Here we have a classic case of scope creep. I innocently purchased a DieselSite coolant filtration system and finally got around to installing it. So I've been a little naive about coolant maintenance, and my coolant test strips showed I have a very low nitrate level, so I decided rather than not to only drain enough coolant to add the filtration system, but make the switch to Fleet Charge ELC. While I'm at it I'll bump up the thermostat to a 203 degree ( I don't tow heavy ).

Might as well replace what look like original 160k hoses, right? I've ordered Gates replacements ( would prefer Motorcraft, but you know why I can't ) for the upper, lower and lower connector from the degas bottle ( got a new one of those too, as it looked cracked at the glue joint ). My question now looks toward the heater hoses, which normally are bulk 5/8" or similar. But my truck has a swaged Tee arrangement on one of them, and I can't seem to find it for sale as-is, though I can build one. Anyone done this?

Also, after I make the switch to a pre-loaded ELC, in the future, should I still check my coolant with test strips?

Thanks for the advice in advance guys.

 

Shoot us a picture of the heater hoses.

 

I know which one, the one that goes from the bottom of the radiator, to the heater hose to the passenger side head. I bought a brass T and had my local hydraulic supplier to crimp my provided heater hose, its been on there for at least 9 years

Oh forgot to mention I too never found an OEM or aftermarket part # maybe someone here can add if they do.

 

Are you talking actual ELC coolant or just the pre charged SCA stuff? From what I understand, unless you redo your injector cups with loctite 620, the ELC can eat at the glue in 94.5 to E99 trucks. There have been folks that have ran ELC in OBS and E99 trucks and not had issues though.

I've run the pre charged SCA and you still need to test it. As far as I know you don't have to with ELC, only to drain and refill at their recommended intervals, which I believe most are 500k miles or 6-8 years.

 

So no problem with the banded heater hose tee- I cut it off with a disc and was able to reuse the slightly rusty tee using normal hose clamps.

 

Fleet Charge is not OAT type coolant, so I was under the impression it will not damage the injector cups. Some may confuse Fleet Charge with Final Charge, which is an OAT coolant.

 

Where does that 'T' lead? My 10/95 built (96 MY) does not have that.

Smart on new hoses. Consider a heater core while it is all apart, they only run $25 and a 30 min job to swap. Same goes for water pump if no documents when last swapped.

Someone posted a nice neck upgrade for these. Said it was $51.

I use that precharged Fleet Charge too, it is Purple.

 

So the heater core Tee connects to the lower radiator next to the drain plug. Funny thing is the radiator bung for that hose connection has perhaps ( I didn’t measure it ) a 1/16” hole cast in it. So I’m guessing it provides some sort of pressure equalization within the cooling system.

 

I read Gooch’s cooling flush thread, but living in a dense urban area, I didn’t feel comfortable hooking up a water hose to flush my system, allowing what I figured would be a lot of residual coolant to run down the street. Instead, I purchased extra distilled water and I systematically gravity flushed in different ways to clean out both old coolant ( I’m switching and don’t want to mix ) and other debris and catch it in buckets and pans. I’m sure this isn’t as effective a flushing method, but I’m installing a filtration system anyway.

After draining as much from the radiator valve I removed a heater core hose and ran a gallon or more of distilled water through the heater core, next I removed the drivers side block plug for a refreshing coolant shower and since I’d removed the thermostat housing I poured directly into the block on the drivers side and it flushed cleanly. However, when I pulled out the passenger block plug, only a drip was seen. I tried flushing into the passenger side heater core connection, but still nothing came out- it wasn’t until I worked a wire into the block plug hole that I got my next fabulous shower, complete with grit and sand that had built up against the backside of the plug. After giving that section a good flush I also flushed the radiator.

Since I couldn’t locate Motorcraft hoses ( which are much thicker than aftermarket ) I settled on Gates hoses. I salvaged the spring from inside the OE lower hose and inserted it into the Gates hose as it didn’t come with one.

I refilled the system with a 50/50 ratio of Fleet Charge concentrate and distilled water, though so far only about five and a half gallons- not the eight that I read frequently.

 

When I want to change out all of the radiator coolant, after flushing with distilled water, in order to compensate for the volume of distilled water I can't get out of the system, I first put into the radiator enough of the 100% coolant to equate 50% of the rated radiator volume, then top off the radiator with distilled water. That way, I know I have the proper 50% mix of coolant and distilled water.