I know that it is about time to flush and refill the coolant. never done this to this truck. does anyone know of any issues i might run into with this truck? im betting there wont be any but want to make sure. thanks!

00 screw 4x4 with 5.4l

 

For the price, I get it done by a pro. You don't have to worry about disposal of old fluids or anything.

If you insist on DIY, I say, get a Haynes manual and go for it.

 

Roughly 2/3 of the coolant is in the radiator. The easiest service is to open the drain **** on the radiator and drain it completely, it takes 10 minutes or so. 2 Gallons will empty. Refill the radiator with 2 gallons of coolant of your choice. To keep it simple I use the 50/50 premix, usually SuperTech brand and perform the service every 30K. At around $5 a gallon I do this service for a total of $10. You certainly can buy a gallon of Motorcraft coolant and mix it yourself with a gallon of distilled water. As long as you do reasonable drain/fills I see no need to flush the system. However, if the truck had high miles with no service in the past I would take it to the dealer and have a flush done.

 

truck has 164k and ive had it for the last 3yrs and 34k of that. i dont know the service history. i know that it hasnt overheated int he past but it does take a while to get warm in the mornings since it is cooler if not cold every morning. id rather have someone else do it due to disposal but thought id ask if it was terribly simple. i heard its like 60 bucks to have it flushed and refilled. does that sound right?

 

Replace your thermostat, common issue with warming up, but you should have it flushed first. $60 is an average price, just make sure they actually flush & fill it, not just drain & fill it.

 

Last thermostat i replaced was on a 1976 360 in my other f150. it cost like 2 dollars and was simple to replace. Are these much more complicated. i havent had to do any work on this truck so Im feeling a little undereducated here. would it be expensive to do while the flush is being done?

 

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, I had an appt' with an irate nurse.

360 in an F-150?

Anyway, no they are not expensive and is just as easy to do, if not easier, just follow the upper hose from the radiator to the thermostat housing and there it is, two bolts later (10mm if I remember correctly and they should be tourqued to specs.) and you are done. The only thing different is the gasket, which is now an "O" ring that sits between the t-stat and the housing. If the coolant is looking nasty, you should have it flushed first, if it's really nasty have it done again in a couple weeks then change it. If the coolant looks descent still, change the t-stat first and all should be good. If you have it done at the time of the flush it will cost more because of labor, have them quote you a price and decide then. Good luck

 

yeah-ford made one. strong torquey motor. same thing as the 390 jsut a shorter stroke i think.

Thanks for the advice on the t-stat. i have to find a new mechanic. mine retired last month.

 

Hmm, I just don't remember sometimes.

Good luck w/ your search. Interview some techs, It's a good way to get a feel for their attitude toward their work.

 

My buddy had a 1971 F-100 through highschool. He had the 390. Monster motor. I believe in 1976 it was still F-100 or maybe it was changed to F-150 by then. But yes, they had 360's too. My old 1978 Bronco had a 400ci motor. The 351 Cleveland was available too.

 

I believe that 75 was the last year for the f-100.

 

Why we're on the subject, what kind of coolant? I've got an 04' Lariat 5.4. I've heard green, gold, can't mix this with that, so on.... I've got 47K mi and still running on the factory stuff which I think is gold or yellow. Any suggestions? Also, I think my 5.4 holds about 5 gal total?

 

i had a 76 f-100.. my brother had a 78 f-150. mine had the 360 in it.. nice engine. the only thing i hated about it was it had a rocker arm assembly on it, instead of adjustable rockers.

i found out the hard way how to shim it up when i put an Erson cam in it, and locked it down... held all the valves open. got it shimmed up, and it ran like a beast.. untill graduation night.. i came sliding around a corner, and floored it, while keeping it in first.. bent 6 push rods.. one was in the shape of a question mark..

i finally sold it a couple years ago, and that engine was still going strong.

i cant wait till i can fix up my late grandfathers 71 f-100.. he bought it the same month i was born. body is in excelent shape. think i just need to replace some front end stuff, and maybee have the engine redone, and the tranny just to be on the safe side.



sorry for the thread hijack.. reading the comment about the 76 360 brought back some memories

 

You need G-05. Although there are probably others, the only brand that I know of is Zerex (Valvoline) G-05. It's available at most auto parts stores... And the 5.4 takes 21.2 qts of it.