything on the reference.

 

[DirtyWood]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll do one no charge filter, and change after 1K miles or so. Then do another no charge and change after 5K or so. Then after that a third no charge for like 15K miles, then every other one? The test strips I used in the past were crap and it was hard to tell where SCAs were. I don't think the color matched anything on the reference.

There are "as needed" coolant filters charged with SCA. I think one company is Penray and supposedly the filter only releases SCA content when the levels are low.
Personally I have embraced the notion of a more frequent coolant flush and re-fill. It's surprising how dirty coolant gets and I don't mind buying another 4 gallons of Fleet Charge every 4 years or so.
I used to have a DIY coolant filter setup but I got tired of all the extra plumbing that was in the way, especially since it was setup as a bypass with ball valves to shut off the flow for easier filter changes. These days I'm trying to get stuff out of the engine bay rather than adding to it. When I look under the hood of a friend's '89 Dodge with the Cummins I am so jealous of all the extra space.

 

[wix51085]

Always some disagreement on coolant filters. I like them and put one on my 96 Jeep XJ, but also agree with having less junk in the engine bay.

What are thoughts on a sort of middle ground by running a coolant filter for XX,*** miles to get the 30+ years of crap out and then ditching it back to a factory setup? Outside of getting your SCAs is there a big benefit to still running a filter once all the casting sand and machining trash is all captured?