Tips to Catch Coolant Issues In Your Car Or Heavy-Duty Engine

Coolant plays an important part in keeping your vehicle running smoothly. Your coolant system protects against scale deposits and seize-ups from freezing or overheating by transferring heat from the engine into the atmosphere. Without proper maintenance, serious issues in the system can happen, including warped cylinder heads as well as damage to the radiator, valves, camshafts and pistons. But these problems can be avoided with regular inspections and maintenance and with these tips, you can catch car or heavy-duty engine’s coolant issues before they become major problems.

Schedule Regular Maintenance and Inspections

Despite the misconception that coolant systems don’t require servicing, it’s important to conduct routine maintenance to make sure everything is working properly. In certain circumstances, coolant can react with rust particles and become highly corrosive leading to leaks, cracks and other serious issues. That’s why experts recommend checking your coolant system and radiator annually for proper coolant level, freeze point and possible contaminants.

Inspect Your Engine’s Coolant

While regular maintenance is essential for your coolant system’s upkeep, keeping an eye on the condition of your coolant and knowing the signs that it needs to be replaced can help you catch problems before they turn into major issues. Particles in your coolant, a thin or watery appearance or visible sludge are all signs of problems. For a more in-depth analysis of the quality of your coolant, a refractometer can tell you your coolant’s glycol levels and freeze point to help you better determine whether it needs to be replaced.

Flush Your Coolant System

Just like oil, coolant degrades over time, and as it ages your coolant can pick up debris and deposits that can weaken its ability to properly absorb heat. But unlike oil which can easily be drained and replaced, coolant can remain trapped in the engine as well as hoses and other lines. Draining old coolant and flushing the system with water helps remove debris to keep things clean and running smoothly.

Using 50/50 or Concentrated Coolant

Because tap water contains minerals that can increase the chance of chemical reactions that can damage the system, make sure to only mix coolant with distilled water. At STARFIRE, we offer both pre-diluted coolant and concentrate to help keep your coolant system protected for the life of the vehicle with proper maintenance.

At STARFIRE we’re committed to providing you with high-quality products that meet or exceed OEM standards at a cost that’s best for your budget. With optional bulk purchasing, you can maximize efficiency while increasing the longevity of your vehicles and equipment. Check out our catalog or give us a call today at 888-258-8723 to find out more about our full line of products. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more.

5 Keys to Brake Maintenance

Making sure that your vehicle’s braking system is well-maintained is essential to safe driving year-round, but especially during colder months. Here are five things to look for to help you stay safe on the roads.

Flush and Change Your Brake Fluid

Brake fluid is a key component of keeping your brakes working as it helps transfer pressure from the brake pedal through the brake lines to your vehicle’s rotors and brake pads. However, brake fluid also attracts moisture, which can lead to rust and corrosion to your brake system. Checking and replacing your brake fluid every 25,000 miles helps keep your brakes in good working order.

Examine Your Brake Pads and Rotors

Because your brake pads and rotors are the point of contact that helps your vehicle stop, they can wear easily and as a result they require regular maintenance. If you have to press harder on your brake pedal to stop, or notice a squeaking noise or the smell of burning odor, it’s a sign that it’s past time to replace your pads and rotors. Removing the tire gives you quick access to them to check them for wear and if you notice damage, replace them immediately.

Bleed Your Brake Lines

Excess air can get trapped and build up in your brake lines reducing their effectiveness. Bleeding your brake lines helps remove this excess air and can be easily done by adjusting the bleeder valve while pressing down on the brake pedal. Experts recommend bleeding your brake lines every two to three years.

Make Necessary Replacements and Upgrades

Replacing and upgrading your brake system with longer lasting, high-quality parts can help improve overall performance. Upgrading from non-metallic brake pads to semi-metallic ceramic pads can help provide greater stopping power and last much longer than non-metallic pads so you won’t have to replace them as often.

