Coolant question Cummings QSC

brewster16

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2009
1,453
Long Beach Island, N.J.
Boat Info
'07 44 Sundancer
Engines
Twin Cummins QSC 8.3
While cruising up near Newport RI I had a starboard engine overheat. Turns out I didn't tighten the cap properly and about 3 gallons of coolant wound up in the bilge. I limped in on one engine. I always use Fleetguard products but due to the circumstance I filled back up with ethylene glycol (Zyrtec brand) from Napa store. That matched almost perfectly with Fleetguard ingredients. The engines ran cool the rest of the trip. My question is:
-Do I need to drain and change out to Fleetguard ES Compleat which is blue, from the Zyrtec which is not specifically boat coolant and it's red?
-If so, is there a coolant drain plug on the Cummins QSC engine?
-Is there a filter or is that not a feature of the common rail diesel?
 
Yes, full drain and flush is "required". I was strongly advised don't mix the two, stick with one brand/formula or at least the same color.

No filter on QSC, the drain is a petcock just below the alternator. Drain and flush procedure is detailed in the maintenance guide.

How much of an overheat was there? Did it alarm or did you just notice it? If it was an alarm keep an eye on coolant level and oil - I have heard head gaskets are very prone to damage with even "mild" overheats.
 

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