What coolant to run in a 5.9L
#1
08-28-2013, 11:06 PM
What coolant to run in a 5.9L
I have an 02 Ram 1500 with the 5.9L and a while back I went to buy some coolant from my local dealership and they gave me the green antifreeze with HOAT because thats what they said my truck used originally and Today I went back to the same dealership to buy some more (due to a coolant leak I'm having fixed) and they were now telling my truck originally came with the orange antifreeze part # 68048953AB. The man at the service desk told me that's what the 02 5.9L dodge trucks used. Could anyone with a 5.9L tell me what to use because apparently someone at the dealership told me wrong. Thanks
#2
08-28-2013, 11:44 PM
Banned Goober Smoocher
#3
08-29-2013, 10:14 AM
According to the service salesmen he said in 02 the dodge ram trucks with the 5.9L came with aluminum heads for weight reduction and that's why he gave me the orange coolant, but after looking,my heads look like cast iron. Does anyone know if maybe early 02 5.9L came with cast heads instead of aluminum.
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08-29-2013, 10:38 AM
Banned Goober Smoocher
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08-29-2013, 08:25 PM
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Firstly, Mopar now calls for MS-9769 HOAT coolant in all of its vehicles which previously required MS-7170 (IAT coolant used prior to 2001), so 5.9L included.
Furthermore, here's a repost of something I posted to another thread about coolant. Some good things to know in general:
Furthermore, here's a repost of something I posted to another thread about coolant. Some good things to know in general:
There is TONS of information out there on the different types of coolant.
Here's the Cliff notes:
First and foremost, any type of coolant can be whatever color the MFG decides to color it, so do not go by color, only go by type.
There are three basic types of modern coolant, and they all contain an ethylene glycol base, water, dye and an additive package. Each type is referred to by the additive package it contains:
IAT is almost always green, and is what most people would associate with "regular" coolant. It gets its name from the inorganic rust inhibitor package it contains, and has a rather high silicate content. The nature of this package causes it to break down as it performs its job of prohibiting rust, and as it is exposed to air and heat/cool cycles. This is why the coolant needs to be replaced so often. There are no longer any vehicle MFGs that use this coolant in their vehicles.
OAT on the other hand, contains no silicates, and inhibits rust using a purely organic package. OAT coolant is most widely used in the US by GM, and different formulations are used by many MFGs in Europe and Japan. This type of coolant is most often found in "closed" coolant systems where the entire system, including the overflow, is pressurized.
HOAT, as you may have guessed, is similar to OAT, except for that it also has silicates in it. This is seen by many as the best of both worlds, and Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes and BMW (among others) tend to agree. This type of coolant is most often used in "open" coolant systems that have non-pressurized overflows.
Here's where the arguments arise. Can you mix the different types? IAT and OAT cannot be mixed. Their rust inhibiting packages are just too different, and in some cases react to each other. Don't do it. HOAT can be added to either of the others with these caveats: 1) adding HOAT to IAT does not lengthen the service life of the IAT. You should still change it at the recommended IAT intervals. 2) Adding OAT to an "open" HOAT system has been known to cause build-up issues in the radiator and passages of some vehicles. Your best bet if you want to use a different type, is to completely flush the old type of coolant out before pouring the new in, as this rarely causes issues.
In conclusion, is there a "universal" coolant that can be added to any "color" that is already in your system? Absolutely not, and many coolant MFGs are being sued over such claims. You cannot have a coolant that meets both the silicate specs of IAT and the non-silicate specs of OAT at the same time. It cannot be done. As NV290 said, when it comes to any Chrysler vehicle from '02+, there is no reason not to use HOAT coolant. Valvoline Zerex G-05 is very popular, and the Chrysler MS-9769 is not much more expensive and available at pretty much any dealership. I changed mine a few days ago at around 60k, and it came out as clean and clear as the new stuff that went in.
Here's the Cliff notes:
First and foremost, any type of coolant can be whatever color the MFG decides to color it, so do not go by color, only go by type.
There are three basic types of modern coolant, and they all contain an ethylene glycol base, water, dye and an additive package. Each type is referred to by the additive package it contains:
- Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT)
- Organic Acid Technology (OAT, also known as Dex-Cool)
- Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT, also known as formula G O-5)
IAT is almost always green, and is what most people would associate with "regular" coolant. It gets its name from the inorganic rust inhibitor package it contains, and has a rather high silicate content. The nature of this package causes it to break down as it performs its job of prohibiting rust, and as it is exposed to air and heat/cool cycles. This is why the coolant needs to be replaced so often. There are no longer any vehicle MFGs that use this coolant in their vehicles.
OAT on the other hand, contains no silicates, and inhibits rust using a purely organic package. OAT coolant is most widely used in the US by GM, and different formulations are used by many MFGs in Europe and Japan. This type of coolant is most often found in "closed" coolant systems where the entire system, including the overflow, is pressurized.
HOAT, as you may have guessed, is similar to OAT, except for that it also has silicates in it. This is seen by many as the best of both worlds, and Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes and BMW (among others) tend to agree. This type of coolant is most often used in "open" coolant systems that have non-pressurized overflows.
Here's where the arguments arise. Can you mix the different types? IAT and OAT cannot be mixed. Their rust inhibiting packages are just too different, and in some cases react to each other. Don't do it. HOAT can be added to either of the others with these caveats: 1) adding HOAT to IAT does not lengthen the service life of the IAT. You should still change it at the recommended IAT intervals. 2) Adding OAT to an "open" HOAT system has been known to cause build-up issues in the radiator and passages of some vehicles. Your best bet if you want to use a different type, is to completely flush the old type of coolant out before pouring the new in, as this rarely causes issues.
In conclusion, is there a "universal" coolant that can be added to any "color" that is already in your system? Absolutely not, and many coolant MFGs are being sued over such claims. You cannot have a coolant that meets both the silicate specs of IAT and the non-silicate specs of OAT at the same time. It cannot be done. As NV290 said, when it comes to any Chrysler vehicle from '02+, there is no reason not to use HOAT coolant. Valvoline Zerex G-05 is very popular, and the Chrysler MS-9769 is not much more expensive and available at pretty much any dealership. I changed mine a few days ago at around 60k, and it came out as clean and clear as the new stuff that went in.
#6
08-29-2013, 10:47 PM
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08-29-2013, 11:29 PM
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08-30-2013, 09:01 AM
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08-30-2013, 07:59 PM
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There is speculation that the "G" suffix indicates that it has been pre-diluted to a 50/50 mixture of coolant and water, but I can find no hard evidence to support this claim. I have never seen a MS-9769G bottle myself, but I know the MS-9769 bottles are 100% coolant and must be diluted with distilled water. Check the bottle to see if it says that it is a 50/50 mix.
