Yes I was referring to the bottle. I apologize for not being clear. I was thinking of ordering a new one in case this one started to leak just to have on the shelf. If the old one does leak do you have to drain all the coolant from the system or can you just drain the tank to replace?

 

The easiest way to replace the tank is to drain coolant from the radiator plug until the coolant level is below the degas tank. Then install the new tank and refill from the degas bottle cap. I think the job would take about 15 minutes and might require loosening the passenger side CAC tube because it is the way of the lower bottle mount.

 

I don't mean to sound uninformed, but what is the CAC tube?

 

The inlet and outlet connections to/from the turbo to the intercooler and to the intake plenums.

 

I apologize for the confusion.

CAC = Charge Air Cooler

Basically the intercooler tubes and more specifically the one on the passenger side.

 

Got it. I'm learning my way through this truck as I go. Thanks to this forum I've learned a ton so far from where I started with just basic understanding of the 7.3.

Ill probably just buy the tank and keep it on the shelf with a new cap just in case. I think we have about covered the majority of the cooling system without including the radiator and water pump.

 

If the overflow tank spring a leak, when replacing g that would that also be a good time to put in a coolant filter if I decided I wanted to have one? Or does installing the filter require all the coolant to be drained?
Also, our water out of the hydrants can sometimes have very fine sediment. Would it be recommended to skip using a garden hose and just use distilled water?

 

It's not required to drain the coolant. I didn't when I installed my filter. Just be ready to screw in the fitting to the water pump as soon as you remove the plug.

NEVER use tap water. ALWAYS use distilled water even if you think you have good water.

 

I hate to be the only one replying to your questions, but I have first hand information on them and would like to offer some help.

Yes, when draining your coolant out to install a new overflow bottle, that would be a good time to install the filter. Most of the times the filter install will still produce a little spilling of coolant, but not a lot if you have drained it out of the radiator.

As for your water, do not use your water if you are on a well system or have sediment in it. Even if you are on city water, you should use distilled water for long periods and the city water is just for the flush procedures. What I did was buy 40 gallons of distilled water and used that to flush and make the 50/50 mixture of the ELC concentrate. All I did was remove the thermostat and plumb the overflow bottle inlet tube into an empty distilled water gallon jug. I would keep an eye on the overflow bottle level and fill with new distilled water when it would need. I let the truck sit and idle in the garage for about an hour I think until the fluid coming out of the engine was clear and clean.

Then I pushed a couple more jugs of distilled water through just for good measure. Then I drained the system, replaced the thermostat and filled with ELC and topped off with distilled water.

Hope this makes sense. The key is to not use water that has sediment, iron or harsh chemicals in it.

EDIT: Andy beat me to it with a much more simple version of caution.

 

I was always told to use distilled by my dad who was an agricultural mechanic for almost 30 years. Sadly I only learned basic things from him before he passed away. But I had a couple people tell me to flush it with tap then one round of distilled. I didn't think that was a good idea because as you said, my dad told me not to put anything with metals or sediment into the radiator. Or anywhere else in the cooling system for that matter. Sadly,

I will read more into these coolant filters and decide if I'd like one at a later time.

Also, does not bother me if I get answers from one person or five.

 

What Sous is describing is the "gooch coolant flush procedure", found here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...formation.html

If you want to take care of your cooling system so it provides you with many trouble-free miles, that's the process to follow.

The coolant filter I used is this one: https://sinisterdiesel.com/i-1588343...2003-7-3l.html

It's a little expensive, but it's extremely well made and looks good to boot.

 

I did read that a couple days ago. But that was after midnight while I was sitting in our shop so my information intake probably was not great. Does this plug look to anyone else like if I try to remove it I will have issues? As in froze into place.

 

That plug does not need to be removed to do the flush. Don't really know what it is for but would be a good place for a temperature sensor, assuming there is enough clearance.

 

That is where you install a thermostat or plumb your coolant filter. If you decide to use a filter AND want a coolant thermostat make sure the filter has 3 outlets. Clay's filter housing is set up for a thermostat. I would get a touch of penetrating oil before trying to remove. Your thermostat housing on the water pump looks like it's seen better days too.

 

It looks like the water temp sensor is on the center side of the thermostat opposite of this plug. I was replacing housing with thermostat. I asked and Clay said the sensor will stay in it's spot and then plumb in the coolant filter. Sensor will not move just because of the filter.