Hello,

I have a '94 F250 7.3 that was leaking coolant from the bottom radiator hose due to a loose hose clamp. I bought NAPA green coolant (NOT 50/50 mix), NAPA Kool 4056 additive, distilled water and some test strips. This truck has green coolant in it, I believe I remember the previous owner telling me he had the coolant flushed by Ford.

I have a few questions:
Do I add straight coolant or a 50/50 mix of distilled water and this coolant to it to fill it?
Do I top off the coolant through the degas bottle? (the plastic container on the a passenger side, I think thats what its called)
Where is the best place to extract a coolant sample from this engine so I can check the SCA levels?

Thanks a lot for the help and your time.

Nathan

 

"Coolant" is whatever is in the cooling system. You want a 50/50 mix of the _anti-freeze_ you bought and distilled water. That mix, plus the SCA, is the _coolant_.

If you have a degas bottle, you must have a '95, and a "late" '95 at that. The '94.5s and early '95s had an old-school overflow tank and a radiator cap. In any case, you top off coolant via the degas or overflow, depending on which one you have.

If indeed you have a degas bottle, it's the only place to dip an SCA test strip., without removing a hose (which you don't want to do). I find I have to put the test strip on a needle-nose pliers to dip into the degas in order to test it. If you have a radiator cap, then dip the test strip there.

 

Thanks for the reply, I confused the terminology on the overflow bottle. Mine is on the passenger side next to the washer fluid. So best thing is to find a way to dip a test strip in that bottle when it’s cold? Thanks

 

Does your radiator have a cap?

 

Yes it does

 

So you have the old-school system. So just remove the radiator cap (cold engine, but not too cold; IIRC it needs to be at least 50F) and dip the test strip there.