Take Care of Your Brakes

The easiest way to keep your brakes well maintained is by taking care of them. Avoiding heavy braking can help prevent deterioration and significantly increase the life of brake pads and other parts. Additionally, remembering to stick to a regular maintenance schedule for your brakes helps keep everything in working order while reducing the risk of brake failure and keeping you safe. STARFIRE’s quick-drying Tec-A-Brake brake and parts cleaner helps remove build up from brake parts without leaving messy residue so you can enjoy improved performance, while our DOT 3 and DOT 4 Brake fluid give optimum performance, longer service and prevent corrosion in brake systems. Both our DOT 3 and DOT 4 comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 516.116.

To order and learn more about our products contact us today or give us a call at 888-258-8723. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more.

4 Steps to Evaluate Your Industrial Lubricant Supplier

4 Steps to Evaluate Your Industrial Lubricant Supplier

When it comes to protecting your industrial equipment, it’s important to choose the right lubricant to make your machines run more efficiently and maximize their lifetime value. Many factors beyond just products meeting OEM requirements should be considered when finding the right supplier for you and your business. Here are four steps to follow when evaluating your lubricant supplier for your industrial equipment:

Review your current products and equipment

The first step if you are looking for a new lubricant supplier is to review the current products you are using and how well they are working with your industrial equipment. Is your current lubricant helping your machinery run at its peak performance? Your lubricant supplier should be able to provide you with a report outlining its performance factors so you can make a more informed decision.

Shipment services

More goes into the process of finding the right lubricant supplier for your industrial equipment than just the quality of the products. After you have evaluated your current lubricant’s performance and compatibility, you need to look at each supplier as a business to make sure you are ordering from a supplier that meets your needs during the ordering process. Are their shipments on time? Delivered as promised? Review the options for delivery procedures and ask if they offer cost savings when ordering in bulk.

Evaluate potential suppliers

Now that you have a better idea about the state of your lubricant’s interaction with your equipment and what your delivery needs are, you can take a look at all supplier options. Consider reputation, price and, most importantly, if you trust your lubricant supplier as a long-term partner for ordering products that are crucial to making your equipment run efficiently.

Order from STARFIRE

When you order STARFIRE lubricants, we value your business and have your back every step of the way from ordering to delivery and performance. Our lubricants for industrial equipment, such as our EP Gear Lubricants, Full Synthetic Gear Lubricants, Hydraulic Oils and Waylube, are designed to protect your machinery and maximize its efficiency at a more reasonable cost than our competitors while meeting or exceeding all standards.

To learn more about how STARFIRE can become your new lubricant supplier or to order our lubricants or other premium oils, antifreeze and coolant or chemical products from our catalog, send us a message or give us a call at 888-258-8723.

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more.

Engine and Equipment Cold Weather Care Tips

During the colder months of the year, it’s important to protect your machines, equipment and vehicles from damage due to the cold that could end up causing costly repairs or irreversible damage. Whether you serve the automotive, heavy-duty, energy, construction, agricultural, industrial or marine and railroad industries, here are some tips on how to protect and make your equipment safe to operate during cold weather with STARFIRE products:

Avoiding start-up problems

When the temperatures drop in the winter, engines can experience problems starting due to elevated engine compression, difficulties circulating oil and air density. But Starfire’s professional-grade engine starting fluid, STARFIRE TEC-A-START, can help if you are experiencing start-up issues in your car, truck, bus, tractor, motorcycle, chainsaw, boat or go-cart by combining active, volatile solvents, upper cylinder lubricant and corrosion inhibitors. This premium product is designed to assist with starting all diesel and gasoline engines, reduce wear on starters and spark plugs, and save battery life, which ultimately saves you time and money on maintenance and repairs for your equipment.

Avoiding obstructed vision

In addition to start-up issues with engines, cold weather can bring moisture and frost that can obstruct your view and make it dangerous to operate your equipment or vehicle. STARFIRE Windshield Washer Fluid provides freeze protection for temperatures as frigid as -20°F and clears windshields from frost and ice to improve visibility and increase your safety.

Preventing fuel line freeze-ups

Cold weather can also bring increased risks for fuel line freeze-ups, which occur when a gas tank that is not full fills up with air that eventually freezes. But STARFIRE Gas Treatment is a line of alcohol-free chemicals that clears out gum, varnish and ice if your fuel line does freeze, and it prevents further issues from freeze-ups in the future.

