Generating Set Cooling System

Maintenance
June 25, 2023

1
Cooling System - Maintenance
Management
50 % Of

Premature Engine Failures / Non

Performance incidences

Can Be Attributed To

Cooling System Problems

The Importance Of The Cooling
System
 Diesel Engine Manufacturers Have Increased Engine
Operating Temperatures To Improve Engine Efficiency

 Proper Cooling System Management Is As Important As The Quality Of

Your Oil & Fuel !

 Overheating, Overcooling, Pitting, Cavitation, Erosion, Cracked Heads,

Piston Seizures & Plugged Radiators Are Classic Cooling System Failures

 Effective Preventative Maintenance Can Avoid These Costly Failures &

Repairs
 Cooling System Functions

 Remove Heat Generated From Fuel Combustion

 Burn Temperatures Can Reach 1,937 Deg. C

 Transfer Heat From

 Water Cooled Exhaust Manifolds
 Water Cooled Turbocharger Shields / Housings
 Jacket Water After Coolers
 Cooling System Function
Proportional Amount Of Heat Dissipated From Engines
Exhaust HP

Radiated HP

Flywheel HP Cooling HP
 Engine Cooling System

Cylinder Head

Thermostat
Housing
Water Bypass
Radiator
Water Pump

Cylinder
Oil Cooler
Liners

Cylinder Block
Cooling System Problems

 Overheating

 Overcooling

 Loss Of Coolant
 Typical Overheating Causes
 Low Coolant Level
 Plugged Radiator Core
 Loose Fan Belts
 Reduced Airflow Through Radiator
 Insufficient Cooling System Pressure
 Coolant Overflow
 High Inlet Air Temperature Or Restriction
 Low Heat Transfer Through Scale Build Up For Example
 Exhaust Restriction
 Excessive Engine Load
 Water Pump Or Temperature Regulator Failure
 Overheating Effects

 Cracked Or Warped Cylinder Heads

 Overcooling
 Low Ambient Air Temperatures & Light Loading

 Water Temperature Regulators Stuck Open or Removed

 Defective Temperature Gauge

 Effects

 If Temperatures Less Than 80 Degree C, High Sulfur Fuel

Increases Wear On Engine Components
 Engines don’t reach the most effective operating temperature
consequently maximum performance is not realized
Water Is The Most Efficient Heat Transfer Agent

 Drawbacks
 Contains Chlorides, sulfates, suspended solids
 Causes Scales & Deposits Leading To Clogged Radiators And
Failed Water Pumps, Builds Sediment

 Improper pH Level
 Attacks Copper, Aluminum & Steel Engine Components,
Causing Corrosion & Damaged Seals

 Lower Boiling Point

 Lower Performance
 Faults Resulting From No Chemical
Protection
Hard water scale Fouling of the heater core Corrosion of the Thermostat
buildup on the cold with silica gel & phosphate water pump malfunctions
side of the liner, sludge, resulting in impellors
creating an insulating reduced heat to the cab &
effect & consequent bunk heaters Solder corrosion &
hot spots consequent solder
bloom fouling

Cylinder Head Corrosion of the

copper or aluminum
Corrosion of the steel Thermostat radiator core
& cast iron surfaces Housing Radiator
Water Bypass

Water Pump Fouling of the radiator

with silica gel or
Severe pitting of Oil phosphate sludge
Cylinde
wet sleeve liners Cooler from the antifreeze
r
Liners

Gel insulates fan

Short-outs in block heater
due to phosphate scale
buildup
Cylinder temperature sensors
Block causing improper
air fan operation
Water pump seal failure leading to overheating
Water pump cavitation
due to excess dissolved
due to foaming Hoses can become soft
solidsand / or high
and brittle if the wrong
phosphate levels
additives are used
 Coolant
 Function
 Transfer Heat From Hot Engine Components To A
Radiator Or Heat Exchanger.
 Additive protection is required to improve the properties of the
water base.

