If you dont want to spend big bucks on a coolant filter system i know its going to sound ghetto as hell, Go get a 3 dollar fuel filter for a 5.8/351 F150/250/350 cut the hose going to the degas bottle from the radiator get a couple hose clamps and viola coolant filter.

Ive seen this in person. Customer did this to his own truck and kept 2 spares in his glove box. He said he changes the filter every time he changes his oil every 3k and said it works great although your not filtering the volume of coolant that a coolant filter will since its over flow coolant returning to the degas bottle, i didnt believe him he said since it was in for a warranty ficm he was close to the 3000 mark and wanted an oil change and said go ahead and pop the filter off and cut it open. To make sure i didnt get any crap in it from a grinder i used a pipe cutter for exhaust (similar to what you would cut brake lines with only on steroids) opened it up you should see the ammount of crap that floats around in coolant! I was shocked! the paper filter media looked like he took some scrap steel grinded on it dumped it in the coolant system! im assuming its sand from the block casting... that or the crap thats in the coolant itself. If its a sealed system how else is crap going to get in there? I can only imagine what those big spin on filters look like when theyre cut up for inspection...

He went farther than that though as a fail safe he has 2 venturi Ts for 6.4s that he installed on each hose and runs another loop of hose next to the filter should the filter ever plug the coolant can go bypass the filter and not cause an over heating issue.

 

I'll bet most of that crap you found in the filter, wasn't even originally from the coolant system...

This is what happens when people just do things with no research. Here's a blurb copied directly from dieselsites website about coolant filters, might shed some light on the subject...



Question: I've changed the spin on filter recently, using a different filter than you sent with your systems, why am I seeing an excess amount of debris in my cut open filter? When I cut this filter open, there are now tablespoons of sludgy debris - nothing like the first time. Is my choice of filter better or worse? Is there something wrong with my engine?

Answer: If you are seeing sludge and spoonfuls of debris, you must be using an SCA(Supplemental Coolant Additive) charged filter. They are packed with a solid particle/tablets from the manufacturer that release a chemical over time. What you are left with is a pile of debris inside of your filter. They are not filtering better, you just have more to filter now. This debris did not come from your engine. It is simply from using the wrong filter. The debris is travelling through your system now, so you have added more debris to your existing problem. You are constantly releasing then recapturing the same debris that you have added. Be aware that the coolant manufacturer clearly states you should NOT use SCAs in the 6.0L Premium Gold system. The additives can be labeled as SCAs or BTAs - neither are acceptable. Use the non-charged filters and you will see actual engine debris only. So, while you can purchase replacement filters locally, make sure they are non-charged before you purchase. DIESELSITE USES AND SELLS ONLY NON-CHARGED FILTERS FOR OUR SYSTEMS.
A second and bigger problem with using SCA/BTA charged filters is that they are designed for much larger cooling systems than are found on the Powerstroke. A charged filter would be majorly overdosing the system on additives. This results in an extreme amount of sediment fallout, which will cause more wear then the small amount of debris you were trying to stop to begin with. So, there may not be something wrong with your engine now, but to continue using the filters could definitely cause major issues down the road with EGR coolers, radiators, water pumps or anything the coolant comes in contact with.



Also, all of the coolant filtration systems are set up that way with the bypass to the coolant bottle, so if they do plug the coolant system keeps working normally. You can tell when the filters are plugged, because the aluminum block won't be getting as hot anymore. They are all bypass filtration systems right now.

 

Ford flushed my coolant and put green coolant back in and i have a 6.0. Why did they put it back in if they only soposed to use the gold?

 

I have no idea, I've NEVER seen a Ford dealer do that before...

Theoretically you can use any coolant you want, the issue is mixing the gold and green, it will create a super sludge build up. If the system was drained, flushed well, then refilled you can basically use whatever you want.

 

They was soposed to drain flush and refill thats what i paid for. I had to pull a coolant hose to do another repair and the coolant that came out was green in color to me unless the gold coolant looks green. I havent had problems sence the ford dealership did my flush and that was about 2yrs now and since inoticed the green coolant havent had any problems but i put green back in to top it off because thats what i saw come out

 

To answer your question about what is the best coolant to use is a pretty controversial subject. Ive been researching " the best coolant to use" for the bast four days now and my opinion is any ELC concentrate. Delo elc, rotella elc, fleetrite elc, cat elc, but even with those the delo is at the top of my list fallowed by rotella but they are all pretty much the same. Reason I made this decision was I found out that Ford gold contains a high amount of silicates which produce a goo in the cooling system

 

Brondondolon check out the thread I just bumped up titled "coolant discussion"