Order from STARFIRE

When you order from STARFIRE, we make the delivery process seamless from the moment you order until it is received. All STARFIRE premium products are available in bulk packaging including pails, kegs, drums, totes and bulk transport loads. STARFIRE premium products are also formulated to meet or exceed all OEM specifications but for a fraction of the cost compared to other brands.

For more information on how STARFIRE products can help maximize efficiency, increase longevity and allow you to safely operate your equipment in cold weather, give us a call at 888-258-8723. You can also order products directly from our catalog. Want to learn about becoming a STARFIRE distributor? Send us a message!

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more. 

STARFIRE Antifreeze and Coolants: What to Know

When it comes to protecting your vehicles, antifreeze is essential to keeping the engines in your machines from freezing or overheating. STARFIRE antifreeze and coolants are formulated to meet or exceed all OEM specifications and provide huge savings versus other large retailer and distributor brands. Here’s all you need to know about the importance of antifreeze, how to check and test antifreeze levels, and more about how STARFIRE antifreeze and coolants provide quality protection for all of your vehicles:

The importance of antifreeze

Antifreeze and coolant products are vital to protecting aluminum and other engine metals in vehicles because they prevent freeze-ups, overheating and boil-overs. When used correctly, antifreeze and coolant products can help your vehicles run more efficiently, increase longevity and extend the life of foreign or domestic cars and light-duty trucks up to 5 years or 150,000 miles. Checking and testing your antifreeze levels regularly can help avoid expensive and possibly irreversible damages to your vehicles.

Checking and testing antifreeze

In order to maximize the use of antifreeze, it’s imperative to regularly check and test antifreeze levels in your vehicles. Fortunately, checking antifreeze is easy and doesn’t need to be performed by a professional. Newer vehicles have a tank for an overflow of coolants next to the radiator, which can help indicate if antifreeze levels are ideal. In older vehicles, antifreeze can be checked by looking directly into the radiator. The easiest and most cost-efficient way to test antifreeze quality is with coolant test strips that change color based on the condition of the antifreeze in your vehicles.

STARFIRE antifreeze products

STARFIRE All Makes All Models antifreeze/coolants is a premium, virgin, ethylene glycol-based product that is compatible with any vehicle that has aluminum and other metals. This formula has a concentrated blend of premium long-lasting inhibitors utilizing Organic Acid Technology (OAT). Unlike other, more expensive antifreeze products on the market, STARFIRE antifreeze is formulated to provide the same protection at a lesser price. Our STARFIRE antifreeze products are also available in bulk transport in 50/50 pre-diluted or concentrated formulas.

Order STARFIRE antifreeze products

When ordering from STARFIRE, we are there every step of the way from the moment our customers order until their products are delivered. Our team of sales and technical reps and in-house logistics department ensure that your customer service experience adheres to the same quality as our products.

If you want to order STARFIRE antifreeze and coolant products or any other products from our catalog or are interested in becoming a STARFIRE distributor, send us a message or give us a call at 888-258-8723. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more. 

STARFIRE Antifreeze/Coolant Products For Cold Weather

During the colder months, STARFIRE antifreeze and coolant products are designed to protect your machines so that they run more efficiently with increased longevity. The STARFIRE difference is that we provide huge savings on antifreeze and coolant products that still meet or exceed all OEM requirements versus other large brands. Here are a few of our antifreeze and coolant products that you should use during the winter to protect your machinery: 

STARFIRE RV & Marine Antifreeze

If you are planning on using your boat or RV during the colder months, STARFIRE’s RV & Marine Antifreeze is an economical alternative for the winterization of your vehicles by providing burst protection in portable water systems down to -50°F. This non-toxic antifreeze does not require mixing and is safe for all fresh-water systems.

STARFIRE Purefleet Heavy Duty ELC 

For your diesel-powered truck, farm, off-road or marine equipment with gasoline engines made of aluminum or other engine metals, STARFIRE Purefleet Heavy Duty ELC Antifreeze/Coolant is a premium heavy-duty product that provides freeze protection to -34°F. Available in concentrate and 50/50 pre-diluted formulas, this product provides superior corrosion protection during the cold weather and extended life protection up to 300,000 miles or 6,000 hours when flushed and filled according to directions.

