2.3L Coolant Flush
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Apr 2022
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2.3L Coolant Flush
Just an informational post discussing a coolant flush I just did to my 95 Ranger with the 2.3 four-banger.
I followed Chrisfix's Super Flush method from Youtube, only I didn't use a chemical cleaner in the coolant - maybe I should have, but I think it turned out fine.
One of the steps is to take out the thermostat so that you can get the flush circulating without getting the engine up to operating temp. I was able to remove the thermostat without taking the fan and fan housing off, but if you have A/C like me, you're going to need to take the fan and housing off to get it back in. The thermostat housing sticks out from under the timing chain/belt cover. Just follow the upper radiator hose.
I drained the old coolant, which looked really nasty, and then flushed it three times with distilled water. Basically, you drain the coolant, fill it up with distilled water, idle/drive it for 10 minutes, drain again, and repeat until the water coming out looks as clean as you want it. I got it to the point where it was almost clear.
I then filled it up with new antifreeze and water. Don't forget you'll have distilled water in the engine block that didn't drain out, so to get a 50/50 overall mix, you'll need to add a richer blend of antifreeze and water when you're filling it up. I'm still messing with my coolant mix because I still need to get the right percentage so that my engine block doesn't crack on our cold MN winter days. You can get a little tool that sticks into your radiator and has 5 ***** of different densities. You can suck up coolant into the tool with a little bulb, and then the number of floating ***** tells you what percentage of antifreeze you have.
When I finished my flushes, I put a new thermostat and thermostat gasket on. I wasn't having problems with my old one, but it's a cheap part - I got one from NAPA for about $12. Mine had probably been in the truck for it's life - 27 years - and I since I was already opening up the housing, I figured I may as well replace it.
Hope this was helpful, I just wanted to contribute to the info available on the forum.
I followed Chrisfix's Super Flush method from Youtube, only I didn't use a chemical cleaner in the coolant - maybe I should have, but I think it turned out fine.
One of the steps is to take out the thermostat so that you can get the flush circulating without getting the engine up to operating temp. I was able to remove the thermostat without taking the fan and fan housing off, but if you have A/C like me, you're going to need to take the fan and housing off to get it back in. The thermostat housing sticks out from under the timing chain/belt cover. Just follow the upper radiator hose.
I drained the old coolant, which looked really nasty, and then flushed it three times with distilled water. Basically, you drain the coolant, fill it up with distilled water, idle/drive it for 10 minutes, drain again, and repeat until the water coming out looks as clean as you want it. I got it to the point where it was almost clear.
I then filled it up with new antifreeze and water. Don't forget you'll have distilled water in the engine block that didn't drain out, so to get a 50/50 overall mix, you'll need to add a richer blend of antifreeze and water when you're filling it up. I'm still messing with my coolant mix because I still need to get the right percentage so that my engine block doesn't crack on our cold MN winter days. You can get a little tool that sticks into your radiator and has 5 ***** of different densities. You can suck up coolant into the tool with a little bulb, and then the number of floating ***** tells you what percentage of antifreeze you have.
When I finished my flushes, I put a new thermostat and thermostat gasket on. I wasn't having problems with my old one, but it's a cheap part - I got one from NAPA for about $12. Mine had probably been in the truck for it's life - 27 years - and I since I was already opening up the housing, I figured I may as well replace it.
Hope this was helpful, I just wanted to contribute to the info available on the forum.
