Need some instruction and advice on the water filter. Heck my 1985 did not have one of these on it.

Could someone explain the concept of this, how it works, and how often to change it out.

Got a feeling I am gonna be a regular poster on here for quite some time to come.

Thanks

 

It's a particle filter for the antifreeze. Change it everytime you do a service. Same thing as changing a fuel filter. Look to see if you have a shut off, otherwise you will have a mess of antifreeze all over.

 

It's either one of 2 things:

- Just a regular filter
- additive package

For the first, I wouldn't bother changing it more then once a year.

The second, change it about once a year. The best way to determine when to change it is to use those coolant testing strips.

Changing it too often is not good.

 

It's not actually a "water filter" per se.

It's a "coolant conditioner".

It contains additives to maintain the coolant's PH and nitrate levels.

As the coolant passes thru the coolant conditioner, these additives are dispensed into the coolant.

Check your coolant PH and nitrate levels often with those test sticks that are available at most parts departments.

Keeping these levels in spec will help prevent cavitation erosion of the cylinder liners and corrosion in the cooling system.

The coolant conditioners on the Cat engines where I work have a shutoff on the inlet and outlet lines.

Shut both valves off, change the conditioner (filter), and don't forget to open both valves afterward.

 

some coolant filters do not have an sca charge. the filters often have a coarse, steel mesh media to remove large items like toads and bark

if you use charged filters, which you should imo, you should change the filters based on the test strip results ; too low of a charge causes cylinder liner cavitation, too high of a charge will lower heat transfer through the liner wall

 

:shock:

I had a tech. working on my truck, I looked over and he had his arm stuffed in the fuel tank as far as he could reach.. I said what are you doing ? He Say's " I found a T shirt in a tank once " :lol:

Hey, about those taps, they have leaked many times on my trucks.
I would recommend replacing them with 1/4 turn ball valves.

If that engine has the low coolant sensor in the expansion tank on top of the rad, carry alot of coolant, as they are very unforgiving 1/2 a gallon low and they shut down, and the only way to keep going is to " jump " the sensor, or keep cycling the key after every shut down... A very small leak can be a big headache till you get somewhere.

 

Or have your dealer hook up their laptop to your truck's ECM and disable that low coolant shutdown function.

 

it can be set to 'warning only' , then it only turns on a light in the dash

 

I asked about that, and well, soo many idiots calling themselves drivers...

 

Rick,
Just to ad info: The C15 you've been looking at may not have a water filter if it was filled with extended life coolant at the factory...my 01 doesn't have one.
These coolants take a one time additive halfway through their life at approx 300K miles. Plus the old additives are not recommended... so no filter for a mix up to accure.