Quote:

---

I am becoming a dexcool fan again because of all the aluminum in my cooling systems. I think it provides better protection than the green stuff.

There are test strips that I use on HD trucks and my own cars and SUVs.
There a additive which contains a chemical called DCA or it stands for something. Many different companies sell it, contains nitrates? helps protect metals, all kinds of metal. You add it the the coolant and keep a eye on it with test strips and they will tell you when it's time to change coolant.

Now that I have eddie aluminum heads my green anti freeze was trashed after 1.5 years. I switched to dexcool and it is holding up much better.

there are 3 way test strips also for dexcool also that I use. Pencool is only one of many brands that contain DCA that is used, but you got to keep track with test stripps.

---

It's SCA. That stands for Supplemental Coolant Additive.

I sell Justice Brothers Cooling System Protector (CSP/1P) to my shops and dealerships. It has the SCA's needed to treat up to a 31 quart system.

When you put a new aluminum radiator or heater core there is a bunch of new fresh metal that pulls the SCA's and other inhibitors out of your traditional Green/Dex/Etc coolant mixture. This takes away from the reserve protection in your coolant. The industry has noted an increase of premature heater core and radiator failures due to failed protection.*

My shops will add a bottle of Justice Brothers Cooling System Protector to give added protection with new heater or radiator replacements.





* Here are the results from a premature radiator failure as investigated "Cool Profit$ Magazine" s radiator shop trade magazine

Quote:

---

The Bottom Line
(Closing thoughts by I.M.)
Our specific radiator had essentially four major strikes against it right from the start:

1. The cooling system, with only 26% glycol, was loaded half short on coolant, and, the corresponding amount of inhibitors.

2. Being short on coolant meant it was high on water. And again, Waco Water turns out to be not “good” water for a cooling system.

3. & 4. This aluminum radiator is exceptionally large for being a light duty application. What it really needed was an extra batch of inhibitors with the initial coolant charge. What it unfortunately got was a short one—it probably came in at about 62 ppm silicates. Then, as soon as that coolant hit all those brand new, uncoated aluminum tubes, the plating action quickly consumed the available protectors. By the time the concentration of silicates degraded its final value of 9 ppm, there was not enough left to continue protecting the most vulnerable part of the radiator: The tube welds.

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

I am becoming a dexcool fan again because of all the aluminum in my cooling systems. I think it provides better protection than the green stuff.

There are test strips that I use on HD trucks and my own cars and SUVs.
There a additive which contains a chemical called DCA or it stands for something. Many different companies sell it, contains nitrates? helps protect metals, all kinds of metal. You add it the the coolant and keep a eye on it with test strips and they will tell you when it's time to change coolant.

Now that I have eddie aluminum heads my green anti freeze was trashed after 1.5 years. I switched to dexcool and it is holding up much better.

there are 3 way test strips also for dexcool also that I use. Pencool is only one of many brands that contain DCA that is used, but you got to keep track with test stripps.

---

It's SCA. That stands for Supplemental Coolant Additive.

I sell Justice Brothers Cooling System Protector (CSP/1P) to my shops and dealerships. It has the SCA's needed to treat up to a 31 quart system.

When you put a new aluminum radiator or heater core there is a bunch of new fresh metal that pulls the SCA's and other inhibitors out of your traditional Green/Dex/Etc coolant mixture. This takes away from the reserve protection in your coolant. The industry has noted an increase of premature heater core and radiator failures due to failed protection.*

My shops will add a bottle of Justice Brothers Cooling System Protector to give added protection with new heater or radiator replacements.





* Here are the results from a premature radiator failure as investigated "Cool Profit$ Magazine" s radiator shop trade magazine

Quote:

---

The Bottom Line
(Closing thoughts by I.M.)
Our specific radiator had essentially four major strikes against it right from the start:

1. The cooling system, with only 26% glycol, was loaded half short on coolant, and, the corresponding amount of inhibitors.

2. Being short on coolant meant it was high on water. And again, Waco Water turns out to be not “good” water for a cooling system.

3. & 4. This aluminum radiator is exceptionally large for being a light duty application. What it really needed was an extra batch of inhibitors with the initial coolant charge. What it unfortunately got was a short one—it probably came in at about 62 ppm silicates. Then, as soon as that coolant hit all those brand new, uncoated aluminum tubes, the plating action quickly consumed the available protectors. By the time the concentration of silicates degraded its final value of 9 ppm, there was not enough left to continue protecting the most vulnerable part of the radiator: The tube welds.

---

---

Quote:

---

Distilled water and Prestone 100% (green) mixed 50/50 for me!

---

Quote:

---

...
No it's DCA...web page

---

Quote:

---

Pencool is only one of many brands that contain DCA that is used

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

...
No it's DCA...web page

---

Ok I'm sorry it's getting confusing with general industry terminalogy and manufacturer's product names.

"DCA" is Fleetguard's product name (Registered) for that product.

"Pencool" is Penray's product name (Registered) for that product.

You said,

Quote:

---

Pencool is only one of many brands that contain DCA that is used

---

What's contained in Fleetguard DCA product line are generally called Supplemental Coolant Additives (SCA's) in the industry. Notice at the top of Fleetguard bottle web page the bottle is says, "Supplemental Coolant Additive"

Penray's "Pencool" product you posted makes no mention of "DCA". But Penray does have document that gives conversion tables of Fleetguard's "DCA" product to Penray's "Pencool" product. Penray terms both products as: Supplemental Coolant Additives.


The Coolant test strips you posted are sort of an industry standard. And private labeled by Accustrip or CoolTrak companies for Fleetguard, Penray, Wix, Baldwin, etc...

---

Good to know and kind of what I was thinking.
I usually got DCA from a Navistar truck dealer and they sell Fleetgaurd and last time I got it from Truck Pro, guy said it was the same stuff or did the same thing only under the pencool name.

Quote:

---

Did you read where you can use a multimeter to test your anti freeze which is more accurate than test strips?

---