Ok, so I have put about 2k miles on my truck since I bought it around two months ago. The truck has 36,XXX miles on it. The previous owner had great service records with the date and what was done to the truck. The coolant was changed a couple years before I bought it, previous owner put 500 miles on it after the coolant change. It was done at a dealership so I assume they used the Ford Gold coolant. My question is should I just drain the radiator and put back what I drain out or should i do the flush pulling the plugs on the block? I dont want to risk mixing coolants and clogging the oil cooler.
Also, the coolant is clean in the reservoir and the level in the reservoir has not fluctuated since I have been driving. I check it at least once a week.
If you are going to change out to an EC-1 rated coolant, at a minimum do a few distilled water flushes (drain, fill, run, redo) to get the remainder of the Gold out. The system holds about 7 gallons and even pulling the block plugs, you're only going to get 3-4 gallons out each time. I'd recommend getting the Fumoto or EZ-Drain valves for the block plugs and draining them each time too. With that low of mileage, it's possible that the Gold coolant has not produced too much goo and you may be good to go. I'd still put a coolant filter on it though.
I think I am going to do the entire flush running hose water through it with the the block plugs pulled then putting the block plugs back in flushing with distilled water a couple times. That way I will know exactly what is in the truck.
I don't like being this guy but just a heads up...
Some folks when flushing the 6.0 have experienced a clogged oil or egr cooler. Your truck is less likely since the coolant was already changed. but have you check the engine coolant temp and engine oil temp? if they are 15 or more degrees apart you may be needing new coolers esp after flushing.
there is a procedure for back flushing the oil coolers which MAY buy you some time, but I highly recoomend getting a monitor of some type:
torq pro app (android) and Bluetooth-obdII adapter
scan guage
dashboss ap (ios) and blue tooth-OBDII Adapter
the 6.0 is a great motor, but she just needs to be monitored more is all.
I was very new to the 6.0's a maybe 5 years ago and I killed my 2006 king ranches coolers after flushing and putting elc. I didn't have thr problem on either of my previous 04 excursion or f350s but just wanted to give you a heads up before pulling the trigger if you don't have a monitor.
Ok thanks for the input. You just scared the crap out of me now. lol Is the Dash Boss through Apple pretty accurate? I am going to do that until I get the $$$ up for and Insight.
I haven't used the dashboss, but a lot of people have had great success with the torq pro and an android based tablet/phone.
No need to be scared, your truck isn't loosing coolant so you are probably fine, but I just wanted to give you some advice just in case. I had no idea about he 6.0's when I bought my first one and learned the hardway on how to do stuff lol. my 06 kingranch had been abused... when I drained the coolant I got maybe 3 cups of sand out of it no lie... also don't fret if your temps are 8or so degrees apart you'll never be perfect and even 12 is ok just not the best... if your temps are high you can read the back flushing procedures as a sabing grace too.
I don't think the dashboss would be terrible compared to the torq pro in your situation.
Not sure where your located but does this truck have an EGR delete? JMO but if you have a clean updated oil cooler and an EGR delete, you can keep the Ford Gold. If you have an EGR cooler, better do something.
I didn't recommend a full flush earlier since he says the truck only has 36k on it, the coolant has recently been changed and the degas bottle is clear. I personally think that a 3 or 4 distilled water flushes will be fine before switching to EC-1. That said, the OP should catch the coolant and look for particulates in it when draining. If there is a substantial amount then I'd agree with @mhatlen and flush it thoroughly with Cascade a few times, then do the distilled flushes. I also didn't mention the delta issue and possibility of clogging the oil cooler due to the reasons cited above and the clear water flush shouldn't break anything loose that wasn't going to come loose soon anyway. @Justin0009 is right about the monitor though and I see the OP has another thread looking for one.
For a truck with 115K miles, good EOT/ECT deltas, Ford Gold and unknown history would the recommendation be any different from the OP's truck with 36k miles and known/good history? Does mileage change anything?
It sounds like the conventional wisdom now is if deltas are good don't F with it and flush with water only. Unless as @G8orFord pointed out, if there's a lot of junk in drained coolant then use Cascade no matter the mileage and keep fingers crossed.
Any pro/con to using Restore (not the plus) vs Cascade if one has easy access to either one?
The acid flush "Restore" is harsh on the engine and that's for sure. I have a freind with a 2003 he bought new and it had Restore used on it and all the aluminum inside cooling system is black. That stuff is a strong acid and what often happens is it etches the metals including cast iron. So the cast iron gets hit hard and casting sand that's locked into the iron can come free and gets into the coolant. From there it goes through the oil cooler and can plug it up. I have seen tons of posts: (Flushed engine with Restore and now oil cooler is plugged)
You don't need that strong of a cleaner in any engine is my opinion. Running Cascade does a great job almost a perfect job. It desolves the silicates that are in the engine from the Ford Gold. That stuff will get you it's just a matter of when.
I have flushed four 6.0 F250 trucks and have lowered the oil cooler temps every time. If you want to get out the Gold I feel you need to clean the engine out first myself. That way it's clean as your glasses out of the dishwasher and there is only ELC-1 coolant in the truck.
Good Luck with the truck. Nice buy btw crazy low miles.
I decided to take your advice and check on the deltas before I mess with anything. I figure since the coolant is clean in the degas bottle and the level in the degas bottle is not fluctuating Im good until I can get a monitor on it to check the deltas. I ordered the Insight Pro CTS 2 yesterday and it should be here Monday. Man those things are expensive! I guess spending $500+ is better than spending the money for a head job sooner than later...
Now you can spend another $100 and get an EGT probe, then more $$$ for a couple pressure sensors one for fuel and another for coolant. Then you could spend...$$$... Hey it's a 6.0 there's always something you can spend money on. :rofl:
With miles that low, don't be surprised to find weird VGT% numbers and a P0299 code when you install the CTS2, since the turbo tends to get sticky from sitting :doh:
the edge insight cts 2 is well worth it! you will be able to diagnose, monitor, and set maintenance reminders and everything. I ran the original edge insight on my 2004 f350 and it was a life saver...
I just ordered an upgraded trans cooler for my 7.3l but the edge insight is my next item.
keep us updated also....
watch the oil and coolant temp while doing maybe 65mph on flat ground. its gotta be warmed up and not just sitting there to get the most accurate readings.
Got my Edge on the truck for about a month now. My daily around town deltas are on average around 6-8. On the highway at 75 im hitting around 11-12 average I have seen 15 once but was getting into it pretty good on the highway. All these temps were at full operating temperature.
The coolant level has not changed at all since the day I bought it. When it cools down it drops to the same level evey time. I opened the coolant bottle cap and looked at the coolant to make sure the color is good still and I noticed what looked to be small white specs suspended in the coolant. The color was fine but I hadn't noticed them until now. Are they supposed to be there?
Whats your advice on the deltas? Look good/bad? Time to do a flush or drain and distilled water?
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