x2. mine said ~5 gal

 

it "says 5 gallons" but is that correct? Does your system actually take 5?

 

The last couple of times I 'flushed' the entire system I'd mix up 6 gallons of 50/50 coolant.. 3 gallons of 100% AF and 3 gallons of distilled water.

I added a "T" in the heater line for my water temp gauge, so I disconnect one end and then I drain the rad. Fill up with plain hose water until clear water comes out of the open hose. Add whatever flush stuff I'm going to use and follow the flush process.

when it cools down, I again flush with hose water and let that cycle thru for a bit..

When that cools down, then I add my mix. When 'green' starts to come out the open hose, I'm just about at 5.5 gallons used. I keep the last 1/2 gallon to top off as needed.

I then run the truck to temp with the rad cap off letting any bubbles come out without having any pressure in the system. Then I put the cap on and drive around a little 3 mile loop then shut it down and when it's cooled down some, remove the cap and let it cool all the way down. Check the level and add some accordingly and call it good..

Sure, it takes a while and burns some gas, but with the help of some 'brew' along the way, it goes by pretty good....

Once a year, I drain just the rad and put in 50/50 mix and it takes about 3 gallons to do that. I'll probably do another full flush next April/May when I prep for another camping season..

Mitch

 

Or buy Ford's premium motorcraft gold, that is good for 5 years

 

I don't mind doing this yearly.. I can do it in my garage in less then 15 minutes... I only do the full flush every couple of years now.

Makes me all "warm and fuzzy" knowing I have at least some fresh stuff in the system on a yearly basis... I've never really bought into that "5 year" stuff either.. With the way these cooling systems are in contact with dissimilar metals, there has to be some electrolysis going on a daily basis and the older the coolant is, the higher the ph or whatever and that leads to higher corrosion in my mind??

At any rate, with almost 214,000 miles, I don't see any reason in changing my ways! Oh, and still on the original heater core with no leaks!

Mitch

 

I guess i can't complain with you maintaining your vehicle, but the Ford stuff is really good stuff. Etholyne Glycol (sp?) is great stuff do a little research on different properties. There's a reason Ford puts it in their vehicle. But im sure anything is better then Dexcool


Dont Jinx yourself now

 

Well, if and when I get a new truck and it came with that from the factory, that's what I would stick with.. But, I'd still probably flush it out before 5 years... I'm too much set in my ways and it would just kill me to keep it in for that long!!

Mitch

 

Back in the old days when antifreeze was cheap, I flushed every fall. Now I'm lazy - I take it to the dealer every 3 years and let them do it with the machine - and they use standard green stuff, not the expensive yellow stuff.

 

Dealership tech says to use whatever color it came with, and don't mix. So in the Explorer, I stick with the green. In the F-150, I stick with the gold. I've been using Zerez G-05. It's just a better price online than buying "Motorcraft" at the dealership. Funny thing, the dealership parts guy will sell me Mercon V for about $4 a quart, but tells me to check online, and at Wal*Mart, before buying oil or coolant. I guess they're not all crooks.