Project "Ricky"

[PetroleumJunkie412]

And you get to enjoy the company of the TRS family....(some are slightly kooky).

Dude. We're straight up strange AF.

FlOoReD is right though, some of the absolute best mechanics I've ever seen hang around these parts. I've often wondered how much this site has helped keep these trucks around over the last 20 years.

 

[91stranger]

While your at it you might want to feel your coolant hoses too to see if they are soft or cracked. That's how my radiator looked when I flushed it. My advice is to get a wide drain pan or cut down an old tot down to about 6-8 inches and use that for a catch pan as coolant gets everywhere. Pull the big hose at the bottom of the radiator and start flushing with a garden hose. Be sure to use concentrated coolant (no 50/50) since you will have more water in the system/engine than you might think and it's better to be safe than sorry since it is winter time. I think I filled 4-5 five gallon buckets when flushing out the nasty brown coolant.... Hope you got somewhere to take the waste too.

 

[Volkshook]

While your at it you might want to feel your coolant hoses too to see if they are soft or cracked. That's how my radiator looked when I flushed it. My advice is to get a wide drain pan or cut down an old tot down to about 6-8 inches and use that for a catch pan as coolant gets everywhere. Pull the big hose at the bottom of the radiator and start flushing with a garden hose. Be sure to use concentrated coolant (no 50/50) since you will have more water in the system/engine than you might think and it's better to be safe than sorry since it is winter time. I think I filled 4-5 five gallon buckets when flushing out the nasty brown coolant.... Hope you got somewhere to take the waste too.

The Waste Management transfer station is just a little way down the interstate, and that's where the O'Reilly's guy suggested I take the old stuff. I do think I'll look into a couple more Homer buckets from the Home Despot, though.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

The Waste Management transfer station is just a little way down the interstate, and that's where the O'Reilly's guy suggested I take the old stuff. I do think I'll look into a couple more Homer buckets from the Home Despot, though.

Never found a better way for that. You'll get your aim dead on someday. Then the petcock will break and **** everything all up.

 

[mtnrgr]

The drain plug on the bottom of radiator can be removed all the way. When I have done coolant drains on my 3.0, remove the radiator cap, and slowly loosen the drain plug. Let the coolant drain slowly into the pan, and after some time I remove the plug from the radiator. The rest flows out into the pan, no mess on the floor. Learned that from my dad decades ago. For getting rid of coolant, I have always taken to my mechanic, and he pours it into the can where all of the other coolant goes. Whoever comes and gets it when it full, no idea. Probably same type of company that gets all the other fluids when the container are full. Seeing that people dont maintain cooling systems has always been one of the many things that bothers me.

 

[Snoranger]

To get the radiator to drain... try putting a few pounds of pressure into it with a pressure tester,(5-10 lbs) then open the petcock slowly. That will usually blow the clog out.
If you don’t have a pressure tester, go borrow one from the auto parts store.

You may make a little mess. Put a length of hose on the drain and run it into a bucket. That will keep the mess to a minimum.

 

[Volkshook]

I actually pulled the drain plug out the other day when I made that first attempt to drain it, but I confess I didn't add any pressure (don't have a pressure tester...yet). Actually, a friend of mine has generously offered the use of his shop on Saturday, so we'll see if I can have better success on Round 2.

 

[mtnrgr]

Here is another method I have used on vehicles like yours and worse. Fill the radiator with water and a good cleaner soap, run it for a drive. Turn off to let cool down, then fill with water to rinse, and drain. Stick the garden hose into radiator with plug and lower hose removed. Neglected cooling systems are a pain to deal with. Make sure you clean the overflow tank, do a complete engine block flush also. Good luck with this.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Also, dad showed me the one where if you have a pinhole, add ground black pepper. Sometimes will work, and is a hell of a lot better than using stop leak.

Oh yeah, btw air cooled weirdo, NEVER use a radiator stop leak product on something you care about. I think most of us learned that lesson at least once

 

[91stranger]

I've heard of pepper for plugging pinholes and crack an egg for larger holes.... Never tried the egg or the pepper... If a radiator is leaking then it just needs replaced. Anyone know if the egg theory holds true? I wonder who the hell first thought of using an egg in the damn radiator. Crazy ass people...

 

[Volkshook]

New fun, this morning. Emergency brake didn't let go. The pedal popped up to the released position, but wheels didn't get the memo. Goosed the gas and got moving, been driving normally since, but this is the second time it's happened. Just not excited about it. Much more common is the sensation as I push that pedal down that it's not pulling any cable. It's really inconsistent.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I would suspect one or more of the e-brake lines. They should be used consistently or they rust inside, and most people never do use them often.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

What he means is fix the E brake and power slide every single corner from now on. ????

 

[Volkshook]

For what it's worth, I set that brake every time I get out of the vehicle.

 

[Volkshook]

Okay, I've got the new radiator, new water pimp (yes, pimp), and new thermostat. Radiator's drained. Thermostat housing is off. Flush now through the thermostat seat? Wait until the pimp is off the block? Or is this when I sacrifice the chicken and make a Jackson Pollock with it's innards?

Edit: Well, things are back in. New radiator and thermostat, but I didn't manage the water pimp. Still no heat, so I'll have to try again and look more closely at the heater core.