 Desired Characteristics
 High Boiling Temperature
 Freeze Protection
 Corrosion Resistance
 Scale & Deposit Prevention
 Non Foaming
 Minimum Sediment
 Maintain pH
 Traditional Coolant Problems
 Wet Sleeve Liner Pitting  Overheating / Loss Of
Heat Transfer
 Measuring Nitrate Level
 Radiator Tube Deposits -
 Total Dissolved Solids plugging

 Solder Bloom
 Hard Water Scale

 Foaming
 Water Pump Seal
Failures
Cavitation & Pitting On Cylinder Wall
1. Bubble Forms 2. Collapse Begins

3. Implosion Dissipates 4. Eventual Erosion

Energy On Cylinder & Pitting Without
Wall Removing Additive
Oxide Film
Cavitation Effects

 Cavitation Of The Cylinder Wall Will Eventually

Allow Coolant To Leak In To The Cylinder
 Cavitation Erosion & Pitting Effects

 Holes In A Cylinder Wall

On Engine Block Caused
By Cavitation Erosion &
Pitting
Corrosion Caused By Lack Of Coolant
Additive
 Corrosion On A Water Pump Passage
 The Effects Of Cavitation Erosion
 Failure - Causing
Corrosion On  An Example Of Cylinder
A Pre-combustion Wall Cavitation Erosion
Chamber
 Rust
 Examples Of Component Failure & Poor Performance
Caused By Rust

 Generally As A Result Of The Absence Of A Coolant

Additive
Rust Deposits On OutsideRusting Inside A Water Pump
Cylinder Wall Surface Temperature Regulator
Failure As A Result Of
Rust & Scale Deposits
 Water Quality
 Water Characteristics Vary From Location To
Location

 However Must Meet Acceptability Guidelines

Established By Your Engine Manufacturer

 Contact Your Water Supply Company To

Determine Water Specifications

 Compare With The Minimum Acceptable

Levels Of Chlorides, Sulfates, Hardness,
Total Solids and pH Level From Your Engine
Manufacturer
 Water Quality
 Must Conform To Established Levels Of:

 Chloride 2.4 gr./gal max

 Sulfates 5.9 gr./gal max
 Total Hardness 10 gr./gal max
 Total Solids 20 gr./gal max
 pH Level 5.5 - 9.0

 Cat Recommends Distilled Or De-ionized Water

 Never Use Water Alone as a Coolant

 ELC Recommendations
Compartment First Choice: Second Choice:
Cat Oil Spec* Industry Oil Spec*
CAT ELC
EXTENDED LIFE (Factory Fill)
COOLANTS *Life: 6,000 Hours or 6 Years
*Add Cat Extender 3,000 Hours
or 3 Years
*No SCAs Needed at 250 Hours
*Lowest Operating Cost
Compared to Cat DEAC

* Please see SEBU6250 for the latest Cat Machine

Coolant Recommendations.
Coolants - Features Comparison
Feature Cat (ELC) Cat (DEAC) Commercial Heavy Duty
Extended Life Diesel Engine Coolants
Coolant Antifreeze / Coolant
Coolant Change Interval 6,000 SMU 3,000 SMU 3,000 SMU
or or or
300,000 Miles 300,000 Miles 150,000 Miles
Inhibitor Addition Cat Extender Cat SCA Cat SCA
(One Time Only 3,000 SMU) Every 250 SMU or Equilvalent
Every 250 SMU
Ethylene Glycol Base Yes Yes Yes
Additive Technology Carboxylic Acid Toytriazole Nitrates Nitrate, Silicates
(Some) Silicates (Some) Borates, Phosphates
Nitrates (Some) Borates (Some) Molybdates*
Meets Cat EC-1 Yes No No
Aluminium Compatible Yes Yes Many
Mixed Fleet Use Yes Limited Many
SCA Required No Yes Yes
Color Strawberry Red Pink Green Or Yellow Green
SCA Test Kit Not Required Required Required
Initial FIII No Cat Extender Required No Cat SCA Required Most Require Some SCA
 Cat Extended Life Coolant - ELC
 Benefits
 Premixed 50% ELC 50% De-ionized Water
 Ensures Water Quality
 Ensures Correct Antifreeze To Water Mix

 Eliminates Hard Water Scale

 Reduces Coolant Costs From 42% - 63% Over Cat

DEAC

 Requires No Coolant Conditioner Test Kit

 Environmentally Friendly
Reduced Disposal Volume And Is Recyclable
 Cat Extended Life Coolant - ELC
 Lasts Twice As Long As DEAC In Cat Machines & Commercial
Engines, And Three Times As Long In Cat Truck Engines
6,000 SMU vs 3,000 SMU

 Reduced Coolant Disposal

 No Cleaner Required, Flush with water

 Improved Al Corrosion Protection

 Reduced Service Additions

 DEAC required SCA Every Oil Change
 Cat ELC Extender at Half Life only, Requires No Supplemental Coolant
Additives
 Cat Extender For Maximum Coolant
Life
Machines & Commercial Engines

Cat Diesel Engine Antifreeze / Coolant

3,000 SMU
(Cat SCA Every 250 SMU)

Cat Extended Life

Coolant
6,000 SMU or 6 Years

(Whichever Comes First)

