Hey fellas, just recently I noticed my truck getting about. 1/4 of an inch fast the half way mark on the temp gauge. When I bought my truck(103k) I never replaced any engine parts, so I need to know what I should replace before anything bad happens. It's at about 113k now. It'll normally run half way, but it'll only go up a little past half way if I'm idling for a bit. Now, my question about coolant is how frequently does a normal person add coolant to their system? I drive about .. 300-500 miles every day in my truck, and I have refill my radiator reservoir about every 2 weeks. I don't know if thats normal or not. Texas heat is pretty hard, and I always run my AC. So, I don't know if thats supposed to be going down that fast. My radiator is always full though. The truck has never got to the point of overheating. Like I said, when it idles, it'll just go about (Guessing, 220)

Thanks!

 

Coolant flush. (Every year). The extended life coolant is crap. Just do a google seach about GM's Dexcool. I know the manufactors say its good for 5 yrs. I do mine every year. New T-stat. Serp belt hoses. check for leaks. Plastic side tanks on the radiator like to leak. may have small leak, not easy to see. look for signs f coolant under the truck as well.

 

300-500 miles everyday........ Holy crap!!!$$$$

 

Yup! If I didn't need a truck I would be using a car. But, I need my truck to transport things.
But been worrying if the coolant I've been using is normal or if I'm leaking anywhere.. I don't see any leaking besides where the ac part is from it being so cold. Other than that, it's not leaking from the pump, my oil doesn't seem to have any antifreeze in it. I change my oil every 3000 miles. I might be flushing my coolant this weekend.

 

Changing the coolant and thermostat should help. It's crazy hot now and I wouldn't be surprised to see the temp rise past mid-way mark in stop-n-go traffic (particularly when stopped). Temp should drop to normal on highway though. I changed my coolant, thermostat, and both hoses at 100k miles and noticed the engine running slightly cooler afterwards. You need the thermostat and lower hose removed to give the engine a good flush.

 

Can somebody give me some correct information on how to do a right flush? I've watched many videos.. read around and got mixed information.
How exactly does the Flush and fill kit work?
Do I need to buy the flush coolant?
I also seen that they had to cut the heater hose to be able to add a part of the kit.
What coolant should I get from the auto parts store?