Somebody else probably knows all the reasons but I do know that the owners manual calls for it. It does have 0 minerals and stuff that can corrode and maybe most importantly is that it has a higher boiling point than tap water. With that said, my friend with an 04 has used tap water with no bad effect but he has pretty good water.

 

LoL, noticed 92'1stGen posted three min faster than me.

 

Ah ok, well I didn't add much.

 

Water quality plays a very important role in cooling system efficiency. In many parts of the world, tap water, no matter what the source contains minerals such as magnesium and calcium that can form deposits in a cooling system, especially on the engine’s hottest components.

Tap water is also processed and may contain items such as minerals, chlorides, sulphates, flouride and chlorine. These chemicals and minerals are considered contaminates that can compromise the integrity of a cooling system and it's components. The deposits can become large enough where they compromise the heat transfer rate of the cooling system, and may create blockages if they break free. Other contaminants such as iron and chlorine are relatively common, however; at high enough levels, can be corrosive.

The addition of tap water to concentrated coolant causes a rapid depletion of the coolants' anti-corrosion additives as it is forced to react to or neutralize those chemicals and minerals introduced into the system. While the G-05 formulated coolants are very tolerant of hard water, I believe the only way to avoid minerals and other contaminants is to dilute with distilled water instead of tap water.

 

Yikes!!!! That hurt my head---but was a very good post.

 

Don't know.... maybe i should change it out. Put a whole gallon of drinking water in there the day of and just got it back from the shop.


Change her a little early?

 

I would, and it's very simple to do if you take the heater hose off the back of the block because it will allow most of the coolant to bleed out of the block.

 

How many gallons of HOAT do I need?




You know I told the dealer I wanted the truck back after getting the water pump under warranty just as it was before it broke (never been in the shop) and they guy said they only give 1 gallon of HOAT and that I would be fine with a weak mix in there.


I should go kick someone's A.

 

Especially since I told him I had to fill it up on the side of the road.

 

The system I used was to drain the rad using the petcock. Dumped some rad flush in the system and drove it for a day. Waited until the engine cooled off and drained it again, 5 days in a row. It was amazing the crud that came out with every drain. It was only on the 5th drain that the water came out reasonably clear. After that I filled it up with Zerex HOAT.

 

For a full complete flush, (assuming you've gotten all the old coolant out or diluted it so heavily with new distilled), you'll need about 3.7 gals of HOAT and about 3.7 gal of distilled. Read AH64ID's flushing method and he mentions exactly what to do to get a 50/50 mixture of coolant. Basically fill the block with 3.7 gals of straight coolant and then top it off with distilled. You do this because there is still a residual amount of distilled in the block, so filling it with all the necessary coolant first and then topping it with distilled will offset that. But still, go read that thread though because he's spot on with his recommendations.

 

Will do thanks for the advice. Still arguing with chysler about it, want them to do it.



Update Edit: they are going to do it for $70 so I am happy with it and will get it done.

 

For those performing the flush procedure as a DIY project. The third generation Dodge Ram specs. a (Glysantin) G-05 HOAT coolant. At the present time, there are four G0-5 HOAT coolants available. All of which are suitable for use in the Dodge Ram CTD. Of the four G-05 coolants available, I use the Zerex G-05 HOAT because it is the most cost effective choice. The Ford offering is often a few dollars more per gallon. The Mopar and Mercedes coolants range between 21 and 32 dollars per gallon. I have listed the coolants below.

1). Mopar 5 Year/100,000 Mile with (HOAT) Embittered (MS-9769)

2). Ford / Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant - Ford Part #VC-7A

3). Mercedes Benz Antifreeze Agent - Part # Q 103 0002

4). Valvoline Zerex G-05 Hoat - Available in concentrate.
The NAPA part # is ZXG051. NAPA carries all of the Valvoline product line. If they do not have it on the shelves or behind the counter, a store associate can order it for you. Other parts stores do not carry it on their shelves. Do not forget to dilute the coolant with distilled water as recommended for your climate.

Just an FYI... If you plan to remove the petcock in order to drain the coolant and find it extremely tight. In order to remedy this situation in the future, some members find it beneficial to apply grease or lubricant to the o-ring and threads while reinstalling the petcock. If you feel the need to utilize grease on the o-ring, I recommend placing some waterproof /silicone grease (plumbers grease, faucet grease) on the o-ring to facilitate the installation and future removal. This can be found at hardware stores.

I do not recommend the use of petroleum based grease or lubricants on the o-rings. This practice will compromise the integrity of the 0-ring material, therefore causing it to swell and lead to eventual failure of the rubber and plastic.