RavenTai said:wile we are talking about coolant, always use with distilled water, it is very cheap and can save you from a lot of problems if there are minerals or contaminants in your tap water
Great advice.
Those lurkers and newbies reading this thread should take note that those of us that have been following the maintenance on the US 80 Series over the past 4 or 5 years will recommend several things to keep the cooling system in top condition.
(Repeating from Robbie's post, Raven's post, Rich, et. al.)
1. Replace your coolant every year.
2. Use a quality coolant (Toyo Red, Prestone, Zerex ?) Do not use Dexcool.
3. Flush the radiator, block, and heater.
4. Inspect all hoses & belts
5. Refill using DISTILLED water and the proper mixture of coolant.
There are a lot of other things you should do to keep the cooling system in top shape but these are the critical things.
Every Spring & Summer for the past 4 or 5 years we have a rash of reports of over-heating and failed head gaskets. Nobody is 100% certain of the cause but, IMHO, the failed head gaskets are frequently a result of overheating caused by another cooling system problem. (Clogged radiator, busted belt, failure of PHH, bad thermostat, faulty radiator cap, and bad fan clutch [to name a few.])
Now would be a good time to freshen up that cooling system. You don't want to be the next to post about white smoke from the tailpipe.
-B-
(I probably just jinxed myself with the above post.

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