Please tell me why everyone keeps telling me this? I can't figure out the reason, all they say is you better.

i haven't heard the need in anything but the power strokes, it seems they have a problem if they are run with out the additive. not 100% sure, but some one had posted the reason about 1 month ago. i just forgot what it was.

I would say all diesels need it. The additive prevents cavitation. Diesels run a very high compression which cause the cylinder walls to flex. Cavitation occurs when the cylinder walls flex causing microscopic air bubbles to implode slowly eating away at the water jacket. I used to own a construction company and had this happen to a couple of our engines before finding out the cause. I personaly use the NAPA brand, but there are many brands to choose from.

It is to prevent cavitation. That is when little air bubbles form on the cylinder walls. On a power stroke it is very important to add some about every 10k-15k miles. The addative is about $6 from ford and napa sells their own in a nice big bottle.

Cummins does not state you need it, but I'm sure it would not hurt. The powerstrokes need it.

On the bottle it say cut ELECTROLYSIS?.

WaWaWaWhat?

ericfilar@fatcity

I don't think any of the manuals say it cause i can't find it in mine. I have a 2002 7.3L powerstroke ( damn i just got hard sayin that ) and i read the need for it somewhere on the ford-diesel site but now i can't find it. What the hell is electrolysis anyway? It does say it on the bottle i bought. May have bought the wrong stuff.

Reliable source says the good shits at your local CAT dealership
ericfilar@fatcity

Edit: Still don't know why, or if you need it.

The Power-Strokes NEED this.
Everything above is correct.
C. Aarons seems to really know his stuff....
Believe him:D
If you want it a little cheaper than from the dealer....
Buy it from a farm supply dealer...
On that has Power-Strokes on combines etc.
You can get a test strip to see if you need to add any, but, i just add it at 12K which is about 1/2 way between coolant flushes for me.
You can also install a filter gizmo that will "leech" the additive into the system slowly over time.

Pretty sure the info (limited form) is in your manual.

Cory

the newer Powerstrokes do not need it. If you have one with the gold colored coolant you're ok...otherwise you will need it.

-Steve

Before you go pouring the additive into your truck test the coolant for the concentration of the additive. Too much additive will cause the engine to overheat because it will start to act as a insulator, too little and you will get small holes in the cylinder wall. Also if you just DD your powerstroke no towing no performance mods you wont have to add any additives to the coolant for 20k or 30k miles, but if you have upgraded the turbo tow heavy loads you might have to add additive every 5k miles. get a bottle f test strips from your local diesel dealer (doesnt matter the brand) and buy it and test your coolant often.

Originally posted by Brawler
... What the hell is electrolysis anyway? It does say it on the bottle i bought. May have bought the wrong stuff.


e·lec·trol·y·sis
n.
Chemical change, especially decomposition, produced in an electrolyte by an electric current.
Destruction of living tissue, especially of hair roots, by means of an electric current applied with a needle-shaped electrode.


Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

electrolysis

\, n. [Electro- + Gr. ? a loosing, dissolving, fr. ? to loose, dissolve.] (Physics & Chem.) The act or process of chemical decomposition, by the action of electricity; as, the electrolysis of silver or nickel for plating; the electrolysis of water.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

What were you sniffing gas from the bunsen burner in science class that day?
:flipoff2:

OK, the reason that the conditioner is needed, is due to cavitation. Cavitation is microscopic air bubbles being formed by the vibration that the cylinder liner gets when the cylinder fires. It happens on gas engines as well, just not to any degree that needsa to be addressed. Diesels have it because the mixture is fired by compression. What happens is when the air bubble colapses, at supersonic peeds, it pits the water jacket around the cylinder. The conditioner forms a protective barrier so when the air bubble colapses, it eats the conditioner, not the liner.
You have to be carefull of what type of conditioner you have. Some require it more often than others. Extended life coolant needs the additive added less aften than the old green coolant did. Get in touch w/ the dealer for the proper needs for the vehicle you have.
As for electrolysis, it is stray electrical current going thru the coolant in order to find a ground. General rule of thumb that Caterpillar uses is if there is more than .25 volts, yes 1/4 of a volt, than you have WAY too much and need to check your electrical system. Electrolysis can degrade new coolant in as little as 4 hours if left uncontroled.

yep to the cavitation....

Here is what you need

Napa pn#4107
Coolant Test Kit
This tests ph, antifreeze level, and nitrite additive. Good for 50 tests.

Motocraft pn# FW-16
16oz. of HD coolant system additive

A great place to buy the coolant additive is Diesel Injection Services in Texas. They sell the Motorcraft stuff for about half the cost that you find at the dealer. They also sell the test strips so you don't over-condition it along with having great prices on fuel filters and other additives. I buy all of the maintenance supplies for my Powerstroke from them (except oil and filters). www.dieselpage.com

So is this a powerstoke thing or dose my Cummins also have this problem.
eric@fatcity

It is a general diesel thingy, but because the cylinder walls are thin on the PS and being a v8 causes the piston to slap the walls a bit harder, you must treat the PS

Powerstroke Registry magazine is now stateing to add the additive twice as much.

The 6BTA Cummins doesn't need conditioner, it's a "dry sleeve" type diesel,only the ones with removable sleeves have cavitation problems.

Eric, so you finally got the Dodge. Check out www.turbodieselregister.com and no, the Cummins doesn't need it.:D

Originally posted by r77toy
The 6BTA Cummins doesn't need conditioner, it's a "dry sleeve" type diesel...

The PS, the 3208 Cat, the 3000 series Cat engines are all 'dry sleeve" engines. They all require conditioner.

All right you guys scared me into buying a bottle of the additive:rolleyes: . The dealership said to just use the ph strips from any spa or pool place:confused: and that you want a neutral ph:confused:
Can someone clarify this ph testing thing?
It looks like the napa kit would be better than just some miscellaneous test strips from some pool or spa place.