Can I use other than Cat brand coolant in my 312?

[Shovelworks]

I'm changing the coolant in my 2000 312 excavator. Can I use extended life coolant I get at Sanel?

 

[Nige]

I'm changing the coolant in my 2000 312 excavator. Can I use extended life coolant I get at Sanel?

Check the label. Does it meet Cat EC-1 specification..? If yes you can use it with confidence, if not walk away, or better still run, as far and as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
TBH I can't understand people who nickel & dime over saving a few dollars rather than buy good quality fluids when the machine they will be used in is worth tens of thousands of dollars. Maybe it's me that's out of step but I doubt it.

 

[Shovelworks]

Check the label. Does it meet Cat EC-1 specification..? If yes you can use it with confidence, if not walk away, or better still run, as far and as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
TBH I can't understand people who nickel & dime over saving a few dollars rather than buy good quality fluids when the machine they will be used in is worth tens of thousands of dollars. Maybe it's me that's out of step but I doubt it.

Thank you. That's what I thought the answer would be... just wanted to put it out there. It's 2 gallons.

 

[Delmer]

Peak Final Charge is the most common extended life coolant. Whatever you do, flush with distilled water, and mix with distilled water if it's not premixed antifreeze. Flush with rainwater if you're cheap.

 

[lantraxco]

Nige, I'm with you, unless there's a logistical reason you can't get OEM fluids/filters at a reasonable time/cost.

Now engine oil, hydraulic, maybe because of the volume and frequency of changes.....

Flush and fill with CAT ELC and it will probably outlive me, or at least the service life of the engine, lol.

 

[Nige]

Peak Final Charge is the most common extended life coolant. Whatever you do, flush with distilled water, and mix with distilled water if it's not premixed antifreeze. Flush with rainwater if you're cheap.

The Peak Final Charge product is nitrite-free. Cat ELC has around 500ppm of nitrite. A drop in the nitrite value is what's used in SOS analysis to indicate coolant degradation so using nitrite-free ELC plays havoc with analysis interpretation. From the same manufacturer's (Old World Industries) commercial/industrial range their NOAT Final Charge is the nearest thing to Cat ELC that I've found to date. The recommended change interval is 8 years or 20,000 operating hours, whichever comes first.

 

[srjd]

Just stick with something with the ec1 rating. In my opinion it really is the best coolant out there. I switched everything I own that's diesel to cat coolant or ec1 equivalent including my truck