ASTM D2847-14

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it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation: D2847 − 07 (Reapproved 2012) D2847 − 14
Standard Practice for
Testing Engine Coolants in Car and Light Truck Service
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D2847; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope
1.1 This practice covers the an updated procedure for evaluating corrosion protection and performance of an engine coolant in
passenger car and light truck service. car, light and heavy duty truck service that closely imitates current vehicle and engine
manufacturers practices.
NOTE 1—Coolant evaluation in vehicle service may require considerable time and expense; therefore, the product should be pretested in the laboratory
for general acceptability. Tests mayTypical tests vary from small, closely controlled tests, to large tests where close control is not always practical. The
most often referenced protocols for laboratory testing are defined in Specifications D3306, D6210, D7517, D7518, D7714, and D7715.
1.2 The units quoted in this practice are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are approximate equivalents
for information only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use. Specific precautionary statements are given in Section 7 and Note A1.1.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
D1121 Test Method for Reserve Alkalinity of Engine Coolants and Antirusts
D1287 Test Method for pH of Engine Coolants and Antirusts
D1384D2809 Test Method for Corrosion Test for Engine Coolants in GlasswareCavitation Corrosion and Erosion-Corrosion
Characteristics of Aluminum Pumps With Engine Coolants
D3306 Specification for Glycol Base Engine Coolant for Automobile and Light-Duty Service
D3321 Test Method for Use of the Refractometer for Field Test Determination of the Freezing Point of Aqueous Engine Coolants
D4725 Terminology for Engine Coolants and Related Fluids
D5827 Test Method for Analysis of Engine Coolant for Chloride and Other Anions by Ion Chromatography
D6130 Test Method for Determination of Silicon and Other Elements in Engine Coolant by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic
Emission Spectroscopy
D1881D6210 Test Method for Foaming Tendencies of Engine Coolants in GlasswareSpecification for Fully-Formulated Glycol
Base Engine Coolant for Heavy-Duty Engines
D7517 Specification for Fully-Formulated 1,3 Propanediol (PDO) Base Engine Coolant for Heavy-Duty Engines
D7518 Specification for 1,3 Propanediol (PDO) Base Engine Coolant for Automobile and Light-Duty Service
D7714 Specification for Glycerin Base Engine Coolant for Automobile and Light-Duty Service
D7715 Specification for Fully-Formulated Glycerin Base Engine Coolant for Heavy-Duty Engines
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions:
3.1.1 engine coolant—a fluid used to transfer heat from an engine to the radiator, usually containing specific amounts of glycols,
water, corrosion inhibitors, and a foam suppressor.
3.1 Definitions—Refer to Terminology D4725.
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D15 on Engine Coolants and Related Fluids and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D15.10 on
Dynamometer and Road Tests.
Current edition approved Oct. 1, 2012Dec. 1, 2014. Published November 2012January 2015. Originally approved in 1969. Last previous edition approved in 20072012
as D2847 – 07.D2847 – 07(2012). DOI: 10.1520/D2847-07R12.10.1520/D2847-14.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on the ASTM website.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
D2847 − 14
4. Summary of Practice
4.1 Standard metal corrosion specimens, mounted in special holders, are installed in the coolant flow of the test vehicles.Test
coolant shall be a new coolant. The coolant is tested at the recommended concentration in a specified test water. an aqueous
solution made with water that complies with the water recommendation published in Specifications D3306 and D6210. A minimum
of five test vehicles per coolant is required. The test duration in terms of time or mileage should be consistent with the
recommended service life of the coolant. The vehicle, corrosion specimens,are required, ten are recommended, but this number
may be adjusted by agreement between customer and supplier. The test vehicles shall have been in service less than 3 months, 3000
miles, or 500 operating hours. Alternate specific requirements may always be agreed between customer and supplier. Customer and
supplier may also choose to follow requirements published in Original Engine Manufacturer (OEM) specifications. The cooling
system components and coolant are inspected according to a prescribed schedule to provide the basis for coolant evaluation.
performance evaluation.
