Maintenance Suggestions For Freightliner Radiators

By Author: Larry Chandler
Total Articles: 739
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As time marches on, there are a few constants in the world of heavy duty trucks. Owners and operators of the trucks want more. They want more payload capacity, more power from the engine and more features. With all of the increases comes a less desirable side effect; more heat. As engines work harder they get hotter, putting more pressure on the Freightliner radiators. If a radiator overheats, the engine will stop running and possibly suffer from some damage. Thus it is highly important to study the radiator's capability whenever considering changes to the truck's ability.

Maintenance Suggestions

Suppliers of Freightliner radiators heavily advise their customers to avoid using tap water in the radiator. The tap water found in virtually all locations has trace amounts of calcium and magnesium. These components can lead to scaling in radiators. In addition, sulfates are also common in tap water and they often lead to corrosion in the cooling system as well as the engine. Distilled water is a much better choice than tap water.

The ideal mix between ...
... coolant and distilled water is 50/50 for Freightliner radiators. Too much coolant can cause the antifreeze to gel and become worthless. Studies have shown that the majority of problems found in water pumps are caused by too much coolant in the radiator.


Besides the actual coolant it is also a good idea to use a supplemental additive to maintain the correct amount of foaming and pH level. Too much foaming can lead to erosion of the liners of the cylinders as well as pitting. Improper pH levels can lead to scaling and acidity.

The type of antifreeze is really not important to the overall health of the radiator. However, it is important to totally flush the cooling system annually. This will remove the old water and coolant mixture and any acids that may have developed when the antifreeze broke down.

Preventing Leaks


Even though most cooling systems currently use high quality hoses, cold water leaks continue to be a major problem among big rigs. As the water temperature increases during use in the cooling system, the water necks expand. The coolant hoses along with the clamps that connect at these necks also expand but not at the same rate. When the water begins to cool after shutting down the truck, the water neck shrinks and loses its seal with the hose. Over time this process leads to a leak forming at the connection.

Experts have agreed that a combination of silicon based hoses, clamps that apply constant torque and cleaning the water neck surfaces are a good way to prevent these types of leaks.

Keeping a heavy duty truck running properly is highly important to any type of shipping organization. Most of the time it comes down to keeping the cooling systems in good order, changing the oil and transmission fluids regularly and replacing belts when appropriate. With a little bit of preventive maintenance, these trucks can last hundreds of thousands of miles and spare some costly repairs.

Larry Chandler is a freelance writer for Sunshine Cooling a company that specializes in Freightliner radiators and Ford trucks radiator. To see all of their products or oil air coolers visit their website at Sunshinecooling.com.