Hey guys,

So I changed my coolant and thermostat today. Briefly, here's what I did:

- Drained Dexcool from bottom hose, used a hose to try to flush out the radiator a little more

- Filled with water and Prestone radiator flush. ran. cooled. drained from bottom hose.

- Filled with distilled water (poured an extra gallon through to try to flush out as much as possible). ran. cooled. Drained from bottom hose.

- Pulled hoses from thermostat and got a good amount more fluid out. Shot compressed air through tubes and got a little more out

- Refilled with 50/50 green (walmart stuff, which I understand is made by Peak).

It took two full gallons and a little bit from a third to finish filling the reservoir, so I am pretty sure I got just about everything out...and then I start it up to check everything, and there is STILL a little tinge of pink that appears in the reservoir!

I don't know how there could have been any left hanging around, and I can't imagine it was a whole lot with the amount of green I got in, but will it hurt anything??

 

That tinge might be due to the fluorescent dyes (used in both dexcool and the green stuff). I doubt there is enough of the dexcool (if any at all) to harm anything. I wouldn't worry about it (unless you missed some major reservoir of collant, but your procedure was quite thorough).

 

I would agree that you tried your best! There will not be enough left to cause you any problems and maybe after running for a while you will get rid of that tint your seeing.

 

Cool - just took it out and the gauge looked fine (still gotta get an ultra gauge) - but just wanted to make sure I wasn't gonna mess anything up.

I replaced the thermostat with the 180 and picked up some water wetter on the way home from the store tonight.

Thanks guys!

 

I still run orange OAT like the tag on the overflow says I should.
I am not going to leave it in for years..

 

what temps are you running now? was it the LR 180 thermostat you put in? I'm running the tan LR 180 not the grey LR 180 and when i changed to universal coolant i have been runnin about 195 now. About a 10 degree change from the stock thermostat.

 

Why is everyone using Peak now? 5 years ago on this board everyone raved Dexcool and synthetic oil, and now it's Peak and Rotella.

Not griping, just what is going on, and does any of this really make a difference? I just changed my radiator and put Dexcool in it, and I probably will leave that in until my next flush. It seems like these Rovers are just going to do what they do anyway. I just sank a 1000 dollars on brakes and a hub, now I'm about to sink another 620 on a hub. The aftermarket is only 200 bucks cheaper, so I'm probably going to go with OEM.

If we didn't do our own work, there's no way in hell we'd be able to afford these trucks!

 

why are you buying hubs at that price? is your truck a daily driver? I can't imagine not saving $200 and going with a aftermarket hub that is under $400. If i ever planned on buying a new one that is.. i get used ones from parts guys. I can get 6 used ones for the price of one new one. ill hit 300,000 miles before i go thru 6 hubs.

i switched to dexcool after reading the horror stories of corrosion when you allow air into the system thru a leak. also running universal allows me to top off with anything if i'm in a bind somewhere.

i never ran synth oil because i offroad my truck and the fluids need to be changed, i can't afford to change synth every time i get some water in my diff.

 

Dexcool if changed frequently in a perfect world may be OK. Allowed for extended stay not so good. Topped off with who knows what even worse. Turns into sludge. Restricts flow of water, like having half a radiator. Motors run hotter. Mechanics can afford new boat payments. Engine design is late 1950's, when oil change interval was 1000 - 3000 miles. Taking that same dirty engine and putting expensive oil in it and running to 25,000 between drain and filter changes not such a good idea. You can run anything you like, but don't go low viscosity when hot (40 or 50 as last number); and change oil every 5000.

Otherwise, Cedric Whistlebritches, infamous Rover wrench wrangler, is waiting for you.

 

Yeah, it's a daily driver. I was tempted to look for used salvage hubs, but BOTH of mine have gone out on the rear, so I think I would rather just pay the money for peace of mind to not have to spend another weekend wrenching because that used hub that was "only 10,000 miles old" is actually a part from manufacture.

For the aftermarket hubs, I thought about it, and again I figured the extra 200 was worth peace of mind. I'm going aftermarket on the radiator t-pipe and hoses, and I will usually go aftermarket for anything that is a simple fix if it goes bad.

Good to hear someone is sticking with the Dexcool. I was just at the dealer and both parts guys cringed when I told them ppl were putting peak green in there. Honestly I've gotten to where I trust the dealer and what is spec as opposed to popular opinion or choice. Again it seems like these trucks are just going to do what they do regardless of what you put in them. The only thing that you can do is hurt it by neglecting maintenance.