coolant flush before oil cooler replacement?

Well my oil cooler is severely plugged so its getting replaced. I'm planning to do the job Saturday. I am also going to change out the coolant with elc and do a coolant filter. I am thinking I should flush the coolant first like friday and have just the distilled water in the system and saturday after the oil cooler change,I should throw the fresh coolant in. I was just figuring if there is that much trash in the system I should get it out before the oil cooler change so it doesn't get in the new one. What have you all done in this case?

run motorcraft vc-9 through the coolant system it will break up the deposits,then flush it a few times before changing the oil cooler

Alright I'll go see if The Dealer has got some. That will for sure help.

Well got 20 gallons of distilled water, 4 gallons of global life final charge elc by peak and a quart of vc-9. The parts guy at ford had no idea what it was but the diesel tech did. The parts guy didn't have any but the diesel tech let me buy his quart. Said he don't use it because you have to pull the plugs in the motor to flush it out and he don't like to do it so he uses just water. So thats why I don't take my truck there and let them work on it. I guess this quart he has had for over 6 months.

Pull what plugs?

chappy said:

Well my oil cooler is severely plugged so its getting replaced. I'm planning to do the job Saturday. I am also going to change out the coolant with elc and do a coolant filter. I am thinking I should flush the coolant first like friday and have just the distilled water in the system and saturday after the oil cooler change,I should throw the fresh coolant in. I was just figuring if there is that much trash in the system I should get it out before the oil cooler change so it doesn't get in the new one. What have you all done in this case?

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You're definitely on the right track. Get all that stuff cleared out before you replace the cooler. Use the VC-9 and if you're really motivated also use Restore (or is it Restore Plus? I can never remember which does what). One of the Restore products does the same thing as the VC-9 and the other will break up any oily, sandy sludge you have in the cooling system. The silicates in the coolant fall out of suspension over time, get super heated, and turn into something resembling snot.

Save the distilled water for your final 2-4 flushes and make sure your coolant is the concentrate and not the 50/50 mix.

Your a qt short of VC-9, you need 2. Also depending on which oil cooler kit you got, make sure it has turbo o-rings and gasket. Also might want to get fuel bowl o-rings. Make sure the intake manifold gaskets go on the same way they come off. Any other way can leak. Like stated earlier, no need to run just distilled in it the entire time. I did this over procedure over a week, using my drives to work as the run time.

How I did mine:

1: Drain coolant, pull drivers side block plug, allowing coolant/water to drain. After draining complete install re-install plug

2. Fill system with water.

3: Go for an hour drive, or if you got AE one hour idled 1400RPM. Afterwards shut off truck

4. Repeat step 1, 2, and 3. Then repeat step 1

5. Put Restore in the coolant, it only takes I believe 3/4 a gallon, top off with water.

6. Repeat step 3

7. Repeat 1, then 2, then 3, twice. Then step 1

8. Put 2qts VC-9 cleaner, top off with water.

9. Repeat step 3

10. Keep repeat step 1, then 2, then 3 until the water runs clear. After the first two heat cycles, you can try to speed the process up by using a garden hose and just running water through it to get a bunch of it out. After it looks semi clear fill with distilled water, take a drive(or AE high idle) again.

11. Now the correct way is to pull the starter to access the passenger side plug, some people do some people don't. If the extra hour of work is worth it to you to be sure, do it. Either way pull the drivers side plug. If the water is clear, button everything up.

12. Replace oil cooler, and whatever else your doing.

13. Fill system with distilled water, drive it for a day or two, drain the system. Do this twice.

14. Refill with Ford Gold coolant or your choice of coolant. Make sure its concentrate, because you have water in the system already, should take a bit under 4 gallons to fill it back up.

Alright thanks for the info guys. Got it flushed last night. I was out there till 1 am but I got it. Since I was a quart short of vc-9 I substituted a quart of prestone flush. Drove on the highway for anhour with thermostat removed then dumped. I only pulled the driverside plug each time not the passengerside. Did 5 water rinses and it was nice and clear comming out. Only burned myself once.

Smut said:

Pull what plugs?

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There is a plug in the block on each side of the motor by the freeze plugs. Its an allen and you pull it to get the coolant out of the motor so it takes less time flushing and gets more of the old stuff out. Kinda like chaning your hpop oil on a 7.3 LOL

Alright got the oil cooler replaced and all done. WHat a job.

Fun right! I did mine last week, as well as put on EGR delete. Spent Tuesday flushing the coolant, and Wednesday/Thursday replacing cooler. I think it took me roughly 15 hours to tear it down and reinstall. I think 2 hours of that was trying to get the bolts out of the stock up-pipe. Those gave me all kinds of issues. Didn't help that it was 98 degrees both days. Still better than paying someone else to do it, and much more rewarding.