 Cat Extended Life Coolant
Part No. Package Size Description
119-5148 Bulk (5,000 Gallons) Premixed (50/50)
101-2845 55 Gallons Premixed (50/50)
101-2844 1 Gallon Premixed (50/50)
119-5150 1 Gallon Concentrate
119-5152 Quart Bottle Cat Extender

119-5148 313
101-2845 24,310
101-2844 488
119-5150 992
119-5152 662
 Cat Extender
Quantity of Extender
Needed at Cat Long Life Coolant/Antifreeze Half-Life*
Approximate Amount at
Cooling System Capacity 150,000 Miles or 3,000 Hours**

Gal. (L) Qty (119-5152)

6-8 22-30 0.5 (Bottle)

8-13 30-49 1 (Bottle)
13-22 49-83 1.5 (Bottles)
22-30 83-114 2 (Bottles)
30-41 114-155 3 (Bottles)
41-52 155-197 4 (Bottles)
52-64 197-243 5 (Bottles)
 Periodic Maintenance

 Initial Fill
 Select Proper Water, Coolant Additive & Antifreeze
 Always Premix Before Adding To Cooling System
 Do Not Fill faster Than 19 Liters (5 gal) / min
 After Filling Run Engine For Several Minutes With Radiator
Cap Off
 Install Radiator Cap And Run Engine At Low Idle Until
Engine Becomes Warm
 Inspect Level In Top Tank. Add Coolant If Necessary
 Cooling System Maintenance

 Objective
 Improve PM To Avoid Overheating Problems
 Lower Operating Costs Through Good System Maintenance
 Lower Cost Per Hour
Preventative Maintenance - 10 / 250
SMU
 10 Hour / Daily Check
 Inspect Coolant Level
 Check Radiator Core

 250 Hour / Monthly Check

 Inspect Coolant Level
 Clean Radiator Core
 Inspect Condition & Tension Of Fan Belts - Adjust / Replace As
Required
 IF NOT Using Cat Extended Life Coolant Add Supplemental Coolant
Additive
 Test Coolant For Freeze Protection If necessary
 Inspect Radiator Cap & Gasket
 Inspect Hoses, Engine Electrical Grounds
 Check Function Of Water Temperature Regulator
 Preventative Maintenance - 3,000
SMU
 3,000 SMU /24 Months
 Perform All 250 SMU Checks
 Add Cat Extender If Using Cat Extended Life Coolant
Otherwise
Drain, Clean & Refill The Cooling System
 Inspect Condition Of Fan Blades & Guards, Hoses & Clamps
 Tighten All Clamps
 Perform A Coolant Analysis

 6,000 SMU Or 6 Years Whichever Comes First

 If Using Cat Extended Life Coolant, Drain, Flush With Clean
Water And Refill
 Otherwise Repeat The 3,000 SMU PM
 Cooling System Cleaners
 Mild Solvents Which Dissolve & Depress Mineral Scale,
Corrosion Products, Light Oil Contamination & Sludge.
Two Formulations Available

 A "Quick Clean" Formulation Which Takes ~ 90 min To

Clean The System 6V4511
 A Slower-acting Formulation That Remains In The Engine
For The Duration Of Oil Change Cycle 4C4611

 For Heavy Scale Build Up Stronger Commercial Solvents

Should Be Used
 Maintenance Summary
 Check Your Cooling System Every Day

 Warm Engine By Idling Until Proper Cooling System Temperatures &

Pressures Are Reached

 Monitor And Maintain Correct Operating Temperature

 Test Coolant Conditioner Every 250 SMU (Maintain 3 - 6 %

Concentration) & Change Every 3,000 SMU For DEAC use

 Always Use Distilled Or De-ionized Water With Supplemental

Conditioners

 Cool Down Engine By Idling Before Shutdown

 Cooling System Management -
Summary
 An Effective Cooling System Preventative Maintenance
Program & The Use Of Cat Extended Life Coolant (ELC)
Will:

 Significantly Reduce Engine Failures & Problems

 Improve Engine Operating Performance and consequently

production

 Reduce Operating costs

 Improve Parts Reusability at Overhaul Period

 Diesel Engine Antifreeze/Coolant
Concentrate

 Diesel Engine Antifreeze/Coolant Concentrate

 A fluid, usually containing a corrosion inhibitors and
ethylene or propylene glycol, which is used with or added to
the water in an engine’s cooling system to prevent freezing.

