Well, had some time tonight to dick around, and looking at the pile of parts I had sitting int eh corner for the duty, I decided it was coolant flush/change and coolant filter time.
First drained the old crap...its not ford gold, so I assume it had been changed before.
Thats only part of it, keep in mine that the 7.3 system holds 32 liters...yes thats right, 32 L.
Drained the block as well, and then plugged it up and filled with water. Ran it round the block, drained, filled repeated, until the water came out of the block clear.
Now for coolant, I used Rotella ELC (extended life coolant).
Now why ELC you may ask?
Well, as far as the water pump is concerned, ELC is silicate free, as well as being free from phsphate, borate, amines, and nitrates.
Green coolants, and others of teh conventional type all have those things. Our concern primarily is with the silicate, as over time silicates become insoluble and precipitate out of the coolant as microscopic abrasives. For those of you who dont know, silicate is basically (in its raw form) sand. Now keeping that in mind, the water pump on the 7.3L is not like other diesel water pumps.
The water pump on a 7.3 has a seal that is always exposed to the coolant. If the silicates find their way between the pumps seal and the shaft, it WILL cause failure.
There are a number of other advantages to ELC as well. It better protects against cavitation and corrosion. It has better heat transfer, requires less maintenance, and has a longer life.
So, in an attempt to even further make my cooling system bullet proof, I installed a coolant filter. First remove the plug in the side of the water pump on the drivers side.
Than installed a barb.
got my filter head ready; I installed ball valves, so when I change the filter I can shut them off, not waste coolant and minimize mess. Also note the temp probe for my gauge.
I preinstalled the filter and bracket. For those of you wondering, filters are about 10$ a piece.
got it installed
and then hooked up hose from the water pump to the head
and T'd it into the return line.
and filled back with ELC.
With my billet thermostat housing, 203* international short stem thermostat, ELC, and coolant filter, my system should be bullet proof, and help prolong the life of my baby
For those of you wondering if a coolant filter is ACTUALLY necessary, take a look at this, this filter was taken off of a 7.3 after the first 3 months of its installation,
Next project...oil filtration bypass system....and new parking brake shoes/hub seals.
-Nate.
