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Changing antifrezz

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Old Jan 18, 2008 | 03:59 PM
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Changing antifrezz

First off can't spell antifrezz. I want to flush my radiator and change the antifrezz. I just got the truck a few weeks ago and do not know when it was don last. This is my first Ford and to my surprise it does not have a radiator cap on it.
Do you fill the radiator threw the resavor or can you take off the upper radiator hose and fill there? Why does it not have a cap?
The truck is a 01 with a 5.4l in it if it makes a differance. Thanks sorry for a silly question but I dont know. Thanks Tim
 
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Old Jan 18, 2008 | 06:52 PM
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You figured right, fill it thru the reservoir.
 
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Old Jan 18, 2008 | 08:20 PM
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Make sure you let it run about 20-30 min w/o the cap on to let the air out.
 
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Old Jan 18, 2008 | 08:24 PM
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if you have a small hill or a ste of jacks, it helps. put the rear axle about a foot or two highter than the front. when you open the radiator drain you will get much more liquid out of the engine block. lower it and refill. if you then jack the front end up it helps fill the block and get the air back toward the radiator and overflow tank. as the guys said, its important to run several minutes, then refill the tank.
 
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Old Jan 18, 2008 | 08:50 PM
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Make sure you get a good burp out of it. I can't spell worth a S### either, but antifrezz can also be spelled "antifreeze". I think antifrezz is what my wife sprays on her long hair to keep the frizzys down. Ok... I'll stop now. Good luck with your project.

Spotty
 
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Old Jan 19, 2008 | 05:17 PM
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i usually flush once with straight water, then i fill with a 50 50 mix and test. make sure u let the truck get fully warm if u use the straight water so it can flush the old coolant out

Matt
 
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Old Jan 26, 2008 | 11:54 PM
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I hear straight water isnt good since It will cause corrosion and prematurely eat out your raditor, thus causing leaks in the future, Ive always been told to use distilled water. If you flush with straight water use a air hose and blow out as much as possible and use distilled 50/50
 
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Old Jan 27, 2008 | 02:09 AM
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blah, ive had vehicles run 5-7 years without ever changine. that whole distilled water rumor is nothing more than a rumor

Matt
 
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Old Jan 27, 2008 | 02:19 AM
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Originally Posted by fordboy_52
blah, ive had vehicles run 5-7 years without ever changine. that whole distilled water rumor is nothing more than a rumor

Matt
On the truck i just say F- it and run well water mix. On the Mach1 i run distilled water with anti-freeze. I usually change the truck out every two or Three years. The mustang has only been done once, and i will probably do it again this spring. It is super important to get the air bubbles out of the cooling system. I went to napa a few years ago and purchased a funnel adapter that will fit most cooling systems. Just fill the reservoir and leave a little in the funnel. Dont overfill the funnel though, just leave a couple inches in there. Or it will burp and puke out coolant on the floor before it gets the air out.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2008 | 08:41 AM
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the thing about distilled water is it has no calcium and therefore will not deposit in the radiator and plug lines. if you have a well and and ever seen an old water heater you get the idea. if your talking city water or some treated or soft type water, that might not be as bad. all depends on where your water is coming from. the distilled water is $1 a gallon and a safe bet if your not sure.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2008 | 11:49 PM
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yeah, i've never really heard whether or not distilled v.s tap water makes a difference. I live in Minneapolis, plus we have a water softener, so i just use water out of the garden hose. We have owned many cars in the past and have always used tap water from the hose, seems to work just fine. Perhaps well-water may be a different story. If you can drink it and it tastes normal, I'm sure its ok to put in your truck, haha. Otherwise, it couldn't hurt to use distilled.
 
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Old Jan 30, 2008 | 08:24 AM
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Originally Posted by fordboy_52
blah, ive had vehicles run 5-7 years without ever changine. that whole distilled water rumor is nothing more than a rumor

Matt
That depends on what you have for tap water. If it's clorinated, when it's combines with antifreeze turns very acidic. For the cost of a dollar or so per jug it can't hurt. I speak from experience on this one.
 
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