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Can we talk about the guy who told me to skip the radiator flush?
An old timer at a truck stop in El Paso told me to skip the routine coolant flush and just top off with water. He claimed the chemicals did more harm than good on high-mileage engines. After 18 months running that rig, I pulled the thermostat and found the housing clogged with scale and debris. The cooling fan kicked on every 10 minutes even on flat Florida roads. I spent $780 on a full system flush and water pump replacement last Tuesday. Was his advice just bad luck, or did I wait too long to question a shortcut that sounded too easy?
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morganl712mo ago
Those old timers mean well but they don't live with your truck every day. I had a 2002 F-150 with 210k miles and did the same thing for about a year before the heater core started acting up. That scale builds up slow but it cakes on hard, just like what you pulled out. Coolant has additives that keep the pH balanced and stop that corrosion, water alone can't do that. You probably could've stretched it with a chemical flush kit from the auto parts store for 20 bucks, but not for 18 months. It sucks you paid $780, but at least now you know the cooling system is solid for the next few years.
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