Coolant Recommendations
• ELC
Extended Life Coolant
• SCA
Supplement Coolant Additive
• ASTM
American Society for Testing and
Materials
The following two coolants are used in Perkins diesel
engines:
Preferred
– Perkins ELC
Acceptable
– A commercial heavy-duty antifreeze
that meets “ASTM D6210” specifications
NOTICE
The Perkins industrial engines must be operated
with a 1:1 mixture of water and glycol.
NOTICE
Do not use a commercial coolant/antifreeze that only
meets the ASTM D3306 specification. This type of
coolant/antifreeze is made for light automotive
applications.
Perkins recommends a 1:1 mixture of water and
glycol. This mixture of water and glycol will provide
optimum heavy-duty performance as an antifreeze.
This ratio may be increased to 1:2 water to glycol if
extra freezing protection is required.
For applications that do not require freeze protection
consult Perkins Engines Stafford Applications
department.
Table 9
Coolant Service Life
Coolant Type
Service Life
Perkins ELC
6,000 Service Hours or Three
Years
Commercial Heavy-Duty Anti-
freeze that meets “ASTM
D6210”
3000 Service Hours or Two Year
(1)
Use the interval that occurs first. The cooling system must also
be flushed out now.
ELC
Perkins provides ELC for use in the following
applications:
• Heavy-duty spark ignited gas engines
• Heavy-duty diesel engines
• Automotive applications
The anti-corrosion package for ELC is different from
the anti-corrosion package for other coolants. ELC is
an ethylene glycol base coolant. However, ELC
contains organic corrosion inhibitors and antifoam
agents with low amounts of nitrite. Perkins ELC has
been formulated with the correct amount of these
additives to provide superior corrosion protection for
all metals in engine cooling systems.
ELC is available in a premixed cooling solution with
distilled water. ELC is a 1:1 mixture. The Premixed
ELC provides freeze protection to −36 °C (−33 °F).
The Premixed ELC is recommended for the initial fill
of the cooling system. The Premixed ELC is also
recommended for topping off the cooling system.
Containers of several sizes are available. Consult
your Perkins distributor for the part numbers.
ELC Cooling System Maintenance
Correct Additions to the Extended Life
Coolant
NOTICE
Use only Perkins products for pre-mixed or concen-
trated coolants.
Mixing Extended Life Coolant with other products re-
duces the Extended Life Coolant service life. Failure
to follow the recommendations can reduce cooling
system components life unless appropriate corrective
action is performed.
To maintain the correct balance between the
antifreeze and the additives, you must maintain the
recommended concentration of ELC. Lowering the
proportion of antifreeze lowers the proportion of
additive. Lowering the ability of the coolant to protect
the system will form pitting, from cavitation, from
erosion, and from deposits.
NOTICE
Do not use a conventional coolant to top-off a cooling
system that is filled with Extended Life Coolant
(ELC).
Do not use standard supplemental coolant additive
(SCA).
When using Perkins ELC, do not use standard SCA's
or SCA filters.
ELC Cooling System Cleaning
Note:
If the cooling system is already using ELC,
cleaning agents are not required to be used at the
specified coolant change interval. Cleaning agents
are only required if the system has been
contaminated by the addition of some other type of
coolant or by cooling system damage.
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