Would it be safe to drain my radiator and refill with Rotella ELC? It is rated for 600,000 miles. My local Napa does not sell Zerex G-05.

 

The Shell Rotella Extended Life Coolant/Antifreeze is formulated with an extended life carboxylate inhibitor system including nitrite and molybdate as the secondary.This product does not contain conventional inhibitors like silicates, nitrates or amines. The information in the data sheets suggest that carboxylate technology is recognized as an OAT or Organic Acid Technology. OAT formulations contain no silicates for corrosion protection. The Hybrid OAT or HOAT G-05 coolants specified for our trucks contain a small amount of silicates in the formulation, but not enough to fall out of solution.

In addition, Rotella ELC does not meet the Chrysler MS-9769 specification and manufacturer's requirement as per the technical data sheet.
It does mention that Rotella ELC is recommended for all "heavy duty" cooling systems including Cummins; however, this list suggests that this product is marketed for over the road semi trucks and earthmoving equipment. Given that information, the dilution/mixing with non-equivalent coolants will significantly reduce or eliminate the extended life properties (600,000 miles). Most importantly, the mixing of Hoat and Oat formulations may result in unwanted compatability issues.

NAPA is a supplier of Valvoline/Ashland products. I too, was unable to locate the Zerex G-05 on the shelves at my local NAPA and the Newark Delaware store. I had to ask the salesperson for G-05 and was told that they keep it in the back, behind the counter. If your NAPA does not stock it, they can order it for you.

The following list contains four readily available G0-5 HOAT coolants that meet the requirements as per Chrysler spec. MS-9769.

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

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

Mercedes Benz Antifreeze Agent - Part # Q 103 0002

Valvoline Zerex G-05 Hoat - Available in concentrate. The NAPA part # is ZXG051.

The following is from the NAPAOnline shopping page. Very simple to look up, and even shows that Zerex is available at my local NAPA.
Antifreeze / Cooling System, 1 GAL
Product Line: Zerex
Part Number: ZRX ZXG051

Availability: Available Now
Features & Benefits Factory Fill & Approved For Ford & Daimler Chrysler Vehicles, Phosphate Free, Reduced Silicate, Fully Formulated
Manufacturer : Valvoline
Product Application : Zerex G-05 - Concentrate - Liquid - Yellow

I hope you find this information helpful.

 

I need to change mine out how many gallons do I need to purchase?

 

The capacity of the cooling system is 7.4 gallons;therfore, you would want at least 4 gallons of G-05 concentrate if you are flushing the system. I also recommend the use of distilled water if you plan to flush the system. The factory service manual also recommends diluting the concentrated coolant with distilled water as well.

 

Nice, short and to the point!
Thanks DR.

 

its been in my 99 for 5 years now with no probs.

 

How about John Deere Cool Guard II?

 

I have heard Dex-Cool is very bad but here is what the prestone bottle says:


Is this right or wrong?

 

I researched this product at the time it was introduced. My findings indicate that Cool Gard II is also an extended life OAT formulation. The technical services representative that I spoke with suggested that Cool Gard II contains three inhibitors, two of which he would not disclose because they are proprietary and protected by law. The representative also informed me that it should not be mixed with coolants that contain nitrites. G-05 HOAT formulations contain nitrites. Given that information, I do not recommend the use of Cool Gard II.

 

The pictured product is Prestone's licensed Dex Cool clone in the 150/5 variety. The label on the bottle shown is older (2years perhaps) as it has has been replaced with newer labeling. Dex Cool and it's licensed clones are recognized as OAT coolants, incorporating 2-ethylhexanoic acid (2-EHA) and ethelene-glycol. This formulation does not include phosphates, borates, silicates or nitrites. The anti-rust additive 2-EHA, present in OAT formulas is regarded as a plasticizer,which in short has been rumored to damage various gasket materials. As a result, lawsuits have cast doubt upon the effectiveness of Dex Cool. While performing my research of coolants, I reviewed several technical data sheets and contacted a representative from BASF regarding compatability with their Glysantin (G-05) product. My findings indicate that most coolant blends are based on carefully balanced mixtures of various corrosion inhibitors. Mixing of coolants with different inhibitor packages can lead to loss of corrosion protection. Glysantin G-05 should therefore not be mixed with silicate free, OAT engine coolants

A call to Prestone revealed that they do not manufacture a HOAT specific formula. That being said, Honeywell/Prestone has also been embroiled in a lawsuit with Valvoline regarding All Makes/All Models Claims where Honeywell's advertisements and product labeling claim that Prestone extended life antifreeze/coolant can be used in vehicles of "all makes, all models.''
I quote from the document "Even if GM 6277M were to be viewed as establishing that General Motors has accepted Prestone as compatible with antifreeze/coolants utilizing different chemistries and providing corrosion protection for an extended period, the record is clear that Ford and DaimlerChrysler have not. As noted above, both Ford and DaimlerChrysler specifically recommend against mixing OAT based antifreeze/coolants with the HOAT antifreeze/coolants provided in their more recent vehicles." I have attached the document for review. Given that information, Prestone's claims are not exactly confidence-inspiring and therefore I would not recommend using this in a vehicle that specifies a HOAT coolant.



http://www.gohtsn.com/printer_321.shtml

 

Thanks for the info.

 

You bet!

 

Can someone please help! I need to add antifreeze to my 2001 Dodge 5.9 Cummins. Not sure what antifreeze is in there. I've read that it should use the G-05 with the Nitrates added. But I'm not sure if I should use that or a Universal coolant since I have no idea what's in the truck since I just bout it about a year ago. I've cked the coolant but dang it I have no idea what color it is.