PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-576

PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly

ISSUE 576

NOVEMBER 2000
PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-576 - Page 6 of 35
Yellowish-
green strip
means
inhibitor
is weak
Check freeze protection with tester
he freeze and corrosion protection
provided by your vehicle’s coolant di-
minishes over time. That means you
need to check on the condition of the
coolant regularly.
Here’s how to make sure your cool-
ant is up to the job:
Non-arctic Military Antifreeze
Check the freeze protection. Use the
battery/antifreeze tester, NSN 6630-00-
105-1418, from the Common shop sets.
Engine Cooling Systems . . .
Always use a 60/40 mix of antifreeze
to water. This protects against freezing
down to –50
°
F. It’s better than plain
water in hot climates, too. That’s
spelled out in Para 4b of TB 750-651,
the antifreeze bible.
To make sure the reserve alkalinity
(corrosion protection) levels are nor-
mal for ethylene glycol antifreeze,
MIL-A-46153, use antifreeze test kit,
Dip a test strip into the coolant. A
blue strip means it’s OK. A green strip
means the coolant is marginal, but is
OK to use until the next service. A
yellowish-green strip means the cool-
ant needs a shot of inhibitor right away.
You can boost the coolant’s corro-
sion protection only once, so make sure
you note it on a DA Form 5986-E. The
next time the level or corrosion pro-
tection is down you must replace the
coolant.
Here’s how to use the corrosion
inhibitor:
1.
Draw a sample of the coolant in a
clear container. If it’s contaminated
with rust or solids, replace
the coolant.
2.
Add 1 pint of corrosion
inhibitor for every
17 quarts of coolant.
One quart of
inhibitor comes with
gets a gallon.
3.
Mix the boosted
coolant by running your
vehicle for a few minutes. After the
engine has cooled, retest the reserve
alkalinity level. If the coolant fails the
test, replace it.
Arctic Antifreeze
Things are a bit different if your ve-
hicle uses full-strength arctic antifreeze
during extremely cold weather (–50
°
F
and lower).
When the weather gets warmer,
switch back to non-arctic military or
commercial antifreeze. The rotation be-
tween types of antifreeze will ensure
your coolant’s corrosion protection
stays strong.
To check the corrosion protection of
commercial antifreeze, A-A-52624, use
commercial test strips that test for the
nitrite level in engine coolant.
Some available test strips include
Penray part number TS-100, Fleetguard
part number CC2602 and Detroit Die-
sel Powertrac part number 23522774.
The strips come with information on
how to use them.
PS 576
9
NOV 00
PS 576
8
what's got
you so
steamed
?
i checked
your
coolant
level
!
but you
didn't check the
coolant strength
or
its
corrosion
protection
!
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