4.2 A detailed cleaning and conditioning procedure is essential to obtain statistically significant and reproducible results. New,
or nearly new, vehicles are preferred for field tests.
5. Significance and Use
5.1 The data obtained from the use of this practice will provide a basis for the evaluation of coolant performance in passenger
car and light truck service. car. light and heavy duty truck service (according to the test vehicles chosen). The data obtained may
also be used to provide added significance to the data obtained from simulated service and engine dynamometer tests.
6. Apparatus
6.1 Test Vehicles—In selecting vehicles to be used to conduct field tests of coolants intended for automobiles and light trucks,
consideration vehicles, refer to OEM recommendations. Consideration should be given to the current range of cooling system
designs and materials. It is advisable to include both brazed aluminum and soldered copper/brass radiators as well as engines made
of cast iron and those with aluminum heads or blocks, or both. Engines specified should be reasonably available for the test, which
is to say of current production design and materials. A matrix including every possible variable combination of such features is
not required, especially if vehicles representing the extremes are included in the field tests. This includes aluminum engine with
aluminum radiator and heater core, cast iron engine with copper/brass radiator and heater core, and a cast iron engine with an
aluminum radiator and a copper/brass heater core. Pressurized surge tanks as well as unpressurized coolant overflow reservoirs
should be tested. Select vehicles that will be subjected to a wide range of operating schedules. These ranges should include
high-usage vehicles which accumulate miles rapidly, vehicles operationally biased toward higher temperatures, and low-mileage
vehicles (<1000 miles/month) that can develop accelerated localized corrosion due to non-flowing coolant. No single operating
schedule is preferred over another. New, or nearly new, vehicles are preferred because of possible difficulties, explained in
required.9.2.1, in cleaning older cooling systems prior to test.
6.2 Metal Corrosion Specimens—The description, specification, preparation, cleaning, and weighing of the metal corrosion
specimens used in this practice are given in detail in Test Method D1384. The metal specimens are assembled for test as shown
in Fig. 1. Each set of specimens is mounted in a canvas reinforced phenolic tube illustrated in Fig. 2. The specimen and tube
assembly are placed in a capsule which is mounted in the vehicle cooling system. Two types of specimen capsules may be used;
the by-pass (partial-flow) heater circuit type (Fig. 3) is the standard capsule, and the full-flow type (Fig. 4) is optional. The
partial-flow heater circuit capsule is located between the heater supply and the heater-return line and shall contain two or more sets
of specimens. The full-flow capsule is installed in the upper radiator hose and contains one or more sets of specimens.
6.2.1 The schematic of the specimen holder installation is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is a photograph of a typical installation of
test capsules. The optional full-flow capsule should be mounted as low as possible in the upper radiator hose to ensure coolant
coverage of the metal specimens when the vehicle is not in use. The partial-flow capsule must be mounted vertically to avoid
trapped air. A pair of fabricated copper tees with ⁄8-in (9.5-mm) outside diameter copper tubing side taps (Fig. 7) are spliced into
the heater hose lines to provide a constant bypass flow through the specimen capsule. The circuit must be so arranged that coolant
flows through the capsule whenever the vehicle is in operation. On air-conditioned vehicles with a vacuum-operated heater flow
control valve, the by-pass tee must be installed ahead of the flow control valve to insure constant flow.
7. Safety Precautions
7.1 All coolant concentrates and their solutions should be considered harmful or fatal if swallowed.
7.2 Caution (Warning—Do not remove pressure caps from systems when the engine is hot.should be used when removing the
radiator cap from a hot cooling system.)
7.3 All installations shall be made with the engine cooled to ambient air temperature to avoid burns.
7.4 Disconnect the hot (positive) battery lead to prevent the engine from starting to avoid hand injury by drive belts or fan
blades.
D2847 − 14
7.5 The engine exhaust should be vented when the engine is run indoors at normal temperatures to check for cooling system
leaks.
