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Questions
(the
frequently asked kind)
FINAL CHARGE® GLOBAL
EXTENDED LIFE COOLANT/ANTIFREEZE Q&A
1.What is FINAL CHARGE Coolant?
FINAL
CHARGE Coolant is a heavy-duty extended life coolant that provides total cooling system protection for
600,000 miles of on-road use (6 years or 12,000 hours of off-highway use) with the addition of a
FINAL
CHARGE
Extender at 300,000 to 400,000 miles of on-road use (3 years or 6,000 hours of off-highway use).
FINAL
CHARGE
is based on Organic Acid Technology (OAT) and uses
proprietary engine protecting inhibitors that do not deplete as quickly as conventional "old" technology coolant and SCA products.
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2. Is FINAL CHARGE Coolant new to
the market?
FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant's original technology was first used commercially in 1987. Since then, Final Charge Coolant's patented technology has been in service for over 10,000,000,000 service miles and, today, is marketed by leading international heavy-duty OEM's.
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3. Why are trucks being factory filled with extended life
coolant?
As engine and truck builders extend overall service intervals, factory fill products must be able to reach the extended service goals. Some truck manufacturers are filling new engines with extended life coolants to offer their customers the highest coolant performance, extended coolant service intervals and reduced overall maintenance costs.
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4. I've heard of extended life coolants. Who is using them
and why?
Today, all leading heavy-duty OEMs, including
Caterpillar and Freightliner, offer extended life
coolant as a factory fill coolant. Extended life
coolants offer the lowest cost of ownership through
longer coolant life, longer coolant change intervals,
and the elimination of SCAs and routine inhibitor
testing.
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5. Do extended life coolants have "acids" in them? Does
"acid based" mean it is corrosive?
The organic acids in FINAL CHARGE Coolants patented formula have been neutralized to form highly effective corrosion inhibitors. The difference is that they are neutralized organic acids instead of the neutralized inorganic acids found in conventional heavy-duty coolants. Using neutralized acids as corrosion inhibitors in coolants is not new. Conventional coolants contain neutralized inorganic acids as inhibitors, such as phosphate and/or borate, which are derived from the neutralization of phosphoric acid and boric acid, respectively.
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6. Does FINAL CHARGE Coolant meet Cat EC-1 requirements?
Fleet test in Caterpillar C-15
engines demonstrate that FINAL CHARGE coolant meets Cat EC-1 requirements. EC-1 is Caterpillar’s industry
specification for an extended service coolant.
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7.
Bessides Cat EC-1, what other OEM Specifications does FINAL
CHARGE Coolant meet?
FINAL CHARGE Coolant also
meets Cummins 14603, Detroit Diesel, Mercedes DBL 7700
and MTU 5048 coolant specifications, and is recommended
for use in all types of heavy-duty diesel gasoline and
natural gas engines, making FINAL CHARGE Coolant ideal
for use in mixed fleet applications.
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8. What ASTM and TMC specifications does
FINAL CHARGE Coolant meet?
FINAL CHARGE Coolant meets leading ASTM
coolant specifications, including ASTM D-4985 and ASTM D-3306. However, it should be
noted that ASTM has not established a specification for extended life coolants.
Instead, current ASTM specifications are more geared toward conventional coolants
that have a limited service life, typically 3-year/36,000 mile. As with ASTM, TMC
has not set coolant specifications addressing extended life coolants. TMC RP-329,
a long-standing heavy-duty coolant standard, is the specification for a conventional
low silicate coolant that is precharged with a Supplemental Coolant Additive (SCA)
containing nitrite or nitrite and molybdate. While FINAL CHARGE Coolant definitely
meets the performance requirements of TMC RP-329, it does not meet the chemical
requirements of the specification.
The reason FINAL CHARGE Coolant does not meet the chemical requirements of TMC RP-329
is that FINAL CHARGE Coolant’s proprietary corrosion inhibitor system does not contain
nitrite. With FINAL CHARGE Coolant, nitrites, and other conventional inhibitors like
phosphate and silicate, are replaced with longer lasting organic corrosion inhibitors
to provide total cooling system protection. At the end of the day, it’s about coolant
performance, not specific chemistry.
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9. The Industry seems to be moving away
from nitrites - What is the nitrite content in FINAL CHARGE Coolant?
