How-To: Adding A Coolant Filter K2.

FL335i · March 26, 2016

This is a write-up/how to for installing a coolant filter on your 1500. I have a 5.3L, I'm not sure how the V6 or larger engines look. I've had the filter on for about 3 gas tanks and it's been working well. When I shine a flashlight into the overflow tank through the cap opening I used to see a lot of debris, crud etc floating around. Not anymore. Shine a light into the overflow tank and it's clean as a whistle. Plus the walls were beginning to grow "crud" in a matter of 16mo and 40k miles. SO that's why I got off my but and got this kit put together and installed ASAP. Here we go....

Parts list:

-Wix Filter Base # 24019 (Napa # 4019). Picked it up new on Ebay for $46.50 to the door.

-Coolant Filter Wix # 24069 (Napa # 4069). $15.50 local.

-5/16" Fuel Line, 4' from Autozone. Good for 3.4 bar (48psi +/-). $6.81

-Two 3/8" 316 stainless steel mini ball valves. Male x Female. Ebay. $30.37 to the door for both.

-Two SST hose clamps from Home Depot. I don't buy clamps from the parts store anymore. The bands are SST, the clamp mechanism is not and most are made in China. HD has better quality, USA made full SST clamps for cheaper. $1.78.

-One 3/8" Brass street 90* Fitting. $6.34 from HD.

-Two 3/8" brass barbs x Male thread. $8.00 from HD.

-High temp flat blk spray paint. $0, had it laying around.

-Thread sealant compound (Permatex). $0. Had it laying around.

If I typed the above correctly it's $115.30 total cost.

The water is being pumped through the 5/16" factory hose coming off the T-stat housing, into the filter, and then ties back into the OEM hose barb splice in the center of the radiator. Dumping back into the overflow tank. The base comes green. I cleaned it and painted it black with high temp ceramic blk flat paint I had laying around. Make sure you use some kind of thread sealant also. I used the same stuff from my intake manifold bolts project on my Blazer. it's a permatex white cream. Liquid teflon tape basically.

Ok, pic time.

Rock1500 · March 28, 2016

I like the idea.

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Silver ice 6.2 · March 28, 2016

Wow nice... how long are you going to run that filter before changing?

FL335i · March 28, 2016

Silver Ice 6.2- I'm not sure how long of an interval. The plan is at every oil change to pull the hose off the overflow tank and run the engine. Should see flow from the hose. I just hold the hose over/into the overflow tank cap opening so I don't loose any fluid and can verify flow. Based on the fact I it's a gas engine and the filter is massive... would not surprise me if this filter was still flowing 60k later. Then again, I could be wrong. I don't really have an interval picked out yet. Watching it and keeping an eye on the fluid cleanliness and flow. All I know is I need 250k + out of my truck. I drive a lot on the hwy. I bought the GM truck b/c it's a simple, reliable, cheap to run power-train. This filter should keep things clean and help extend the water pump life.

thearizonacowboy · March 30, 2016

Do you mind posting some photos of the other connections? I'd like to pick up these same parts and do this myself but I don't have much experience!

FL335i · March 31, 2016

^There are no other connections. I never even touched the connection off the T-stat housing. What you do is disconnect the hose over the radiator. About half way across the radiator from the factory GM put a plastic barb x barb splice there. disconnect the driver side hose. Then cut that hose down to fit the inlet of your filter (barb). Then cut piece of the new fuel line you bought to run from the filter outlet to the factory plastic barb fitting over the radiator. done.

thearizonacowboy · March 31, 2016

I guess I'm a little slow... Is there anyway you can take a picture of the passenger side of the engine compartment? I have zero experience with this kind of thing...

FL335i · April 1, 2016

^ you don't mess with anything over there. All work is done on the driver side.

thearizonacowboy · April 1, 2016

Ah okay I understand now. My bad, I made some incorrect assumptions. Thanks!

thearizonacowboy · April 1, 2016

FL335i, thanks for posting all the information a great photos. I just threw everything together and it was very easy!

A week ago, I had never even heard of a coolant filter, but how could it hurt if proper, regular maintenance is completed! Like you, I need to get as many miles out of this thing as possible.

FL335i · April 2, 2016

^ Glad to hear you got it on man!!! Yes it's very simple. Just putting a filter inline on the return hose off the T-stat housing. I'm just tired of seeing cooling systems junked up. I'm sure it will help extend the water pump life too. My overflow even when new always had a lot of "stuff", for lack of a better word, in the overflow tank. Not anymore. I can't believe so many people neglect cooling systems. And 1500's are built for "light duty" use in mind. EG- Elmer driving 15k/yr and buying a new one in 7-10yrs when it has 100-150k. I've put almost 42k on my new truck since Aug of '14. Averaging 26,500/yr since I bought the truck. I live in FL where it's hot year round. I'm in the construction business, I pull trailers every now and then and am planning to buy a pretty good size boat in about 1-2yrs. My truck is personal and business. I cannot afford to buy a new truck every 5yrs just b/c it has 150k. Shine a light into your overflow before and about 2 weeks after. I'm convinced the cooling passages of these blocks are not exactly washed very well at the factory. I don't buy the fact that a mass produced product like our trucks don't have any "debris" in the cooling systems from just normal manufacturing and break-in. I'm a believer in flushing fluids, especially when things are new to rid the system. However with the cooling system like ours, adding a monster filter alleviates the need for a flush.

thearizonacowboy · April 2, 2016

I agree 100%. As soon as I got home from the dealer, I changed the oil. It was full of metal shavings and looked like chocolate syrup!

If possible, I'd really like to keep this truck long after an engine/trans replacement way down the road so I'm open to anything that could make this thing last a while.

Regarding the coolant filter, I opted for the slightly larger 24070 filter since I could squeeze it in there. I need to tidy up the bay a little but here's my filter installed. Topped off the coolant with some dexcool and no leaks so far!

FL335i · April 3, 2016

Very nice. And looks like you have a catch can also. One word to the wise, that filter is almost touching Fuse box wire loom. I pulled mine as far away as possible. I have about 1" of air gap. You went with the tall boy filter too. Nothing wrong with that.