How often does the anti-freeze have to be changed? And under what circumstances does one have to back flush the cooling system?
I see some brown residue under the radiator cap.
I see some brown residue under the radiator cap.
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Once every two years.sigpic
- 1990 Ford LTD Crown Victoria P72 - the street boat - 5.0 liter EFI - Ported HO intake/TB, 90 TC shroud/overflow, Aero airbox/zip tube, Cobra camshaft, 19lb injectors, dual exhaust w/ Magnaflows, Cat/Smog & AC delete, 3G alternator, MOOG chassis parts & KYB cop shocks, 215/70r/15s on 95-97 Merc rims
- 2007 Ford Escape XLT - soccer mom lifted station wagon - 3.0 Duratec, auto, rear converter delete w/ Magnaflow dual exhaust
- 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis Ultimate Edition - Daily driver - 4.6 2 valve Mod motor, 4R75E, 2.73s. Bone stock -
in harsh environments, with non-sealed systems like the boxes, every year. normal driving, typically 3-5 years. Flush should be done when it's changed. Back flush only if neglected.
sealed systems like aeros and whales... 3-5 years or every 50-100K miles is what I've been told. Again with the flush when changing.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
Originally posted by gadget73
... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
Originally posted by dmccaig
Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.Comment
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If the juice is brown and nasty, and/or you have no clue how old it is, its due for a change. 3-5 years is fairly typical for non-crapped up cooling systems but if its amazingly nasty you might be flushing regular for a while. Use distilled water for best results.
I went a month with daily drain, flush, and refill sessions in an attempt to get rid of the brown sludge from my car when I first got it. I wasn't using antifreeze for that, just straight water during summer months.86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley
91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry
1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal
Originally posted by phayzer5
I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousersComment
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I would echo these other fine fellows. Once you have it clean, install ALL new hoses then a premium 5 year antifreeze with distilled water.
The trick is marking the rad so you know when the next change is due. Maybe you can remember but five years is a long time and time gets fuzzy. I started using p-touch labels. I am surprised, so far the longest is on one of the cars about three years. Cleaned and dried the surface first. Paint also works, maybe you can find some of those door jam labels that used to be popular for recording services performed.03 Marauder DPB, HS, 6disk, Organizer Mods> LED's in & Out, M&Z rear control arms, Oil deflector, U-Haul Trans Pan, Blue Fuzzy Dice
02 SL500 Silver Arrow
08 TC Signature Limited, HID's Mods>06 Mustang Bullet Rims 235/55-17 Z rated BFG G-Force Comp-2 A/S Plus, Addco 1" rear Sway, Posi Carrier, Compustar Remote Start, floor liners, trunk organizer, Two part Sun Visors, B&M Trans drain Plug, Winter=05 Mustang GT rims, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R-2 235/55-17
12 Escape Limited V6 AWD, 225/65R17 Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Winter 235/70-16 Conti Viking Contact7 Mods>Beamtech LED headlight bulbs, Husky floor linersComment
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