I have an '03 F250 with the 7.3 with about 150K miles. It has developed a coolant leak around the thermostat housing. Water pump has no problems and is not leaking out the weep hole. I have read and do not doubt Gooch's knowledge about ELC. My truck has not been switched to ELC, yet.

My question is, since I'm going to be fixing the thermostat leak, would it be worth the extra work and expense to go ahead and replace the water pump and also switch to ELC?

One thought nagging me is, do I really need 600,000 mile coolant if the other components of the cooling system probably won't last nearly that long? The coolant gets drained and replaced almost anytime we work on the cooling system, right?

 

I'll work backwards.

You can always catch your drained coolant and re-use it, being careful to not pour any contaminants into the reservoir when re-filling, and simply top off whatever spilled or was not caught while draining or was "low" to begin with.

Worth it? Not sure. I did when I ran that process myself. I've seen some ELC incompatibility issues reported with other seals throughout the engine, but I don't recall if it's the injector cup sealant or something else.

If it's leaking now, go ahead and replace. I, too, have developed a small weeping leak on mine. I'm at about 290K miles, but this is my second water pump already. I installed this one at about 165-175K miles, if my memory is correct. I'm close to pulling the trigger on a third water pump now, and am strongly considering going with one of the cast iron International replacements.

 

I would if it were me. You can address the entire thing fairly easily. Once the fan is off, removal of the old pump is pretty simple.

 

You won't make it to 600k miles before you need to replace the coolant. You'll max out in time (years) before you do distance (miles) so wearing out the other components first isn't really a concern.

I have ELC in my old F250, my wife's Ex, and my F250. The Ex maxed out at ten years and I replaced the coolant almost 2 years ago. My old F250 (daughters truck now) is coming up on 7 years and will need to be replaced in the near future.

When I replaced the old ELC with new in the Ex a couple years ago, I developed a heater hose leak within a few days and had to drain the radiator to replace the hose. Like Pete said to do, I drained the coolant into a clean bucket and reused what I removed.

3 rigs with ELC with one rig on it's second fill and I really appreciate the no-maintenance aspect of the coolant. One less thing to be concerned about on a regular basis.

Stewart

 

Stewart, do the SDs need an SCA additive like the OBS trucks, or just the ELC? I am looking at changing mine pretty soon and it looks to be the old green stuff.

 

You have an Early '99, so ELC and the Ford "Gold" isn't an option for you. The traditional "green" with SCA's is what you want to use.

You can read all the info here in my Gooch coolant thread: Gooch's Coolant Flush Procedure and In-Depth Coolant Information - FTE

Stewart

 

Grab the tip of the fan blade and try to wiggle the fan front to back. There should be no wobble. If there is, then I would change the pump. My pump went to around 140k, so 150k seems to be the average life span from what I've read. It seems like something I would change. Overheating the engine could be a very expensive mistake.

 

Some people don't like the IH version of the pump due to the cost, but I found it to be a very robust pump vs. the OEM.

 

Does it last any longer on average than the OEM though?

 

If it ain't leaking why change it. If you go to ELC then change it if you want. I have 200K on my OEM pump and have had know problems. I bought the truck new. I have heard plenty of problems on here that even the new OEM pumps go out early. Do what Andym said to check the pump. I've never done that but some times the pump is leaking and people think it's the thermostat housing.

 

Could not tell you sir, I found no documentation proving that it would or would not when ordering the IH pump.

I see it kind of like the Dorman vs IH up-pipe discussion. In the case of the up-pipes I went with the Dorman, but in the case of the water pump I went IH.

The decision is up to the OP and that is why I kept my original statement about the IH pump brief and to the point.

 

It looks like I will have to do this repair here soon also, not really sure I want to spend the coin on an IH, so which would be the better option between the Gate and Airtech brands I have found? Is there even any difference between the two? Price seems similar for both units....

I also plan on new Tstat housing and tstat, new upper (dual alt), lower and degas hoses, new belt and tensioner too. Anything I am missing while I have it tore apart? I may have a line on some ELC (Cat) for a great price so will do that also.....

(Sorry for the thread hijack!)

 

I would ONLY go with IH or Motorcraft for the water pump.

 

I might feel just the slightest bit of wobble in the fan blade. Guess I should go ahead and try do the job right while I'm into it.

Is the IH pump you guys refer to the one sold by DieselOrings for about $150?

As far as coolant, will probably go with the ELC if I can find it. But, if not is the modern day Prestone stuff from WalMart equal to the "Gold" that it came with from the factory?

 

Thanks Andy, will keep that in mind.....