hey cool.yes it does look like that's the right one according to rock auto;
MOTORCRAFT Part # RT1049 More Info {#1807974C94, E5TZ8575C} Therm 190
Category: Thermostat

i guess we may want to start using the newer part # when suggesting this part, rather than the old "E5TZ8575C" we always see when searching.

i always confirm with other sites first,as i don't trust amazon much for part look up.
#RT1049 it does appear to be.

 

Thanks, I figured that, I just expected it to be a little more pricey.

 

don't plan ahead like i did,and get it at the stealership with solve that for ya lol.

 

Lol, my CDR was like $80 at the dealer, they only had one left though so I was happy I got one.

 

I followed the advise in this thread. Bought 4 gallons NAPA low silicate antifreeze, four gallons distilled water, 2 pints NAPA Kool, and a pack of test strips. I parked my truck with the nose pointing downhill and rear wheels up on ramps (for good measure).

Drained 6 gallons of nearly new 50/50 antifreeze tap water mix. Couldn't get it to drain any more than that. Next I filled up just the radiator with plain water, ran it a few minutes and drained it again. Only got 4 gallons of really weak looking stuff out of it the second time around - which makes sense since that's just a little more than what the radiator holds.

Then I hooked up my garden hose to one of those "T's" that you install in the heater hose and flushed the system with running water with the engine idling until the stuff overflowing from the radiator was completely clear. Probably ran 40 or 50 gallons through it to be sure it got fully flushed.

I then drained the system - for a couple of HOURS. I ran the engine a few seconds a couple of times to see if that would evacuate any more water from the block. I even let the rear wheels roll down off the ramp to see if that would cause any more to drain out. Lastly I unhooked the lower radiator hose too. I did everything I could think of to drain every single drop I could get out of the system.

Here's the part that gets me. Once I buttoned everthing up and refilled it I was only able to get it to take 3 gallons antifreeze, 2-1/2 gallons distilled water, and 2 pints NAPA Kool. That's only 5-3/4 gallons. So according to what I've read around here, I guess that there had to be around 2 gallons of tap water still in the system. Now I'm not too worried about that. The water in my area is unusually pure and soft (low mineral content) due to it being mostly snowmelt and our being so close to the mountain sources.

BUT, my question - to you guys who insist that every single drop of the 8 gallons has to be replaced - is HOW THE HECK DO YOU DO IT? You can't be flushing 50 or 100 gallons of distilled water through the system to displace all the tap water. So what's the trick?

One last question: when I tested it with the strips, the SCA levels looked great, the antifreeze protection was good to 23 below zero (way colder than the truck will ever see), but the PH was a bit high - like around 9.5-10 - and the test strip instructions say that a PH of 11 or higher is a problem. So, what do you add to lower the PH? And before some wise guy suggests its due to the tap water, I thought of that already - so I dunked a strip in pure tap water too, and it tested out at 6.5 - almost perfectly neutral...

 

Did you fill it with water, run it, and then drain it by taking the bottom hose off and repeat that 3-4 times? I never heard of doing flushes on a incline myself, level ground should be just fine.

 

Yeah, and the last one was on level ground. That still didn't cause it to drain any more.

 

power flush it with a coolent flush machine is the only real way to compleatly change all of the antifreeze.

 

LOL! Did you READ what I wrote man?

I got all the antifreeze out - by flowing around 30-40 gallons of pressurized water into the running engine through a T-tap in the heater hose. That was AFTER draining everything I could (over 6 gallons) from the system to start with. I let the fresh water run in (and overflow from the radiator) until it ran clear, and then let it run until I had flushed through another 20 gallons or so.

Once all the antifreeze was flushed out I wasn't able to drain all the WATER out before refilling it. That's the issue - that there was still around 2 gallons of tap water left in the system that I couldn't get out. There was no antifreeze left in the system - just tap water...

 

yea i read it, but a power flush machine flushes with a cleaner, then with new antifreeze thus replaceing everything in the system with new coolent. it pulls the new coolent through the cooling system removeing everything from the block. you flushed, and that probably did a good enough job, but if you wanted to do a true power flush you would have had to pump the new coolent through the system. with just a drain and flush you still would have old coolent or water in the block or heater core.

 

I'll buy the part about leaving water in it, but I can tell you right now, that after flushing as much water through it as I did there was NO antifreeze left to speak of. I wouldn't have been aftaid to drink what was coming out of it - it was that clean.

Your suggestion of a power flush is a good one - if you happen to have the machine. For the rest of us who don't, what is the solution? Anybody?

 

i wouldn't do a power flush.what type of coolant do you suppose they use?
you guessed it.normal antifreeze with silicates.
not what you want in a diesel engine.

CheaperJeeper,
you sound like you'd be interested in this;
Adding a Coolant Filter to the IDI Cooling System

 

Wish I had seen that post by WEST AUSSIE 94 250 before I started the process. I also missed the part about it taking 8 gallons IF you filled the overflow bottle too. Mine's pretty much empty, which means I probably actually left only a gallon or so worth of tap water in it. Oh well, like I said, our water here is very low in mineral content, so I'm even less concerned now.

Still wondering what I should add to bring the PH down a point or two. Anybody know of any kind of acidic additive that is weak enough to not hurt anything, and is compatable with NAPA Kool?

 

You probably have her good a clean. I have cleaned several coolant systems out with cascade dish washing soap and water. Then rinse that out with water. Made a coolant mix with the anti freeze strong to take care of the water that you can't get out. Checked it with a Duo Check and let em ride with no problems.

Baking soda should change the PH. I wouldn't think it would hurt anything.
Does the PH change with temp. I know those hydrometers that check coolant freeze point change allot from coolant temp. 9.5 to 11 is a big difference really.

 

personaly i dont think a compleat flush is nessacary, unless you have a lot of crud in your cooling system, then just flushing with water will remove most of that.thats what ive always done anyway