Coolant Flush and 203 degree Thermostat Installation on 2002 Ford E350 7.3 Powerstroke Econoline Van

[@brin6449]

As the other guy said, thanks for posting van specific info! We do exist!

[@PowerstrokeEconoline]

Sure do! And vans are the forgotten step-child of the 7.3 world.

[@logan8256]

Thanks for the vids. There ain’t much out there for these guys

[@PowerstrokeEconoline]

You said it! I'm working on changing that, one video at a time. Most of my upcoming videos are about installing a high top but I'll get back to some 7.3 specific stuff in a couple weeks. Notably battery replacement and eventually I'll address glow plugs, UVCH, injector rebuild, and maybe a fuel system video.

[@ek2013_]

Finally someone who puts all the products they used in the description. Thank you. I could not for the life of me find the additive. Everyone else who's done a coolant flush doesn't say what they used or put it in their description. Also I absolutely love the 7.3 Econoline. I have an Excursion but would love to have an E-Series someday too. And when you filled your coolant after flushing, did you drive around to get the coolant around the motor? If so, did you just top it off with distilled water?

[@PowerstrokeEconoline]

Thanks, glad it's helpful to you! I drove the van hard for a few miles at each step of the flush to move that flush water around and get all the gunk out. After flushing I had a pretty good sense for exactly how much would go in, so I just filled it with coolant and distilled water per the instructions on the coolant bottle. I checked levels for the next few days and topped it off once with a tiny bit of distilled water.

[@TheDogsBox]

So it has been 6 months, what do you think of the 203 degree thermostat?

[@PowerstrokeEconoline]

The heat worked great this winter! And the van runs rough until it is warm, so I don't mind it getting a bit warmer than stock. Otherwise I can't say that I've noticed anything significant. My fuel economy was around 19 mpg highway beforehand and more or less the same after. I just sent some engine oil in for analysis so that will be my first real insight into wear on the engine.