Antifreeze pH meters - any experiences with these?

[swampdog]

Please correct me if I'm wrong. But from my very limited understanding of this complex subject, it seems that as long as antifreeze is alkaline and not acidic that corrosion of the internal engine parts will not take place. Testing the pH helps determine that and can help avoid unnecessary changing of antifreeze.

I know that one can buy pH test strips, although they are hard to get around here. From what I've heard, they also make digital antifreeze pH meters that take an instant reading of the condition of the antifreeze. It seems to me that a reusable meter may be a better way to go than buying test strips.

Does anyone reading this thread have experience with pH meters that work with antifreeze? Cheap pH meters are available for testing aquarium and pool water, but they might not work well with antifreeze. Any suggestions for brand names of meters that are designed to work with antifreeze?

 

[stovepipe699]

swampdog, I ordered some from NAPA. They are easy to use. You dip it in the coolant, wait half a minute, and then compare the colours on your test strip to the examples on the side of the package. One spot is for pH, another for nitrite(coolant additive levels)and the last spot is for freeze point(still use the squeeze bulb tester though, it's way more specific). You still have to flush your coolant system and change it periodically. Hope this helps. Rob

 

[swampdog]

stovepipe, do you happen to have the brand of the test strips and the part number from your NAPA invoice? How expensive are the strips? Thanks.

 

[stovepipe699]

swampdog, they're NAPA brand, packaged in a plastic bottle(like a pill bottle). I'll look for the number on it tommorow. Bought them 2 yrs ago, so I don't have the invoice anymore. I have NAPA brand coolant additive(same as WIX) from them too, 1 gal jugs. The additives are very important, they coat the metal in your cooling system to prevent corrosion.

 

[Boophoenix]

Bought them 2 yrs ago

You might look at your bottle. I had this discussion with a mechanic the last time my truck was in the shop about the strips. He warned at year ( dates should be on bottle ) toss them and buy more.

That was just the advise I was giving and sharing. I do not know for sure.

 

[Speedpup]

bought some at local truck place and they were 30 bucks may be 30 strips. I'll look later for the info.

 

[wcglover]

Ive bought test strips before from Acklands, Gregs distributors and Cummins (places readily available in Canada) under the brands of Fleet Gaurd, Baldwin and Kleen-Flo. Seems to me they were more then a dollar a piece. As stated above they do have a shelf life. Out of curiousity Ive compared expired strips to new strips and they had radically different results when tested so i would only buy as many as you need. IIRC they come in 3, 30 and 60 packs. They're good for PH and chemical balance but I dont like using them for freeze point (compring the strip color to the chart is a little to subjective) so I usually use a refracometer or hydrometer to test freeze point.

 

[swampdog]

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll have to look for the test strips.

The idea of using a pH meter sounded good, but quality units suitable for anti freeze seem hard to find. And they take a fair bit of care and attention. If I remember correctly from what I read, the probes need to be stored in distilled water and one has to frequently calibrate them by using solutions with a known pH level. Overall, the test strips might be the best alternative.

 

[Speedpup]

this is what I bought http://www.acustrip.com/


this is the actual product I bought http://www.acustrip.com/images/3001MR_Label.jpg

it was near 30 bucks + -

May be some interesting reading here http://www.acustrip.com/questions.html

which I will read now


found this also now I understand cylinder pitting better which I was going to ask here.
http://www.acustrip.com/specs/cause-effect.pdf

 

[Komatsu 150]

Also available at any Cat dealer.

 

[swampdog]

I had no idea that testing coolant could be so complex. Gone are the old days when all one had to worry about was freeze protection. That part seems easy.

What's complicated is all the corrosion related issues. Without proper corrosion monitoring and updated protection, modern engines can rapidly become toast. Or maybe more like swiss cheese - full of holes.

The test strips my wife brought home are Fleetguard brand and do not test for pH. Instead they test for Nitrites and Molybates (in addition to freeze point). After doing some research, I discovered that most (but not all) heavy duty diesel antifreezes use Nitrites and Molybates to protect the engine from corrosion. So testing for those levels appears important. I still would like to test for pH as well.

Here's a link to a discussion board on a tractor site with some good info. Page 8 seems especially useful.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/oil-fuel-lubricants/121377-antifreeze-any-type-ok-8.html

If you actually read through that thread, tell me if you are less or more confused after reading it. I had no idea that heavy duty mechanics needed advanced chemistry degrees!!

The diesel engines I'm concerned about at the moment are the Cat 3406 in the 966C loader, the Hino in the Hitachi EX270LC, and the four cylinder Kubota in the tractor. Some engines are more corrosion or cavitation prone than others, so they say. I'm wondering about these particular engines. Any experiences?

I suppose that I could just go ahead and change the antifreeze in each engine. But why throw away good antifreeze and spend hundreds of dollars, not to mention the time involved? Apparently it's not enough just to drain the antifreeze and pour in new stuff. One has to also flush the system to get all the old stuff out and avoid compatibility problems with the new product. When flushing, one should use distilled water and a recommended flushing agent. Using regular water apparently isn't good enough since it contains minerals and has a much lower pH than distilled water. After flushing, some water always remains in the system, so that has to be distilled water. Also when refilling, one should use only distilled water - again because of the minerals and low pH in tap water. Can you imagine how much distilled water it would take to flush and fill a number of cooling systems? Does anyone follow the book on this?

 

[Speedpup]

I never did hose water and check freezing point. I had a 1980 Buick when it was new and it was dark rust brown every year. My mechanic said he never saw anything like it before. I sold it in a few years. My JD engines are getting OLD and after reading all this here :dizzy:dizzy:crying:shf No they are old!

 

[grandpa]

I might be wrong but I think equipment with waterfilters on them have stuff built into the filter to take care of these situations. JUst change the filter at service time.