I will be changing the coolant in my truck soon, and I want to make sure I have all of my ducks in a row. I am thinking pull the thermostat, pull the upper hose off of the radiator, pull the lower hose to drain the radiator and block and re-attach, flush with garden hose with the engine running, flush with distilled water, drain everything, fill with coolant and distilled water. Now, are there drains on the block to get as much water out as possible? How much water will be left in the block, heater core, etc. after draining? How much does the cooling system hold? What is the best coolant available? Is there anything I have missed, or any tips you want to share? Thanks a lot guys!

 

If you park the truck pointing downhill it helps get the most coolant/water out of the block. Some say this route leaves about 1/2 gallon of water in the block. There aren't any drains on the block that I am aware of. There is a petcock on the lower drivers inboard corner to drain the rad if you don't want to have a total mess. I put a short hose on mine to direct the flow into a 5 gal bucket. I used the Delo 50/50 premix approved by cummins. So far So good. Might as well replace the thermostat if you're gonna pull it anyway. I kept the 190 in mine. Good luck, Kurt

 

correct me if I am wrong but while the engine is running turn on the heater...it allows the water to flow up into the heater core.....so while your flushing you will be flushing the heater core also...

 

So, no block drains, and all but 1/2 gallon can be drained by pointing the truck down hill. Got it!

 

What do you guys run for coolant?

 

I'm running Rotella ELC extended life coolant. Its the red stuff. I got it from my local Peterbilt dealer.

 

You might have to jack the rear up to get the engine as level as possible, or park on a steep hill. The system holds 6 gallons, but you'll only get about 5 gallons or so back in it.

I used Fleetguard Optimax in my 2000. It was pricey. You might want to look into Rotella or Fleetguard extended coolant from a large truck dealer.

 

me i just bought some of the flush and anti freeze from carquest, i drained the coolant, put water and the flush in, ran it till it was at normal operating temp, then drained the water and refilled it with coolant. it did hold bout 5 gallons.

 

I use the Advance Auto Parts Long Life coolant, no problems.

 

They call for a low silicate formula. I think NAPA's meets GM & Chrysler spec on the fine print on back. It is $9-10/gallon. Also use distilled water.There is a good write up on Geno's wen site that tells how, very well.
You may want to get the 6" of 1/4" fule line up front to attach to the downspout, makes it less messy. You may want to consider doing the hoses too while there.
Some also suggest Thermostat, but if it is working, why? I think I will carry a spare. I believe they normally get stuck open(not good in the winter). Anyone ever have one get stuck closed?

 

I was thinking a heavy duty ELC that meets the EC-1 standard, like the Rotella ELC, CAT ELC, or Fleetrite Compleat. the hoses are not too old, so I am going to leave them, and the thermostat is supposed to be good for a long time. If I remember correctly, it is fairly pricey for the right one. Thanks for the tips guys!

 

Yes, but not in the trucks in my signature.

 

Anyone ever have one get stuck closed?

YES! Last October going up Parleys Summit just outside of Salt Lake City on my way to Colorado to go Elk hunting. After stopping about 5 times we finally made it to the top and down into Heber City where I bought a new thermostat and replaced the old one in the Holiday Inn parking lot. It really is that simple.

Live and Learn..... I now carry a spare.

 

here is what i did this spring.

1. drain coolant and remove thermostat.
2. flush system with water.
3. add cummins/fleetguard flush and run as per directions.
4. drain and flush with water until exiting water is clear.
5. drain as much water from system as possible.
6. add conentrated coolant (half the volume of total system capacity)
7. run engine and add water until rad is full.
8. replace thermostat.
9. check level once in a while for a couple weeks and add water as needed.

i used all cummins fleetguard products (flush, coolant concentrate, and thermostat)

to drain the system i used the plug on the lower driver side of rad.

to flush the system with water i undid the upper rad hose from the radiator and stuffed it into a shop-vac hose, then put a garden hose in the rad inlet. turned the garden hose on and ran the engine until water exiting the shop-vac hose was only water.

when using a flush treatment or flushing the system of product i always ran the heater on high heat mode to allow full flow thru the heater core.

i think that about covers it . . .