Coolant filter

[MaineMan]

my 96 4.0 5spd 4x4 has been having general heating and cooling issues. it has a new thermostat, temp sensor, fan clutch, and just got a cooling system flush. the guys at the radiator shop said the coolant was pretty messy so im considering a coolant filter install.

anybody done one? have estimates on difficulty and wallet damage?

i appreciate the help.

 

[MAKG]

A coolant filter? Sounds like a nice way to disable your cooling system and blow up your engine.

There is NO way this will substitute for correct maintenance. Change the coolant once in a while and flush the cooling system when you do it.

 

[Roadkill]

Lots of heavy equipment and some big rigs run coolant filters in order to keep scale and crap from circulating and potentially clogging smaller passages and ports. THAT is the way to disable a cooling system. Filters do a fantastic job. When you have equipment running a half million miles before maintenance you have to filter fluids.

With the very short maintenance intervals on small trucks and cars a coolant filter isn't all that necessary. I'd say keep an eye on it and if it starts to look bad again then get a flush and fill again.

Have you had the heater core back flushed yet? They can get plugged pretty easily.

 

[Ranger44]

I'd check that water pump. The blades may be ate up, I had many problems with mine:

 

[97ranger4x4]

How can you tell if a waterpump is going out? I noticed that it looks like something may be leaking from my waterpump. My lower radiator hose looks nasty, part of it is just road grime. I figure I should change my lower radiator hose since I cant really tell how good of contition it is in right now.

I am not leaking any coolent or oil. Truck warms right up and doesnt deviate at all from Normal temp so i dont question the temperature my truck is running.

Keith

 

[MaineMan]

the heater core got flushed with everything else, i specificaly asked at the garage. he said it was pretty full of sediment.

i got the idea from a buddy who had a 7.3 in an f250 that was going through waterpumps faster than the candy machine at fat camp. i dont know where he found the base and hookups but he ran all CAT filters on that rig.

94ranger4x4, when i lost the waterpump in my 3.0 it started leaking coolant from the stud that runs the fan. wipe that area clean, you might be leaking coolant but it is combining with road grime to look different. it may also be fluid from inside the viscous fan clutch that would leak in that area to. wiggle your fan and watch down beside the nit where it screws on to the stud from the waterpump. make sure you see it wiggle, not just feel the plastic fan bending.

 

[97ranger4x4]

thanks i will check that out when I replace my lower and upper radiator hoses this weekend.

Keith

 

[High Desert Ranger]

94ranger4x4, when i lost the waterpump in my 3.0 it started leaking coolant from the stud that runs the fan.

I gotta call BS on that. Might have been leaking from the seal on the shaft but there is no way that it could be leaking from the studs.


http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPag...artNumber=554095&Description=Water+Pump+-+New

 

[Psychopete]

I think there's a communication gap here. To me, it would seem that you're both referring to the same thing. When he stated from the stud (singular), one could guess that the seal went bad, which caused coolant to leak from the weep hole, or "from the stud that runs the fan".

Pete

Edit:
+1, I've never heard of anyone trying to use a filter as such. It drives me nuts to see people put tap water into their radiators, I am the tap water radiator nazi. This is typically how this all starts.

I've ran strait 50/50 mix in my 2.9L, it's been 4 years, it's still just about as green as new. Yes, I know I am due for a fuild change as well .

Pete

 

[High Desert Ranger]

I run 25% antifreeze, 1 bottle of water wetter and distilled water to make up the rest of the system.