Nitrites have long been used in fully
formulated coolants, or incorporated in Supplemental Coolant Additive (SCA) then mixed
with conventional coolants, for their ability to protect wet sleeve liners against
cavitation and corrosion. However, nitrites in conventional and fully formulated
coolants deplete, thereby reducing the level of protection provided. Also, ongoing
testing and monitoring of nitrite levels are required to ensure the proper levels are
maintained.
To extend coolant service life and reduce maintenance time and cost associated with
testing and maintaining inhibitor levels, the heavy-duty industry is moving toward
nitrite-free Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolants. With OAT coolants, conventional
inhibitors, like nitrites, are replaced with organic corrosion inhibitors that deplete
very slowly over time. As a result, extended life corrosion and cavitation protection
is achieved without a regular schedule of liquid additives, inhibitor testing and
maintenance coolant filters. FINAL CHARGE Coolant is formulated with a patented
nitrite-free formula.
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10 . Is FINAL CHARGE Collant a low silicate,
phosphate-free coolant?
FINAL CHARGE Coolant is silicate-free. Instead
of using silicates, the advanced formula contains corrosion inhibitors called organic acids.
FINAL CHARGE Coolant is also phosphate-free, nitrite-free and borate-free. The patented OAT
inhibitor system provides excellent overall corrosion protection while reducing dropout,
water pump seal damage, and internal cooling system scaling and storage stability often
associated with conventional coolants.
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11. Today's engines generate more heat than ever before. Will this affect the performance of FINAL CHARGE Coolant?
Compared to the inhibitors used in conventional coolants,
FINAL CHARGE Coolant forms a thinner, longer lasting film on engine metals that protects against cavitation
and corrosion. The thinner film provides better heat transfer between the engine metals and the coolant.
Furthermore, FINAL CHARGE Coolant is formulated with special proprietary stabilizers that slow down the
degredation of glycol at high temperatures. This is especially important with the advent of EGR technology.
The result, your engine can run cooler with FINAL CHARGE Coolant.
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12. Does FINAL CHARGE Coolant protect seals and gaskets against wear and corrosion?
FINAL CHARGE Coolant’s patented silicate-free,
phosphate-free, nitrite-free and borate-free formula provides outstanding long-term NBR, viton and especially
silicon elastomer protection. And unlike other heavy-duty extended life coolant technologies, FINAL
CHARGE Coolant does not require the addition of a separate bottle of silicate additive to prevent gasket
degradation in the front cover and oil cooler header gaskets in International DT466 and 530 engines.
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13. Do I need to test for SCA or nitrite levels?
No. FINAL CHARGE Coolant, which features a patented
inhibitor system that is phosphate-free, silicate-free, nitrite-free and borate-free, reduces inhibitor drop
out and eliminates the need for SCA's and routine testing of inhibitor levels. To maintain the protection of
FINAL CHARGE Coolants proprietary inhibitor system, proper cooling system maintenance is required. This
includes following the recommended maintenance procedures outlined in
question #20.
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14. Should I continue to use a chemically charged coolant
filter after converting to FINAL CHARGE Coolant?
Most coolant filters contain SCAs and are not required when
using FINAL CHARGE Coolant. Blank filters, which do not contain SCAs, should be used instead. Follow the
manufacturer's recommendations if a blank filter is recommended for the cooling system.
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15. If I do not need to add SCAs or use chemically charged
filters, how do I determine the amount of FINAL CHARGE Extender to add and when? Is the use of coolant
test strips needed?
In a cooling system using conventional coolant, the spin on filter element has a pre-determined amount of SCA to add to the system. The interval for the addition of the SCA is determined by the inhibitor depletion rate and the quantity needed is based on cooling system capacity. Test strips are used to monitor key inhibitor levels, like nitrites, in conventional coolants.
The amount of FINAL CHARGE
Extender to add to the cooling system is also based on cooling system capacity. However, due to the extremely slow depletion rate of
FINAL CHARGE
Coolant's proprietary inhibitors, a single addition of FINAL
CHARGE Extender is only needed at 300,000
to 400,000 miles of on-road use (3 years or 6,000 hours of off-highway use) and routine testing of inhibitor levels is eliminated. Extended life protection is achieved without a regular schedule of liquid additives, maintenance coolant filters or extended life filters. This feature alone can significantly reduce maintenance costs.