 SCA
 A Supplemental Coolant Additive, usually containing nitrite
and other corrosion inhibitors, which is used to replenish
depleted corrosion inhibitors to assure good protection of
wet sleeve cylinder liners and other components.
 Cat Supplemental Coolant Additive
(SCA)

 NEVER USE WATER ALONE AS A COOLANT

 Add 6% SCA By Concentration

 Cat Diesel Engine Antifreeze & Coolant (DEAC)
 No Need To Add SCA At Initial Fill
 SCA Required Every 250 SMU
 Check SCA Concentration Using The SCA Test Kit
 8T5296
 Test Equipment
 Supplemental Coolant Additive Test Kit - 8T5296
 Checks Concentration SCA
 Checks Ethylene Glycol Range
 Only Takes A Few Minutes To Perform

 Coolant Testers - 5P3514

 Accurate Reading Of Freezing Temperature

 Blowby / Air Flow Indicator Group - 8T2700

 Hand Held Digital Indicator And Remote Pickup
 Measure Air Velocity Through Radiators
 Coolant Analysis

 Verifies The Proper Chemistry Of Your Coolant

 Diagnoses The Condition Of Your

Cooling System

 Allows You To Correct Coolant

Or Cooling System Problems
Before Costly Failures Occur
 Advanced Modular Cooling System
(AMOCS)

 Two Pass Cooling System

 Circulates Coolant From The Sectioned Bottom Tank

(1) Up Through One Side
(2) Of The Cooling Element & Down Though The Other Side
(3) Returning It To The Bottom Tank
Engine Coolant Term Glossary
Alkaline - Having properties of an alkali -- having a pH greater than 7
Amines - One of a class of organic compounds which can be considered to be derived from
ammonia (NH3) by replacement of one or more hydrogens by functional groups.
Block Copolymer - A commonly used defoamant composed of blocks of ethylene oxide and
propylene oxide, polymerized together. At elevated temperatures, these surfactants
become insoluble due to loss of water of hydration in the molecule. This insoluble
polymer defoams the coolant then redissolves when the coolant temperature
decreases below its cloud point.
Carboxylic Acid - Monobasic - An organic acid containing a single carboxylic acid group (-
COOH)
Carboxylic Acid -- Dibasic - An organic acid containing two carboxylic acid groups (-COOH)
Coolant -- DEAC - Caterpillar’s Diesel Engine Antifreeze Coolant
Coolant - ELC -Caterpillar’s Extended Life Coolant, formerly Long-Life Coolant Antifreeze
Corrosion - Cathodic - Corrosion at a negatively charged conductor in contact with a
conductive solution.
Corrosion - Cavitation - Corrosion activated by creation and implosion of vapor pockets
near a metal surface. Mechnical energy initiates surface corrosion.
Conductivity (mhos) - The receiprocal of the electrical resistance (in ohms) of two parallel
1 cm electrodes separated by 1 cm of the solution of interest.
Entrainment (of Air) - The pickup and dispersion of air in a liquid (eg. Engine coolant) in a
semi-stable condition.
Extender - Caterpillar’s reinhibition additive for ELC.
Flocculent - Cloudlike and noncrystalline (precipitate).
Engine Coolant Term Glossary
Ionic Strength - Concentration of ions.
Ionize - To convert wholly or partly to ions.
Ppm - parts per million which is equivalent to milligrams per liter.
Umho - Micro mhos - which is 1 /(mega ohms). A umho is 1/1,000,000th of a mho, which
is a measure of the electrical conductance (1/resistance) of a liquid.
Opaque - Not pervious to radiant energy and especially visible light (I.e. not at all
transparent).
pH - The negative log 10 of the activity of the hydrogen ion concentration of the solution
of interest.
Precipitate - A substance separating, in solid particles, from a liquid as the result of a
chemical or physical change.
SCA - Caterpillar’s Supplemental Coolant Additive for use in Caterpillar DEAC to reinhibit
the used fluid. Contains sodium silicate, sodium borate, sodium nitrite, and either
sodium mercaptobenzothiazole or sodium tolytriazole.
Silane - An effective dispersant for Silicates in standard antifreeze. A molecule with a
silane backbone {H(-Sih2)x H} with organic groups replacing some or all of the
hydrogens.
Silicone (Modified) - Very effective defoamants. A molecule with a silicone backhoe H(-
Sih2-O-)x H} with organic groups replacing some or all of the hydrogens. Generally
insoluble (but made dispersible) in both aqueous and petroleum based liquids.
Soap - A reaction product of a carboxylic acid and alkali (normal) or alkaline earth (hard
water) hydroxide (eg. Potassium Sebacate.
Surfactant or Surface-active Agent - A soluble compound that reduces the surface
tension of liquids, or reduces the interfacial tension between two liquids or a liquid and
a solid (eg. Make water wetter).