Waterless Coolant & More

Most people don’t think much about the coolant in their radiator until their truck overheats in the middle of nowhere! So, what do you need to know about green and red antifreeze? Nothing! Just forget about them and install Evans Waterless Coolant in your truck. It’s good for the life of the engine and doesn’t boil, unless you get your engine over 375 degrees. Yes, it is expensive, but since there will be no pressure in the radiator, heater core, or all of the hoses, they will last longer. Not only that, there is no corrosion, so the engine block, water pump and cylinder liners will all last longer, too. This will certainly help your truck to run longer – and give you a little peace of mind.

Do you always feel the need to stop and check your coolant level after climbing a long hill? Well, there’s no need to worry about the pressure pushing the coolant out of the radiator and burning you, because there is NO pressure. That’s why it WILL NOT blow out of the radiator. The pressure created with green or red antifreeze is from the coolant boiling in the head and next to the cylinder liners. Evans doesn’t do this because of its exceptionally-high boiling point.

Those of you who are mechanically-inclined have probably seen how liner pitting can put coolant into the oil pan. Well, not with Evans. The liners WILL NOT pit, so premature engine failures are darn-near eliminated. Steam created by boiling antifreeze creates a “barrier” effect and doesn’t show up on the coolant temperature sensor. We do not know how much boiling takes place above the piston in the head because the sensor is not in that area. However, there are more cracked cylinder heads on the electronic engines than we ever had with the older mechanical engines, because the newer electronic engines run hotter. So, let’s try to eliminate the head cracking issues by using Evans Waterless Coolant and 180-degree thermostats. And, when it’s time for a new radiator, install one of our high-flow dimpled-tubed units with more tubes and more “fins-per-inch” than a stock one (then you won’t have to stare at the temperature gauge on every hill)!

In addition to all of the other advantages that Evans Waterless Coolant provides, it can also increase your truck’s fuel mileage, but I have always wondered how. Evans, with its’ 375-degree boiling point, usually recommends installing a 205-degree thermostat, which raises the temperature of when the fan comes on. I’m old school – I like 180 degrees, which is why we at Pittsburgh Power have stayed away from Evans Waterless Coolant for so long. Last summer at the truck show in Dallas, Evans’ booth was right across the aisle from ours, so at the end of the show I asked them why I couldn’t use a 180-degree thermostat with their coolant and they said I could. I wish they would have told me this five years ago! I never could figure out how higher coolant temperatures could improve fuel mileage, but as it turns out, the fuel savings results from the fan coming on less (or not at all). When we install our high-flow radiators and 180-degree thermostats, the truck usually never sees 205 degrees, so the fan rarely ever comes on. That is why we see an improvement in fuel savings, too. Keep this in mind: a thermostat takes 15 degrees to fully open, so a 190-degree thermostat is not fully open until 205 degrees, and a 195 thermostat at 210 degrees, which is too hot for me.

Here is something else to consider when thinking about switching to Evans Waterless Coolant – it contains no silicates. Silicates are corrosion inhibitors that are present in regular antifreeze. Silicates can build-up on the liners and in the water jacket, which inhibits cooling. They are also known to clog the screens in the coolant tubes going to the aftercooler, especially on the Cummins BC4 low-flow cooling system. Evans does NOT corrode, because there are NO silicates or phosphates in their coolant. Yes, it is expensive, priced at $47.95 per gallon, and it takes 3 to 5 hours to drain and clean the cooling system and install the Evans coolant, but it is well worth it. Think about this: with a larger radiator, a bypass oil filtration system (such as the OPS-1 Eco-Pur or the Spinner 2), Fleet-Air filters, our quiet performance mufflers that don’t hold soot, and Evans Waterless Coolant combined, your engine just might run for two million miles – or more!

On the subject of fuel mileage, have you checked your truck and trailer’s wheel alignment lately? As of July of this year, Pittsburgh Power became an MD Alignment authorized shop. If you listen to Kevin Rutherford on the XM-Sirius Road Dog Radio Show, you will know the value of the MD Alignment system. Mike Beckett is the founder and inventor of the system and is known throughout North America as the leading expert on tire wear. He spends most of his time on the road finding cures for the OEM truck manufacturers and fleets. I have known Mike for the past four years and have always been impressed by his knowledge of suspensions and alignments. In my 64 years, I have NEVER met a person so well-versed on these subjects.

Most of the trucks we see in our shop have over 700,000 miles on them and there is obvious wear on their suspension. Most of the time it’s the track bars, and on Freightliners, the U-bolts that hold the rear suspension up are often loose, too. How can you expect to get tire mileage and fuel mileage when your differentials are not tracking straight? When your truck is in our shop, it only takes an hour to check your alignment. Bad alignment will rob you of thousands of dollars in fuel mileage and tire life, so come in and get it checked. If you have any questions, I can be reached at Pittsburgh Power in Saxonburg, PA at (724) 360-4080 or via e-mail at bruce1@pittsburghpower.com.