Engine coolant

[lowspeed]

Hello

I have bought a 2001 Ford F450 with 7.3 Diesel engine with an automatic transmission. I have drained all the old coolant out. However, I was only able to get approximately 6 gallons out of the system. I then proceeded to flush the engine multiple times with distilled water. I have replaced upper and lower radiator hoses, the heater hoses, thermostat, and thermostat housing and lower pipe on the water pump. When performing the flush and draining I remove both plugs on the engine and drain the radiator. Have never been able to to put more than 4 gallons of distilled water in at a time. I fill up to mid point between min/max on the bottle when it is cold. The last flush everything was clear, no green/yellow tint. I now am putting in the red ELC concentrate coolant and distilled water. Have only been able to put in 1.5 gallons of coolant and 1.5 gallons of distilled water. I then run the engine. Level is right between min/max in the bottle. I believe the engine has a 8 gallon coolant capacity. Any ideas why I cannot get more coolant in the system?

Thanks

 

[Zullo]

lowspeed,

Start the truck and run the heater in the cab at the highest level with the fan on MAX.

This will make sure the coolant gets into the heater core. Only run it for 10 minutes max and watch the coolant level with a flashlight with the radiator cap off to see if the level drops. I would also recommend replacing the radiator cap soon, even if it is a sealed radiator. The cap on the overflow bottle is usually pressurized and they wear out over time. Without the proper pressure, the cooling system will not function properly.

Also that big ole diesel block may hold a lot of coolant in the water passages, coolant lines, oil coolers, trans cooler, etc.