Where do you purchase extended life coolant/concentrate in Socal?

The post with "Gooch's Radiator Flush Procedure" seems to suggest the following products are popular brands: International's Fleetrite ELC, Shell Rotella ELC, CAT ELC, Chevron Delo ELC, Peak Final Charge, Prestone Heavy Duty ELC, Zerex Extreme Heavy Duty, etc.

When I went online to two auto parts stores (with the initials PB and AZ), I didn't see the above brands/products as available.

 

They are hard to find. There is a CAT dealer in Oxnard. They will charge you about $30/gal. There is also a fueling station called MacValley Oil in Oxnard; They sell the Chevron coolant.

 

Gibbs probably will have ELC, and FleetPride definitely has some.

Pop

 

You've discovered the reason that I chose NOT to switch over to ELC. I don't want to use a product that will be so difficult to find in an emergency, say while traveling, and a heater hose blow. Or whatever reason.

Seems to me that a long life coolant like the Ford Gold or the Zerex G05 would already be a good step up from the green juice that your 7.3 was spec'd for.

JMO of course. I went with the Zerex at my last flush.

 

After calling Shell lubricants and asking for a retailer that carried Shell Rotella ELC, I was referred to Sawyer Petroleum located 14117 Aetna Street, Van Nuys, CA 91401. Telephone # is (818)786-8180.

The cost of one gallon of undiluted Shell Rotella ELC is $14.48 (they gave me a 30cent/gallon discount). HOWEVER, Sawyer Petroleum only sells boxes of six one-gallon containers. In addition, there is a credit card processing fee (3%), a $5.95 Environmental Processing Fee, and 8.75% sales tax.



Since I only need 4 gallons, I would love to sell the remaining 2 gallons for $30 if anyone needs it.

 

Are you sure of that tax rate? It's higher here in L.A. County. :-((

Pop

 

8.75% tax rate breaks down as:

6% state
1% local (city) tax
.25% county tax
1.5% district tax

Should be the same in your area.

Be on the lookout for a 1% increase to the state level tax.

 

By George, you're right-on!

I was under the impression that the City of Los Angeles was at 9.75%, but I see there was a state-wide decrease on July 1st, last year.

Who'da thunk'it?

Pop

 

I would keep the spare fluids just in case. What's your reason for changing the coolant? Are you changing the water pump?

 

Since I just bought the truck and I know it sat for over two years prior to my purchase, I'm changing all the fluids.

I didn't plan on changing the water pump. Is it necessary? Is changing the water pump a difficult task?

I am planning on changing the radiator hose to go around the drive belt.

I'm also NOT planning on changing the thermostat or thermostat housing.

 

The water pump isn't nessicary but most people don't change the coolant unless they change the water pump too. The water pumps do go bad, that is not abnormal. And when you replace them you lose most of your coolant. It's not something I would do until you need to, and that goes with the coolant too. I would wait on the coolant until the pump fails. I made that mistake and had to buy the coolant twice.

 

Since you're all ready to "do something", I wouldn't change the water pump until it actually needs it.

However, you CAN do something that may increase the pump seal's life.

See the reference to "coolant filter" in my sig file below.

That's something you can do.....

Pop

 

You shouldn't lose all your coolant when you replace a pump. But it is a good reason to keep that extra 2 gallons. Otherwise, if you need 1 gallon, you might be buying a case of 6 again.

Repairs like that are inevitable. That's why I chose to not use ELC, but since you chose to use it, best keep that extra on the shelf. You got an excellent price on it BTW.

 

The coolant filter is a great idea. There is lots of sand in the system. You can buy a kit or piece it together for about the same cost.

 

OK - please don't take this wrong way. I will be the first to admit that I know very little about the vehicle I just purchased.

That said, in the interest of learning, I've gone through a second read of the thread titled, "Gooch's Radiator/Engine Backflush Procedure and Coolant Information" ( https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/960812-goochs-radiator-engine-backflush-procedure-and-coolant-information.html ) and it seems to suggest that the use of a coolant filter, while generally a good idea, may not be necessary when using ELC since it is silicate free. Assuming I am able to do a fairly comprehensive flush of the system, the remaining silicate (which is what I believe people have been displaying in the pictures of the stuff being captured by their coolant filter) I am hoping would be minimal.

My guess is that instead of a coolant filter my money may be better spent on a new pump in the event of pump failure. Again, this post was meant for me to learn and not challenge those folks who are clearly much more knowledgable than I am about this truck.

Please feel free to respond and tell me if I have overlooked something or if you feel I might be on the right track.

Thank you.