8. Sampling
8.1 Coolant samples are may be removed from the test vehicle through the sample valve mounted on the partial-flow capsule.
The 6-oz (180-mL) by any convenient means, such as a bulb and pipette. The 100-mL (~3.5 oz) coolant samples are kept in
polyethylene bottles equipped with screw caps and suitable labels. A reserve supply of pre-mixed coolant is used to replace the
coolant samples. If foaming tendency is not checked, a 2-oz (60-mL) sample is adequate.Coolant added to the system for any
reason is recorded in the test vehicle log.
9. Preparation of Apparatus
9.1 Engine Reconditioning: Obtain an initial sample of the coolant for laboratory analysis. This is the “0” miles sample. Record
the odometer reading, date and time of initial sampling. Record other data as agreed between customer and supplier. Follow OEM
or manual instruction, or both, for deaeration to ensure engine is properly deaerated at start of the field test.
9.1.1 Inspect the engine of the test vehicle carefully and complete any necessary repairs. Check the cooling system for the
following common defects: cylinder head gasket failure resulting in exhaust gas contamination of the coolant, and air inducted into
the coolant due to a worn coolant pump face seal or defective lower radiator hose connection.
9.2 Cooling System Preparation: Label the radiator and expansion reservoir fill caps conspicuously to show a coolant test is
being conducted, and include instructions with whom to contact in case coolant additions are needed or other problems occur.
9.2.1 Vehicles subject to field tests must have cooling systems that can be satisfactorily cleaned initially with mild chelate or
detergent type commercial cleansers. Such cleaners may allow small concentrations of some chemicals to carry over into the
coolant to be tested, and this factor may be appraised from analyses of the initial and periodic coolant samples. New, or nearly
new, vehicles are preferred to minimize cleaning and possible carryover problems. It is possible to clean older cooling systems with
oxalic acid, and a procedure for that alternative is included in the appendixes. However, considerable caution must be exercised
in cleaning, neutralizing, and inspecting systems cleaned with oxalic acid. Some researchers have reported deleterious carryover
effects that persist during tests conducted after oxalic acid cleaning. Engines that have cooling systems that are heavily rusted,
pitted, or porous are more susceptible to such carryover. The presence of oil or grease accumulations in the cooling system may
justify exclusion of the vehicle from test if the oil cannot be removed by the cleaner selected.
9.2.2 In addition to monitoring changes in the properties of the coolant and measuring corrosion rates by means of the metal
coupons, an appraisal of the long term effects on the cooling system parts may be an added objective. This may include an
evaluation of radiator tube plugging, solder blooming, seal leakage, accumulations of sediment and the effects on iron and
aluminum engine parts subjected to higher thermal stress than on the corresponding metal coupons. Parts of the cooling system
of particular interest may appropriately be replaced with new parts during the initial preparations.
9.2.2.1 A Cooling System Flush and Fill Kit (see Fig. A1.1) will permit quick and effective flushing of the system.
9.2.2.2 With system filled with tap water, pressure test to check for external leaks.
9.2.2.3 Pressure test radiator cap and examine radiator filler neck seat for dents or nicks. The pressure rating of the cap and filler
neck combination may be tested by removing the temperature sensing unit and attaching the pressure tester to a suitable threaded
fitting.
9.2.2.4 Drain cooling system as thoroughly as possible.
9.2.2.5 Repair any leaks. Examine radiator, heater, and coolant recovery reservoir hoses, and replace if necessary. Install new
hose for evaluation of coolant effects on elastomeric materials.
9.2.2.6 Install the by-pass tees, the extra hoses and the full and partial flow capsules, but not the coupons, as illustrated in Fig.
5 and Fig. 7. This will allow cleaning of these components at the same time the rest of the cooling system is cleaned.
9.2.2.7 Clean the cooling system with a commercial automotive chelate or detergent-type cleaner, following the manufacturer’s
directions. The expansion reservoir must also be drained and cleaned. Follow this by flushing the system twic
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