# Cavitation issues ?



## BrokenBear (Feb 18, 2016)

In my quest of some older cheaper 60-70 horses in a diesel tractor I have read about so many brands and models of tractors it is starting to run together but I recall cavitation being a big booggerman

Call it what you wish but simply stated it is the pitting and eventual pin holing of the cylinder walls due to loss of metal on the coolant side of the cylinder ..either thru chemical or physical action/reaction

The monitoring of the PH as well as addativies and complete change out of the coolant on a regular basis seems to be the suggested protection

Then some guy pops up with a kagillion hours on his beloved green and never done anything coolant service wise ...I am confused

Thinking 2440/2640 or some later models of these ..are there special efforts required pertaining to the cooling system to protect against undue exterior cylinder erosion

If so ..how in the dickens do you know if a prospect tractor to buy had it other than finding a one owner tractor and finding out what they did coolant wise

I don't find one owner used tractor i one in 50 that the seller knew the owner ..or at least admit knowing the owner.... just driving by a guys place and how he keeps it often tells a lot of the story!

Bear


----------



## harry16 (Dec 8, 2011)

Hello Bear,

Cavitation is a nagging concern to diesel owners. I don't think cavitation is a problem with gassers, because they don't have the high compression detonations that a diesel does. However, to be safe, gasser owners should use an inhibitor just to be safe. Ford used to sell a coolant conditioner, and Deere probably did the same. Currently, New Holland sells *Fleetguard DCA4* inhibitor (1 pint bottle ~$7) to protect against cavitation corrosion. 

I just changed out the coolant in my Ford. I flushed the system twice with a Prestone flush, followed by multiple water flushes to hopefully ensure the flush chemical was removed from the system. I then added Prestone concentrate and water treated with one pint of DCA4. 

They sell test strips to check for the amount of SCA (Supplemental Coolant Additives) in the cooling system.


----------



## BrokenBear (Feb 18, 2016)

So the test strips{often referred to as PH strip] I read about to test the coolant is not testing the acidity at all but to test the % presence of whatever additive the individual strip is designed to test????

Bear


----------



## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

That is correct. And, you are supposed to maintain a given level of SCA in your cooling system. 

I wonder what would happen if you overtreated?? Probably not good. If you find out the answer to this question, please let me know.


----------

