jmtwieg

Changed antifreeze today after watching youtube Ford tech Makuloco video. Took off cover on reservoir bottle on cold engine and attached hose to stopcock so could neatly catch and measure all fluid drained out. Removed stopcock at end to make sure I got everything that was coming out. Only got about 6.5 qts in 2 one gallon milk bottles. Total coolant capacity of my F150 is 20.9 qts. Flushed several times with water (1st time with coolant system cleaner) and drove about 15 minutes with heater on high, lots of heat, and temp guage right in the center as normally is. Each subsequent drain with cover off of coolant reservoir and stopcock out only got same amount of about 6.5 qts each time. Also put a running water hose in coolant reservoir twice and took out stopcock and flushed system with engine at IDLE. Finally added distilled water (only could add 6.5 qts) before last drain after driving for about 10 minutes. Then added full strength antifreeze but could only add same 6.5 qts. How to I get near a 50/50 mix when I can only add 6.5 qts antifreeze to the system that already has about 14 qts of plain water in it? Thermostat was open while flushing engine as upper hose was warm and thermostat housing was warm. Don't know what I might be doing incorrectly.Must be a simple way to reduce volume of coolant in system by about 1/2 so when you add back full strength antifreeze into reservoir bottle, the final mix of antifreeze and water is near 50/50.

20004.6

20.9 qts, is a completely empty system. Draining the radiator only gets part of the coolant out, you still have coolant in the block, and heater hoses. So 6.5 quarts is about right. The way to get a 50/50 mix, is to add pure anti freeze, and then top off with water only until full. If you want to get most of the coolant out of the block, you can remove the block drain plugs, that will drain the block. They are on each side of the block.