Coolant Confusion...Need help

[01TruBluGT]

Are you supposed to check the coolant hot or cold? On the side of the tank close to the top there is a line that says add collant, is it supposed to be to that line when hot or when cold?

Next pont of confusion is coolant type. Looking into my tank it appears that the coolant in there is orange not yellow. We have had the car since new and the coolant has never been completely flushed. The only time anything would have been added was when the electric water pump was added. That was in 05 and for the life of me I can't remember what was used to refil it.


However in this thread, if I am reading it right, it seems as though there are 3 different coolant types that were used by Ford. Two of them are yellow and one Orange. Is this correct or am I reading it wrong??

http://www.mach1registry.org/forums/...t=coolant+type

The Meizzer sounds like it is on its last leg so I am replacing the pump with new mechanical pump so I will need to add more coolant I just need to know what kind to add. Also for the O-Ring is it ok to coat it with just coolant to help it slide into the motor.

Burping, this is done at the cap on the crossover right? Pull it off, fill, start the car with the cap off and wait till the bubbles stop right?

Thanks,

[2k4mach]

i never seen any fords with orange but thats not to say some didnt come with it.

on the tank, i thought there were 2 lines and going by other fords the bottom line is when cold the upper line is for when hot.


and yeah burp via the crossover plug

[shadowmaker]

Originally Posted by 2k4mach

i never seen any fords with orange but thats not to say some didnt come with it.

on the tank, i thought there were 2 lines and going by other fords the bottom line is when cold the upper line is for when hot.


and yeah burp via the crossover plug

Just get the one that says its compatible with all types and you ll be fine. Get the wrong one and you ll have jello in your radiator, motor, coolant tank, etc etc.

[Mach1tosh]

Now would be the time to completely flush and add new coolant, it doesn't last forever.

[NastyNate]

Its prolly orange from RUST! ... do yourself a favor and just flush the whole system out and refill it!

[Reloaded]

Originally Posted by 2k4mach

i never seen any fords with orange but thats not to say some didnt come with it.

The 99-02 Cougar and electric Rangers use orange coolant.

And any Ford built after 7/15/02 uses Gold coolant. Except some 2010 hybrids I believe. They use a new type. Forget the color ATM.

Edit: It's DG or Dark Green.

Here, I uploaded the Motorcraft coolant chart PDF. It'll tell ya everything you've ever wanted to know.

[01TruBluGT]

OK well I decided I am going to go ahead and flush the entire system this weekend.

What kind of Coolant should I get to replace the old? I know Ford Gold but getting to the dealer is going to be a PITA, is there anything that I can get from one of the parts stores that would work?

Also on the flushing anyone know where I can find a good write up on it?

[j rick kirby]

I went thru all of this a while back,trying to figure out how is the best way to flush.To complicate matters I wanted to only use distilled water.What I did was drain the radiator and fill it up with distilled water and start it up and let it run for a few minutes.Then drain the radiator and fill it up again with distilled water. I kept doing this until I had clear water in the system. Then I drained it one more time with the motor running to pump as much as I could out of the motor. Don't do that too long or you could overheat the motor. It then took about 6 qts of antifreeze to fill it up. Looking at the chart 6 qts in a 16 qt system takes it down to -6 I believe. Oh, you will do the fills thru the crossover plug and put the front end of the car on jack stands.This nose high attitude keeps air from getting trapped in the system.This method takes some time but was the only way I could figure out how to do it with distilled water.I think I used 8 gallons.

[01TruBluGT]

Still no info on what coolant can be used besides the Ford Gold?

Also nose up, should I be worried about running the car like this? More worried about oil flow than anything. I also don't think I am comfortable running the car while the fluid drain is open.

So if you drained, filled up, over and over and in the end only needed 6qts of coolant that means that 10qts were left in that you could not get out correct.

[NastyNate]

I did pretty much the same thing but i used a hose and just ran the hose until it come out clear. Drain all remaining water. Re attach hose and fill with a 50/50 mix and BURP! Im sure There a minimal amount of tap water left but not enough to make a difference IMO. I dont see the point of using distilled water to flush the system!

Use whatever coolant you want once its flushed.
I just use the green stuff!

[NastyNate]

Oh yeah and change your thermostat and oring while your at it!
I drilled a couple of tiny holes in the T-stat to help aid with burping.

[j rick kirby]

Originally Posted by 01TruBluGT

Still no info on what coolant can be used besides the Ford Gold?

Also nose up, should I be worried about running the car like this? More worried about oil flow than anything. I also don't think I am comfortable running the car while the fluid drain is open.

So if you drained, filled up, over and over and in the end only needed 6qts of coolant that means that 10qts were left in that you could not get out correct.

I used the Ford Gold.

Nose up is fine and keeps air from getting trapped.Have you ever driven up a hill? Running with petcock open is fine just don't do it too long and make the car overheat.Plus you cant get but about 6 qts out so there is still 10 in the system.

Yep 10 qts left in the system when done flushing but it's all distilled water.