Completed the coolant flush Friday. This is what came out after running a few days with the Prestone flush.
I also found the source of the occasional coolant smell I was picking up - the thermostat gasket was leaking. The reason it was leaking was related to the reason it was only getting up to 175° - the thermostat wasn't centered in it's counterbore, so the housing wasn't able to seat fully. Somebody used half a tube of orange RTV getting it to almost-seal up, and the proper 195° thermostat was so far off center that there was actually room for coolant to bypass the flange.
I didn't look at the "before", but after the prestone and thermocure I'm pretty pleased with what I saw behind the thermostat housing.
I'd kinda forgotten how similar Zerex G-05 looks to human urine.
Don't be impressed with my overflow bottle detailing abilities - that coolant reservoir is new. I found a hole in the factory one that looks like it may have at some point not been secured correctly and fell back against the power steering pulley.
I'm also pleased that after a 50 mile drive, the coolant still looks just like it did when I poured it in. That was not the case when I did my TJ 3 years ago...despite flushing until it seemed clear, that one had rust particles showing up again almost immediately.
Got the family together for an "after" photo.
Those wheels on the LJ are the gray ones I had on the TJ - but I've stripped off the plastidip. I've gotta say, with proper prep work, and maybe helped by the machined and cast surfaces on the wheels - that stuff was stuck on GOOD and was much more difficult to strip than the wheels where it was applied over glossy paint/powdercoat. I started by opening it up with the car wash wand - it had to be about 1/4-1/2" from the surface to start it. Then there were several places where the pressure just wouldn't do it, so I took it home and spent about half an hour trying to peel it by hand. Then I soaked it in WD40 and wiped most of the rest off, but then still had to get to the car wash again to get the last few bits.
With the machined aluminum, my interest in the wheels has been rekindled. I just wish it came in a backspacing option between 3.75 and 5.25. I want something around 4.25 when I go to 35's and I don't want to deal with spacers.