Hi All I have a 2003 Volvo ec210blc (v11360) I want to flush the radiator and install a new cap and filter. My question is what type of coolant does this machine call for and does anyone recommend something better? Cat coolant maybe? Additives maybe? I live in Florida so it's always hot. Also any tips or tricks on the flush? Thanks
A good heavy duty pre-mixed coolant will work. Final Charge is one brand that comes to mind, you could also do Cat but I doubt there's any real difference other than price lol. At your initial fill you shouldn't need any additives. To stay on top of things you can get coolant test strips and each time you service it you can test and see if you need to add anything based on PH of coolant. As far as flush goes it's hard to beat the good ole powdered dishwasher detergent. Has to be dishwasher not any other type of soap as they foam like a biotch and you'll end up flushing it a 1,000 times to get all the soap out. Run the machine up to temp, drain, refill with water and the dishwasher soap. A word of caution, use the hottest water you can make to pre-mix the soap and fill the machine up to flush. Don't want cold water hitting hot metal in your motor etc. Run it for a bit and then drain it, see what it looks like. May have to repeat that several times until it flushes out clean. Once it's clean you can refill with straight hot water and run it, drain and repeat until its clean water. Take your time and clean the fins of the radiator, AC condenser etc, straighten any bent fins, clean crud out from between etc. Depending on hours it may not hurt to do a thermostat while you have it drained as well as any hoses. I'd hate to do a fresh refill and end up losing it all to a blown hose. Take note of how much you drain so you know it's refilled properly and there's no air pocket. Either take your time and let it burp as you go or get a vacuum setup to refill. Takes longer but assures no air pockets. Some machines are bad about that, hard to fill without getting one. I think I got it all, any other questions just ask. Junkyard
Great info Thank You Does the color of the coolant matter?
I'll disagree with the dishwasher detergent unless you have crud in there. If you drain the existing coolant and there's no sediment or crud that settles out, then I'd just flush it with distilled water or rain water by working it a couple hours and draining the water into a clean bucket to see if it comes clean. It will have a slight rust tinge if there's no coolant that didn't drain the first time, but as long as there's no sediment then you're fine. Cat ELC or other ELC coolant is what Nige would recommend, with a filter with no additives. Do you know what it had new, and what might still be in there? The color doesn't help as much as you'd think, but what color is the existing coolant?
I failed to mention that Delmer, assuming it needed a true cleaning and flush. Although it wouldn't hurt to clean it out I suppose. Any of the extended life heavy duty coolants would be red, pink, orangish hell idk I'm color blind lol. Most everything now is extended life so I'd imagine that's what's in there unless somebody changed it or mixed. Hard to beat Cat ELC.
I've only had this machine a year and a half. I changed the coolant filter ( and all other filters) when I got it. It doesn't run everyday. I've noticed lately the temperature creeping up a little more than usual after about 4-5 hours of running. The coolant in it is green. I Don't think that is the right stuff.
After a full flush, heater core included, you can go back with coolant of your choice. Make sure heater valves are open and turn the heat on while you run it so it's all flushed too.
Ok Will do Thank You
Late to this party but here's my take. I never flush with chemicals unless it is full of oil or something. In my teenage years that was a sure recipe to make my jalopy start leaking so I guess it stuck. If it is nasty inside I will flush with hose water until it comes out clean. If there is some rust left in there that the water does not pick up it can stay in there. If you start with a cool engine and maintain a flow from the hose you will not shock anything with cold water. If it is not nasty then I will drain at the easiest spot, and refill with fresh coolant. No need to get every ounce out, just change it on a regular schedule [couple years] and it all gets changed eventually. The ELC has chemicals to account for minor imbalances of stuff. If I used water to clean it out then I add straight coolant concentrate to account for how much water is still trapped. Concentrate has buffer chemicals to account for minor minerals so no need to flush out every drop of hose water. Anything I add will be distilled water. Get the last of the hose water on the next change in a couple years. When refilling an empty engine as stated, easiest way is to measure what comes out and put the same back but failing that I will make sure that there is water to the bottom of the thermostat by pulling a hose or plug that is at the same elevation on the engine side of the thermostat. Sometimes if I am not sure I will run the engine a little, stop and pull again. Then get the engine running unloaded and feel the bypass hose or thermostat base or whatever to be sure water is flowing in the loop inside the engine as it gradually warms up keeping fingers out of the fan belt. [Watch the radiator top tank water/feel upper hose/feel radiator top tank/feel for warm air out the radiator if pusher fan] for the thermostat to open. Once it has opened you know you are fully purged and top off the system and you are done.