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16. My truck is filled with FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant and I know a conventional coolant was added at top
off. Will this affect the coolant performance?
FINAL CHARGE Coolant is formulated with Contamination Tolerant Additives (CTAs). The performance benefits of
FINAL CHARGE
Coolant will not be adversely affected by the occasional addition of conventional coolants. However, it is recommended that effort be made to keep contamination levels below 25%. This can be accomplished by topping off with
FINAL CHARGE
50/50 Pre-Diluted Global Extended Life Coolant and the periodic adjustment of the cooling system to maintain between a 45% to 60% coolant and a 55% to 40% water mix.
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17. My truck is using a conventional coolant,
and I would
like to change to FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant. How do I convert my truck?
With the FINAL CHARGE
Global Extended Life Coolant Fleet Conversion Program, you can convert a truck using conventional or fully formulated coolants to
FINAL CHARGE
Coolant without having to drain, flush and refill the cooling system. At the center of this program is
FINAL CHARGE
Converter. FINAL CHARGE
Converter is formulated with a special blend of FINAL
CHARGE Coolant's patented Organic Acid Technology (OAT) inhibitors with Contamination Tolerant Additives. A one-time dose of
FINAL CHARGE
Converter is specifically formulated to convert properly maintained cooling systems using conventional or fully formulated coolants meeting ASTM D-4985, ASTM D-6210 or TMC RP-329 to
FINAL CHARGE
Coolant's patented formula. By converting to FINAL
CHARGE, you should realize an additional 600,000 miles of
on-road use (6 years or 12,000 hours of off-highway use)
without the use of Supplemental Coolant Additives (SCAs), with the addition of
FINAL CHARGE
Extender at 300,000 to 400,000 miles of on-road use (3
years or 6,000 hours of off-road use), in a properly maintained cooling system. The amount of
FINAL CHARGE
Converter to add is based on the cooling system capacity.
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18. My truck is using a heavy-duty OAT coolant, and I would
like to change to FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant. How do I convert my truck?
With FINAL CHARGE
Coolant's patented formula, you can convert a truck using a heavy-duty OAT coolant without having to drain, flush and refill the cooling system. For vehicles already using another brand of heavy-duty OAT coolant, simply begin and continue fulfilling all top off requirements with
FINAL CHARGE
Coolant. From the time when you started topping off the cooling system with
FINAL CHARGE
Coolant, you should realize an additional 600,000 miles
of on-road use (6 years or 12,000 hours of off-highway
use) without the use of Supplemental Coolant Additives
(SCAs), with the addition of
FINAL CHARGE
Extender at 300,000 to 400,000 miles
of on-road use (3 years or 6,000 hours of off-road use), in a properly maintained cooling system. The addition of
FINAL CHARGE
Converter is not required.
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19. Do I have to use special water to mix with FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant?
For
optimum performance, deionized water should be used. In
cases when deionized water is not available, FINAL
CHARGE Coolant contains proprietary scale inhibitors
allowing the coolant to be mixed with all water
qualities without jeopordizing coolant performance or
damaging engine metals.
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20. What are the recommended maintenance procedures for
a truck using FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant?
To maintain the protection of FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant's patented technology, the proper level of the proprietary inhibitor system should be present in the cooling system. The inhibitor system used in
FINAL
CHARGE
Coolant is formulated with Contamination Tolerant Additives and will not be adversely affected by the occasional addition of a non-organic acid coolant. However, it is recommended that contamination levels be kept below 25%. This can be accomplished by adhering to the following maintenance practices:
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Use only
FINAL CHARGE concentrate or FINAL CHARGE 50/50 Pre-Diluted Coolant when topping off the cooling system.
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If FINAL
CHARGE Coolant is not available, top-off the cooling system with water.
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Maintain between a 45% to 60% coolant and a 55% to 40% water mix.
-
Do not add Supplemental Coolant
Additives (SCAs) to the cooling system or use chemically charged filters.
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Add FINAL
CHARGE Extender after approximately 300,000 to
400,000 miles of on-road use (3 years or 6,000 hours of off-road use).
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