coolant question
 

Well tomorrow im finally getting around to install my sinister coolant filter but I am gonna flush the cooling system before doing so

However no place carries any other brands besides prestolone and the house brand... I went to wally world autozone and kragen haven't tried pep boys yet

It's my understanding that I need to look for peak in either a silver or gold bottle. There are other coolants I've heard I can use but they are all uncommon brands so I am on the hunt for the peak silver or gold bottle as its more of a common brand.

My question is does it HAVE to be a specific coolant or did i get false info and also where can I find this stuff?

Advanced auto carries the Peak:tu:

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I used it on my 02 with the green stuff.

I used the ford gold. Just because that's what it calls for but it's pricey

Should be able to get the Ford Gold for about $16 a gallon and the dealership. I was at pepboys yesterday and seen they carry a few different brands of coolant for diesels. Though Im not sure what ones they have for the 6.0s.

Be sure it is aluminum part compatible. Years ago when aluminum radiators and water pumps were first put into cars by the mfr, the coolants were tearing them up.

You can't just mix any coolant with the Ford gold. If you're doing a flush you can theoretically use any coolant you want. A lot of guys use the ELC coolants found at the big rig dealers. Have you tried any of those? I know John Deere has one too, you could try a deer dealership. A lot of guys use the CAT ELC stuff. Try a big truck shop. Of course Ford also carries it's gold coolant...

I know for a fact that using a non g11/12 in a vw for instance causes rapid silicate buildup and corrosion. So there is some reasoning behind using spec coolant. Just make sure you use distilled water.

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Damn I don't have any big rig dealers where I live so I guess ill just buy it off the internet and do the job next weekend on my day off. With that said what kind should I get? If I'm gonna go that route might as well look for a deal on "the good stuff" so whats recommended?

Like I said, this is a HUGE debate. Ford Gold Coolant is the only coolant that meets Ford specs, if that tells you anything, however International uses an ELC coolant in their engines (VT365, same engine as the 6.0), but of course there is the argument that the International application is a different cooling system, larger radiator etc...

Myself, I'm still in the air whether or not to use CAT ELC stuff (extended life coolant) or go with the Ford Gold. Some forums you'll find everyone running the ELC stuff, others say run what you want, it's a tough call. Just do some research on it and decide for yourself is the best I can suggest.

I went to a different kragen auto parts today for windshield wipers today and found some zurex G05 or what ever its called I bought 7 gallons of it now should i run straight coolant or should I mix distilled water in it? Also is there a special way to purge the air out of the cooling system or just idle it cap off till warm? Thanks guys

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k this is very discouraging... at first i read that the zerex go5 was the way to go then after reading on how to flush the cooling system i read otherwise... on top of that i read a bunch of horror stories and other things to consider when flushing the system... after spending $121 just for coolant it makes me wanna take it back and not do the job at all...

what i read was the G05 contains silicates just as the ford gold does which you dont want cause it will clog your egr cooler. on top of that i read that flushing your cooling system can lead to clogs in all other places as well. then i read a million people recommending a million different flushing agents to prevent a clog but its a very time consuming event as you have to used like 44 gallons of distilled water and cycle the cooling system 4-5 times with the thermostat removed which takes 60-90 min each time then to add either red coolant from the moon or blue coolant extracted from doo-doo bird livers (complete exaggeration of how un common and expensive these coolants are)

i just want a straight answer i dont want to spend the value of the truck in coolant and flushing agents and take a year to do the whole thing i work 12hr a day mon-fri so im either sleeping or working then on the weekend i wake up around 2pm which leaves me 3 hours of light so my time frame to do a job like this is pretty limited. but at the same time i dont want to compromise my daily driver

does any one have a straight answer i guess im gonna return the coolant in the morning and just order some off the internet

so basically here are my questions
1. what coolant should i get
2. whats the process for flushing it
3. should i use a flushing agent if so whats the name of the one i should get
4. should distilled water be used in the coolant (not just to flush but to take place of some coolant)

im sorry guys if this was a gasser id be the one on this site giving insightful answers but these diesels are like UFOs to me so i appalogize for my million and one questions im just at my whits ends its like the most simple things seem so complex on these engines but thank you all for your help i truly appreciate it thank you

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well after about 4 hours of research i found my answer. found a really good write up that is worth reading. it explains the cooling system it has part numbers it describes how to back flush multiple parts of the engine and a ton of other things heres the link

http://home.comcast.net/~lyon.family...ush%20v1-0.pdf

definitely worth checking out

Here you go. This is how I do it and how I feel is the proper method. (copied from the org because if you don't have a log in it won't come up)


Flushing and Cleaning the 6.0

This is not the Ford flush procedure nor is it the only way to flush the 6.0. It is the procedure I use and I post it as a guide for anyone who isn’t sure how to proceed in flushing the 6.0. The bottom line is any procedure that gets all the old stuff out and the new stuff in will work.

Restore is for cleaning out any silicate goo. VC-9 is for cleaning out iron and scale. Restore Plus is the same as VC-9 and cheaper.

To flush drain the coolant by removing the lower radiator hose from the radiator, and removing the drain plug from the driver side of the block. There is a drain plug on the passenger side also but you have to remove the starter to get to it. I don't bother with that one. You can skip the block drains if you want except for the final drain before adding fresh coolant. You will just have to flush a few more times to get the block clear.

I also highly recommend you pull the thermostat out on your first drain and put the housing back without the thermostat. It only takes about 10 minutes and will save you 2.5 hrs or so in doing this whole procedure.

Ok now put the lower hose back on and the drain plug back in the block if you removed it. This is the procedure you will use each time to drain the system, except you will not touch the thermostat again until you're finished the whole procedure. Make sure that you set your heater to high while doing this to flush out the heater core as well.

Fill the cooling system with tap water, start the truck and let the water circulate for 5 minutes. (if you did not remove the thermostat you must run the truck until the thermostat opens + 5 minutes to circulate. This takes 15 to 20 minutes each cycle and is why you should just remove the thermostat) Stop the engine. Drain the system and repeat the flush.

Now add at least 1/2 gallon of Restore and fill with water. Drive truck or run on high idle for 60-90 minutes. Drain and flush 3 or 4 times.

Add 2qts VC-9 or 1/2gal of Restore Plus, top with water, and drive the truck or run on high idle for 60-90 minutes. Now drain and flush until flush water comes out clear and clean. When you get clean flush water, flush 3 more times using distilled water if you are draining the block or 5 times if not. This is to replace any tap water in the cooling system with distilled water and very important.

After your final distilled water drain it is time to put the thermostat back in. I recommend you install a new thermostat at this point. They are only $20 or so and it is good maintenance procedure to do so. Fill with 3.5 or 4 gals of ELC concentrated coolant and top off with distilled water. Drive the truck or let run for a while topping off with distilled water. Check the truck over the next few days and top up as required while any air left in the system works its way out.

Keep some 50/50 ELC on hand to use to top off the cooling system from here out and you are good to go.

Your thoughts on Motorcraft "Iron flush ?