Good day Ec210 This is from the manufacturer Cause: With increasing peak pressure and engine output in Volvo Tier3 engines it is increasingly important to use the correct type of engine coolant. Action: - VCS Coolant YELLOW Decal has been attached near the coolant cap. - Coolant filter is not required for the new coolant VCS. - Exchange interval for the new coolant VCS is 4 years or 6000 hours. - NEVER MIX the new VCS and the previous BASF G48. VCS Coolant New P/N Concentrated 11715726
I forgot to mention in my previous rambling: For anything EGR or that has extreme demands on the coolant, manufacturer coolant only unless I can find a brand that I am certain MEETS or EXCEEDS the manufacturer's spec, not just "compatible with" or "recommended for" or some garbage like that. It is not that expensive to buy a few gallons of OE stuff.
I don't know what those volvo specs mean, I'd be comfortable using a good ELC (cat or Final Charge) if you can't get the volvo stuff. Pretty sure green is not the right stuff, that's why you'd do the rainwater/distilled water flush. 99% of the time you're overheating because the radiator air side is plugged with dust, but if it does have scale, and you were to fill it with hard water, work it a couple hours, and then drain it, the minerals would come out of the water and stay in your radiator for the most part. Running it with cold water running through like Birken said would be the way to go if you don't have a rain barrel.
I don't know it's previous Maintnance. I do know the air side is clean. I hose or blow the fins out frequently. Wondering if just a bad radiator cap could be the problem. It is not overheating. Just creeps up to 3/4 on the gauge rather than 1/2 like it use to. Think I'll put a new cap on first and see what happens then drain the old fluid and see what it looks like. Any signs to look for in the old coolant? So you're saying with the engine cold , open the drain plug , put the hose in the top, start the engine and let it flow till it comes out clean? Thanks for all the replies
The radiator cap is not going to have much effect on running temperature. My only change would be hose before drain because you don't want to chance the water level getting low and air getting into the engine while doing this, either. The idea of this procedure is the system never gets low on water.
Any sediment at all, or cloudiness in the old fluid. If there's enough sediment you can rinse it with water and do some simple chemistry on it to see if it's mineral deposits or sand or rust. So there's no oil cooler in front of the radiator and you look through it? Maybe there's air leaks around the radiator? or something else? Temperature readings of the top and bottom hose, block, water pump, and front and back of the radiator while it's as hot as you can get it will tell what's going on with the radiator.
So hose going, start engine, open drain, run till clear. Then shut drain, stop engine, stop hose? Then with engine and hose off drain out however much comes out and refill with concentrate? Yes there is a oil cooler in front (that I recently replaced due to unfixable leak) I cleaned radiator fins at that time. There are air leaks around the radiator, the shroud is pretty rough, but it has been like that since I've had it making me think that wasn't the problem. I will do the temperature readings. Thanks again Really appreciate it
The only thing I have to add is when running the engine it is going to clear up once when you have the radiator clean and then you are going to have to wait until the thermostat opens for it to dump the engine water to the radiator and clear up again. That or take off the heater feed hose before you start and let it pump the engine water out there much more quickly, you have to be more diligent about keeping the feed water going if you do that and cold engine only.
Got it Thank You
Look in the filer opening when it is drained for solder bloom around the tubes. It may need a professional cleaning in by a radiator re-builder.
I will check Thank You
Delmer Just wanted to say thanks. Couldn't get it out of my head when you said 99% of the time it's clogged on the air side. I put a 4ft pvc pipe on the garden hose, put a cap on the pipe and drilled a hole on the side of the cap so I could reach down from the top in between the oil cooler and the radiator. Cleaned the fins real good. Temperature stayed under half all day. Still going to do the flush and fluid change after this job. Thanks again