STARFIRE Purefleet Extreme Heavy Duty ELC

During the winter months, STARFIRE Purefleet Extreme Heavy Duty ELC provides protection for your machines, including trucks, off-road equipment, passenger cars, vans, SUVs and heavy-duty fleet vehicles, with extended life protection for 600,000 miles when flushed and filled according to directions. It is designed to prevent corrosion for all cooling system metals such as aluminum, steel, cast iron, copper, brass and solder.

STARFIRE Purefleet SCA Precharged Antifreeze/Coolant

Like the Purefleet Heavy Duty ELC Antifreeze/Coolant, STARFIRE’s Purefleet SCA Precharged Antifreeze/Coolant is a premium virgin, ethylene glycol-based heavy duty product designed to keep your diesel-powered truck, farm, off-road and marine machines running longer and more efficiently during the colder months. It also provides freeze protection in all heavy-duty application systems at temperatures reaching -34°F. 

STARFIRE Purecool Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant

STARFIRE Purecool Extended Life Antifreeze/Coolant is designed for GM^® vehicles that require DEX-COOL® coolant in addition to other cars and light-duty trucks during the winter. It protects aluminum and all engine metals and meets GM and Ford performance specifications.

Order from STARFIRE or become a distributor

If you would like to order our antifreeze and coolant products that protect your machines in the colder months, or are interested in becoming a STARFIRE distributor, send us a message or give us a call at 888-258-8723. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more. 

STARFIRE Products That Protect Against Freezing and Ice

At STARFIRE, we understand the importance of protecting your machinery during the winter from ice, freezing and other conditions caused by cold temperatures. All of our premium products are available at lower price points than many other larger brands and meet or exceed OEM requirements to increase the longevity of your machinery, equipment and vehicles and run more efficiently. Here are some of our best sellers:

STARFIRE Conventional Green Antifreeze/Coolant

Like our other STARFIRE antifreeze and coolant products that protect your machinery during the winter, STARFIRE Conventional Green Antifreeze/Coolant is a premium, virgin, ethylene glycol-based product that meets or exceeds ASTM requirements. In addition to heavy-duty applications, it can be used in cars and light-duty trucks to prevent freeze-ups in your equipment and vehicles. 

STARFIRE All Makes All Models Antifreeze/Coolant

Many STARFIRE products are designed for heavy-duty applications only, but our STARFIRE All Makes All Models Antifreeze/Coolant is recommended, compatible and formulated for use with any antifreeze/coolant in any domestic or foreign automotive vehicle with aluminum and other engine metals. It is designed to help prevent freeze ups in your vehicles during the winter, which ultimately protects cars for up to 5 years or 150,000 miles.

STARFIRE MOTR Treatment

For gas and diesel engines, STARFIRE Motr Treatment is a specifically formulated fuel and carburetor cleaner that eliminates moisture and ice problems during the winter. It can be used in cars, trucks, boats, tractors and small engines and meets or exceeds all OEM requirements.

STARFIRE Diesel Monster Premium Chemicals

STARFIRE premium winter fuel additives including anti-gel and rescue products guard against ice and wax formation and provide fast-acting treatment during the winter. Eliminating water in fuel and lowering the cold filter plug point, these products are compatible with all fuel types and help stabilize fuel during the colder months of the year so you can stay on the road. 

STARFIRE Diesel Monster Defender

For a premium full treatment that provides superior protection and performance in every season but especially during the winter, order our new STARFIRE Diesel Monster Defender. It protects your machines against ice by totally dispersing water and is compatible with all fuels.

Order STARFIRE Products 

If you are interested in ordering any of these STARFIRE products to protect your machines during the winter or are interested in becoming a STARFIRE distributor, send us a message or give us a call at 888-258-8723. Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn! Also take a look at our Starfire merchandise for T-shirts, koozies, bottle openers, glasses, water bottles, hats, hoodies and more.