can i use other coolant than ford's gold coolant ... what if i use aftermarket waterless coolant ... i think its called evans

 

Welcome!! You found an awesome place to hang out and ask questions like this. . . . Hopefully you will like it here.

I would always recommend using Chevron Delo ELC as I think it is great. I will admit that I haven't checked out the Evans yet and from their site it would seem like it is the best. What ever you go with, you just have to make sure you get all the old coolant cleaned out so you are not mixing them. There are some combinations that don't 'mix' very well at all. In fact, sometimes mixing them can cause you a lot of problems.

I can back up my claim on how good Delo ELC is! I should do a write up on it actually. But, from what I learned in college, it is the best out of the major name brands out there. Here are a few quick things I can remember:
You don't want the 'green' stuff. It has a life of 18 to 24 months from the date it was made. I didn't know this; I used to buy on a good sale because I would eventually need it. It works by coating the inside of your system to prevent corrosion. If something breaks through this coating then you will have corrosion in that spot. This coating actually inhibits heat transfer as well. Once this coolant reaches the end of it's life, the coating grows faster and thicker. This further inhibits heat transfer. Not exactly what you ordered for your cooling system!
Don't go by color! There are different formulas out there that have the same or very similar colors. Take for instance the orange Dex Cool that Gm uses. Guess what color that Dodge uses! Same color but different formulation!! (Gm uses an OAT while Dodge has an HOAT which is much better) Then there is Ford. . . . They use both an OAT and a HOAT but they help you out by making sure that the color is the same for both

There is a lot to know about coolants! I'm sorry I can't write the multi page report on them that you need right now. What I would recommend is this: Put the Chevron Delo ELC at the top of your list! If you can find out if Evans can beat it then you have yourself a winner. I would also compare price. The Delo ELC is either $12 / gal. or $17 for concentrate (I have to do some checking into that. I paid $17 / gal. for the last 6 I bought on my wholesale account. Then I am told that it should of been $12 / gal.!! I hope they did make a mistake like that!!) Reason I am telling you the price is that the Delo ELC is good for 8 years of use. That makes it way cheaper than the 'green' stuff even if it is $17!! Now if the Evans really can be permanent then maybe it is ok it costs that much. I would like to see what the cooling system looks like after 20 or more years from using the Evans. The thought of never changing it kind of me!!

 

 

Dont use the Evans coolant. Use Fleetrite ELC which is the coolant International uses in the VT365 motor. It's good for 300k.

 

You can theoretically use whatever you want, but make sure you FLUSH the system well before putting anything different in. I personally just use the gold stuff, it's not that expensive.

 

I would not take the advice of theoretically use whatever you want". Here is a write up I got for a proper coolant flush, for your diesel.

BBC does it every 50,000 miles just because it is fun to do and he is **** about maintenance. PLEASE NOTE THE MIN LEVEL ON THE DEGAS BOTTLE IS NOW THE NEW FULL LEVEL.

1) Buy Four (4) gallons of Ford Premium Gold Coolant (or Zerex G05), Two (2) bottles of VC-9 and one (1) Thermostat O-ring (if removing T-stat) at dealer.

2) Buy 15-18 gallons of DISTILLER WATER at local grocery store.

3) Open Radiator Stopcock and/or Drop lower radiator hose until radiator is empty.

4) Close stopcock and/or reconnect hose.

5) Add 2 bottles of VC-9 to degas bottle (The VC-9 is in the Ford procedure for flushing prior to water flush and new coolant). Add distilled water until the degas bottle is at MIN. Go for a 20 to 30 mile drive (Some say you need to drive at temp for 1 hour to fully clean system). Drain system, then proceed either with or without Thermostat.

Thermostat Removal Option: (Thank you 69cj)
A) Pull air cleaner assembly.
B) Drain coolant (See step 3 above).
C) Remove upper radiator hose.
D) Remove 2 nuts on t-stat housing.
E) Lift and move press sensor bracket to the side. Not a lot of play in it but it will move.
F) Remove 2 more nuts on t-stat housing.
G) Remove housing. It will lift right off of the studs.
H) Reverse procedure to re-install. Use a new O ring (5 bucks at dealer). I used Vaseline to hold the O ring in place. Tighten nuts to 23Nm (17lb/ft).


6) Add distilled water to degas bottle until it reads MIN.

7) Drive vehicle with heater on HIGH (HOT) until temp gauge goes to normal and thermostat opens (Excursion owners Do Not Forget Rear Heater). If thermostat is removed just idle for 5 minutes gently varying idle rpm’s between 750 and 1500 or turn High Idle Mod on.

8) Repeat steps #3,#4, #6 and #7 no less than 4 or 5 times until drain water is clear.

9) You now have 100% distilled water in your system.

10) Drop lower hose 1 last time, drain and reconnect. Reinstall Thermostat if removed earlier.

11) Look in manual to verify your system capacity (27.5 quarts) and add 3½ gallons of FULL STRENGTH Ford Premium Gold (or Zerex G05) coolant into your degas bottle.

12) Start motor and add distilled water to bring system level to not exceed the MIN Mark on degas bottle. PLEASE NOTE THE MIN LEVEL ON THE DEGAS BOTTLE IS NOW THE NEW FULL LEVEL.

13) Drive truck around to open thermostat and let cool once or twice to purge any air. May need to add more distilled water (don't add more coolant)... but when done you have flushed your entire system and have a perfect 50/50% concentration of coolant and distilled water.
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Hope this helps. The 6.0 diesels are very funny about there coolants, Aswell as ther oils, oil filters and fuel filters.

 

Yes that is exactly how it should be flushed. You can still use what coolant you want. The idea is that two different coolants shouldn't be used in the truck at the same time. You can use one or the other (I still recommend the Gold stuff or something similar) but they should never be mixed.

 

doesnt matter what you use.......

i would dump in straight water, its gonna get pushed out the cap and down the side of your truck or burnt in the exhaust so why spend money on coolant