FMC Maint. Letter

[OT]

Rec'd today, did u get one yet? IIRC..not long ago..coolant type & checking strength etc. was talked about, curious...

Has anyone used Rotunda or other a/f test strips to check nitrite level? Letter says..nitrite level below 300 ppm..flush system etc. Now wondering what harm nitrite's do? TIA

[69ttop502]

I got it too

[Tony2Co]

Got it as well.

Yeah, I was wondering what nitrites do as well.

For anti-freeze replacement, is there an aftermarket product that replaces the gold stuff for sales? If so, is it any better?


Thanks

[RoyC]

Originally Posted by OT

Now wondering what harm nitrite's do? TIA

Nitrite's do not do any harm, they protect the engine. You should re-read the notice.

Roy

[kys03rigger]

Oh man when this letter arrived in my mailbox I was pissed. Not only did I just spend over $5000 on repairs related to the failure of my EGR cooler, proper Nitrate levels?? *** Ford!!!!

I have used the test strips, almost 3 months prior to my failure I used one and all the levels were fine. Basically low levels happen when you don't use the proper mixture; 50/50, or never change your coolant. I always follow my recommended schedule (give or take a few thousand) and my truck has had tons of problems.

Ford needed to do some better R&D (F ailed O n R esearch & D evelopment) instead of reminding customers of proper maintenance schedules. I understand part failures do happen but looking at this site and others about Turbo, injector, oil cooler and egr cooler failures really makes you wonder if not checking the coolant every interval really makes a difference.

Still, I guess oil changes and proper coolant maintenance are important, to ANY vehicle.

[teamroper60]

Just curious what this letter says.. I have not received one (yet). If I am reading between the lines correctly, they are now blaming the coolant for EGR cooler failures....... If this is the case, then I think they owe a bunch of people money since they blatantly told us that the Gold coolant did not need tested....

Tony2Co,

You could do what I did, flush the entire system out and go to an ELC coolant. This is what IH put in the VT365 (their version of the 6.0). This stuff is good for 300K in our application...

[bismic]

I believe the reason for the mailing was because exhaust gasses in the coolant system can (and eventually will) react with the coolant additives and deplete the silicates. This can cause pluggage in the EGR cooler and the oil cooler as the solids circulate. I am a believer in casting sand problems, but in a training video Ford states that the silicates precipitating out can be mistaken for casting sand.

From this, it seems that head gasket leaks and EGR cooler leaks can cause depletion of the coolant strength.

The mailing also has a reminder of the oil and filter change intervals and the fuel filter change interval (at normal and special operating conditions).

[OT]

KYS..When I started this thread..I was thinking what you said. My regular maint. etc. didnt prevent my h.g. etc. from blowing. But, yes..regular maint. is still important.

ROY..gotcha! Apparently if nitrite level falls below 300ppm then anticorrision strength is greatly reduced. I guess that means internals in contact with coolant can get eaten up? Anyhow..I'll have to add this to my already loooooong to do/check off list.

[kys03rigger]

I'm glad Ford does recognize that the owners of 6.0 L trucks are good people and loyal customers. I guess getting a good cover up letter not admitting bad design is swell opposed to nothing at all.

Proper maintenance is key to longevity. I take very close care to fully maintain my vehicle. If not for bad elements in the 6.0 rush to production package my rig would be near perfect mechanically.

I'm not asking for a stimulus package from Ford, but a really cool check to trade my rig in on a new 2010 would have been much better. Opposed to that letter arriving the day after I handed my next few paychecks over to a repair shop.

[CAMPINGTOM]

I got the letter too. I guess I'll test my coolant.

[HeavyAssault]

Originally Posted by teamroper60

Just curious what this letter says.. I have not received one (yet). If I am reading between the lines correctly, they are now blaming the coolant for EGR cooler failures....... If this is the case, then I think they owe a bunch of people money since they blatantly told us that the Gold coolant did not need tested....

Tony2Co,

You could do what I did, flush the entire system out and go to an ELC coolant. This is what IH put in the VT365 (their version of the 6.0). This stuff is good for 300K in our application...

Can you give some more info on this coolant? Where to buy? What does the container look like? Brand specific?

[teamroper60]

Originally Posted by HeavyAssault

Can you give some more info on this coolant? Where to buy? What does the container look like? Brand specific?

What I bought was Fleetrite ELC. I got it at the local IH dealer... I believe Texaco also sells an ELC... I don't remember what color the container was but the coolant is cherry red.. It says right on the container though that the stuff is good for 300K (600K in OTR rigs)..

And I got that letter today.... Funny how 6 and a half years after the truck came out, they tell me I need to be testing the nitrites in the coolant every 6 months when the owners manual clearly stated the following:

The concentration and level of engine coolant should be checked at the mileage intervals listed in the scheduled maintenance guide. The coolant concentration should be maintained at 50/50 coolant and distilled water, which equates to a freeze point of -36° C (-34° F). Coolant concentration testing is possible with a hydrometer or antifreeze tester (such as the Rotunda Battery and Antifreeze Tester, 014–R1060). The level of coolant should be maintained at the “cold full” of “cold fill range” level in the coolant reservoir. If the level falls below, add coolant per the instructions in the Adding engine coolant section......

Do not add extra inhibitors or additives to the coolant. These
can be harmful and compromise the corrosion protection of the engine
coolant.

Notice how all they wanted you to test then was coolant concentration and it specifically says to not add extra inhibitors or additives to the coolant.... Kinda makes a guy wonder what they have learned since then that changes their mind...

[Strokin' 6.0]

Just called my independant mech....he's going to flush my truck out and replace it with Fleetrite ELC...I think IH knows a little more about THEIR engines than FMC does.

[Pearlgc]

Seeing as this post went up 6 hrs before mine and my party isn't as chocked full of entertainment I thought I'd come over here!

The letter states to use either VC-8 (or equivalent) if coolant levels are between 300- 800 ppm or VC-9 to clean the radiator out if levels fall below 300 ppm, flush the system out and refill. I can be a bit ignorant of certain things such as how International Harvesters brand holds up to Motorcraft brands but also, I thought the old 50/50 'thing' went to the wayside years ago with the new colored coolants... pink, blue, orange, red, chartreuse! Aren't they supposed to be 100,000 or greater fluids?

I guess I'll just have to call good 'Ol Parr Ford and see.

[RatherBNtheWoods]

The letter also says for me to change my fuel filter(both) every 10K instead of the every 15K as my book states. I've been doing fuel filters every 3rd oil change, now I need to do it every other oil change?!?! There's another 65 bucks.

I think they're putting out CYA letters. Sorta like the letter I got telling me the death wobble is caused by me not keeping my tires inflated. Wonder why I haven't had the problem since they replaced the damper bracket with a more robust version. Suddenly I'm keeping my tires maintained better??