Part Three: Cooling System
Before going out and flogging the truck, there were a few more things to tackle. One thing I noticed when driving this truck was the temp gauge and how hot it ran. Cruising down the highway, under light throttle, the temp was in the realm of 240 degrees, way too hot for a truck with a 195-degree thermostat. I called Grandpa and asked if the truck always ran hot, and he said, "I had a small leak in a freeze plug, so I poured in a few bottles of stop-leak." Well, there was my answer: Stop-leak products work great but only when you use one can. The new replacement radiator I got from LMC and the Prestone Flush should take care of this issue. I'm going to change the thermostat and the radiator cap, just to be on the safe side.
 |  1. The first step was to drain...  1. The first step was to drain the old coolant or, should I say, rusty water mixture by opening the drain plug on the driver side of the radiator. |  2. Once empty, I poured in...  2. Once empty, I poured in the entire contents of the Prestone Flush and topped it off with water. Then, I fired up the truck, let it come up to temp, turned on the heater, and let it run for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I opened the drain plug once again. Caution, it will be HOT, and let it drain. I refilled the radiator with water and repeated the cycle. |
 3. Once I flushed the system,...  3. Once I flushed the system, I removed the upper radiator hose and thermostat housing to access the thermostat (inset). I cleaned the housing and manifold with a razor blade. |  |  4. Once it was all clean,...  4. Once it was all clean, I dropped in the new 195-degree thermostat and reinstalled the housing but left the hose off for now. |
 5. Changing the radiator was...  5. Changing the radiator was much easier than I expected. I didn't have to remove the fan because the shroud is a two-piece design. Once the upper half of the shroud was out of the way, the transmission lines and lower hose were easy to get at. |  6. The radiator will slide...  6. The radiator will slide straight up, once all of the lines are unhooked, because the upper half of the shroud also holds the radiator in place. The new radiator from LMC fit like a glove and had all of the proper fittings for the cooler lines. |  7. After buttoning up the...  7. After buttoning up the radiator, I poured in 1 gallon of Prestone Antifreeze then filled the empty jug with water and topped off the system. By using the container for the water, I can keep track of the mix, looking for a 50/50 ratio. Luckily for me, when it was all said and done, I got both gallons into the cooling system. |