HOW TO-DIY coolant plugs to petcocks

My only input on this would be this. First how many times are you actually going to drain the coolant? Second, if the petcocks do plug up, you could just remove them and either clean them or install new ones. Really, it's your choice.

IDIBRONCO said:

My only input on this would be this. First how many times are you actually going to drain the coolant? Second, if the petcocks do plug up, you could just remove them and either clean them or install new ones. Really, it's your choice.

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Yep, IDIbronco, your right, it is my choice and you make a good point, and since I haven't tried it personally, I still don't know which is the best option for me but now, I have some food for thought either way.

The reason I posted this is because there is not ANY contrasting opinion about these petcocks out there that I could find, i.e. reasons NOT to install them and exactly why. I only found threads for reasons why people are "gung ho" to follow others suggestions to do the petcock mod.

I was happy to hear some other opinions that actually made sense as to why to leave things well enough alone, and keep the coolant drain plugs ORIGINAL, since FORD, in their engine designers great wisdom, thought well enough NOT to add peacocks or, they would have installed them as OE on all diesels.

I like to hear all sides before I decide.

In my 5th decade (and counting) its lots different for me, in terms of my decision making process and my willingness to react to FADS or new, next best, greatest upgrade without a good cup of coffee, or sometimes tea, a good night's rest and some head scratching, not at ALL wthen when I was younger and I tended to jump on any band wagon that sounded good, only to learn later it was a record and not ACTUAL musicians.... playing the music.

Can anyone else relate?

Just my .02 cents

For me, I just stick with the factory style plugs. I'd like to change them over, but the only time that I think about it is about the time I'm laying under the truck, looking at the plugs, and thinking "It sure would be nice to change these over to petcocks. I'll do it next time".

I've only done the full drain thing once in 13 years and it was a PITA. I added a coolant filter after that instead.

I agree that you can flush with well water. BUT, my sister had well water and it was crazy hard water(lots of minerals). You don't want that to live in the engine.

Happy wrenching! The plugs are such a pain to get to...

-Joshua

Im. Not sure how your water system is set up but mine has 2 filters that I change regularly one is a string filter the second and a charcoal filter my hose bib pre filter is pretty hard/mineral laden water good to drink and water animals that's about it but in the house it's pretty clean not distilled quality but I run It in my idi and haven't seen any deposits yet I boil the water on the wood stove all winter and see distilled deposited but at 4qt a night it's expected but nothing like any other water supply iv had

Oledirtypearl86 said:

Im. Not sure how your water system is set up but mine has 2 filters that I change regularly one is a string filter the second and a charcoal filter my hose bib pre filter is pretty hard/mineral laden water good to drink and water animals that's about it but in the house it's pretty clean not distilled quality but I run It in my idi and haven't seen any deposits yet I boil the water on the wood stove all winter and see distilled deposited but at 4qt a night it's expected but nothing like any other water supply iv had

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You've got me curious, why boil water all night? To increase the humidity in the room/house?

Yes the fire will dry the air out in the house and then it's like the Mohave keep a pot of water on top of the stove and it keeps it a lot nicer

Oledirtypearl86 said:

Yes the fire will dry the air out in the house and then it's like the Mohave keep a pot of water on top of the stove and it keeps it a lot nicer

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I tried this the first winter I heated with wood. I couldn't keep up with the water loss so I just gave up. I don't mind it being next to 0% humidity.

IDIBRONCO said:

I tried this the first winter I heated with wood. I couldn't keep up with the water loss so I just gave up. I don't mind it being next to 0% humidity.

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I don't mind for a few days then my nose drys out something terrible I don't keep it full all the time usually about 4x a day when the fire is running hard full time

Just removed my block drain plugs yesterday. The final leg on the replacement of the injector cups job. Used an oxy/acet torch with a welding tip (small concentrated flame) & heated the centre only of the bungs. Let cool & they unscrewed straight out . They wouldn't budge without heat. Removed the starter motor for access too. Going to use Loctite 577 (yellow) for final reinstall after I give the system multiple flushes. Drained some contamination (caused from the cracked injector cups) out, which I doubt would you ever clear by normal flushing methods. Thought of fitting petcocks but $$$ & how soon will I ever do this again.

IDIBRONCO said:

First how many times are you actually going to drain the coolant?

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That's what I used to think. How often does someone actually drain their coolant from the block.....

head gasket jobs, engine pulls, and various other projects over the past five years, and I'm super glad I went with the petcocks. connect a drain hose and flip a valve. easy peasy.

Related article:
http://www.nickpisca.com/diesel/eng...nt-plugs-heres-a-1-trick-to-break-them-loose/

I installed petcocks when I built my engine. I have used them a couple of times replacing my water pump and radiator. I wish I had used petcocks that had a spout to attach a piece of plastic hose to direct the flow and capture the coolant. The passenger side isn't too bad, but on the drivers side the coolant splashes on the suspension.