Diesel Power Homepage Diesel Power

Diesel Engine Cooling System - Diesel Tech

Maintaining A Diesel Engine Cooling System

By Harry Wagner
photographer: Harry Wagner

 Diesel Engine Cooling System Adding Coolant

The purpose of the coolant (antifreeze or water) flowing through your diesel is to regulate the heat within the cylinder head and engine block that's created by the combustion process. In order to accomplish that job the coolant must be pumped around the engine compartment, pick up heat from the engine, transfer that heat into the radiator, all while limiting corrosion, lubricating the water pump, and not freezing.

Traditional antifreeze is a mixture that is 50 percent mix of ethylene glycol (EG) and 50 percent water. There are also propylene-glycol-based (PG) products on the market, and they have some different but interesting performance characteristics when compared to EG.

 Diesel Engine Cooling System Proper Coolant
If the proper coolant isn't used, corrosion, overheating, or water-pump failure could occur in your diesel engine.

Both ethylene glycol and propylene glycol fall into the glycols family that is much larger than the two formulations mentioned. Glycol is used in various forms not only as antifreeze but also in resin formulations, plastics, solvents, fertilizer, food products, shaving cream, chemical production, and as an airplane deicer.

In most instances the ethylene glycol and propylene glycol base are not produced by the company that is selling the antifreeze; it's purchased from manufacturers such as the Dow Chemical Corporation. When ethylene glycol is used as a coolant, the exact formulation of additives is what defines the difference in brands.


1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | Next
Get Adobe Flash player
Get no-obligation new diesel truck or car invoice pricing online.

Related Photos

Latest Articles

 
2007 Diesel Power Challenge - Chevy Vs. Dodge Vs. Ford
It's a Battle for Supremacy Between the most Powerful Diesels on the Planet! It's the 2007 Diesel... more
 
The Wild Bunch
Check out this review on Full Size Diesel Trucks, brought to you by the experts at Diesel Power... more
 
Hummer H1 6.5 Diesel Upgrades - Sinful Power
The Sin City crew turns up the juice on the GM 6.5 turbodiesel in this Hummer H1... more
 
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty - Build Your Own Diesel Monster
Check out how to up the cool-meter on your Ford F250!... more

 

Get Adobe Flash player