Which coolant/antifreeze am I supposed to use?

[SyberTiger]

I'm getting ready to change the leaking gasket on my oil filter adapter and I understand that since coolant runs through it to help cool the oil that you should drain the coolant prior to removing the adapter. Apparently, this will help avoid creating a mess of oil and coolant on the garage floor.

Since my vehicle has 130K+ miles on it and I've never changed the coolant out (dumb, dumb, dumb) I figure now's a good time to do it. I consulted my Owner's Guide and it says the coolant for my vehicle is Motorcraft Premium Engine Coolant (green-colored) or Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant (yellow-colored). So I looked under the hood and the reservoir has a sticker on it that depicts a "NO GOLD COLOR COOLANT" image on it and sure enough the reservoir contains a green colored coolant. Okay...I'm convinced that gold coolant is not the way to go. However, what the heck is the green coolant I'm supposed to put in there? Do I literally need to pay the big bucks for Motorcraft brand coolant?

Last time I went through this was on the girlfriends SUV that used DexCool (orange-colored) but since I changed out her radiator I flushed it and switched to universal coolant which apparently was also green. I do not plan on doing a "complete flush" like I did on her SUV so I just need to figure out was is the correct and compatible coolant for my Explorer so I don't eff things up.

You those of you who had Motorcraft Premium Engine Coolant GREEN in your Explorer what did you end up purchasing when you replaced your coolant?

Just in case anyone is wondering about the three major types of coolant that Ford uses they are:

* Yellow-colored Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant, meeting Ford specification WSS-M97B51-A1
* Green-colored Motorcraft Premium Engine Coolant, meeting Ford specification ESE-M97B44-A
* Orange-colored Motorcraft Specialty Orange Engine Coolant, meeting Ford specification WSS-M97B44-D

Ford's "green" product is called "VC-5 Premium Concentrated Antifreeze/Coolant". I guess the question is: Who makes a coolant meeting Ford specification ESE-M97B44-A that isn't going to drain my wallet?

===========================

Maybe this is the answer I'm looking for from Prestone's website:

Prestone® Antifreeze/Coolant meets or exceeds the performance requirements of the following specifications:

ASTM D3306
SAE J1034
GM 1825M
Ford ESE M97B44-A
Chrysler MS7170
General Services Administration CID A-A-52624

 

[swshawaii]

Zerex 5/100 (ZX001) appears to meet Ford's ESE-M97B44-A spec. WHY is anti freeze more than TWICE the price in Florida
compared to Hawaii? NAPA on line has Zerex G-05 unmixed for $34 in Florida, and $16 in Hawaii. Environmental fees? :scratch:

http://www.whitfieldoil.com/downloads/ZerexAntifreezeLineupChart.pdf

 

[lincolnshibuya]

I used Zerex and I think it's only available at NAPA. I paid probably $16 for the 100% solution.

 

[swshawaii]

Just checked NAPA pricing on unmixed ZX001. $27.98 Florida, $13.99 Hawaii. Unbelievable.

 

[SyberTiger]

Just checked NAPA pricing on unmixed ZX001. $27.98 Florida, $13.99 Hawaii. Unbelievable.

Thanks guys.

Regarding the built in taxes don't get me started. We don't have income tax here so I suppose there are other ways to collect $$$ to run the state. I was looking at my cable TV bill...$9.46 per month in taxes for TV and internet of which $9.37 is all state and local taxes.

 

[Exproblems]

Thanks guys.

Regarding the built in taxes don't get me started. We don't have income tax here so I suppose there are other ways to collect $$$ to run the state. I was looking at my cable TV bill...$9.46 per month in taxes for TV and internet of which $9.37 is all state and local taxes.

My new reman 4.0L V-6 engine uses the Motorcraft Premium Gold colored coolant, so your V-8 most likely uses one of the other brands from Ford. The Haynes Manual for our Explorers lists the Motorcraft Green and Gold colored coolants to use, but doesn't say which one goes with what engine. I know my V-6 has Gold coolant in it. Also my neighbors Ford Taurus Limited V-6 uses the gold coolant as well.
On the tax issue, we in New York do pay state income taxes, although I am state income tax exempt for having been a state worker. I pay about $1-$2 more than you in cable bill taxes and I also pay around $1.60 per month extra on my cell phone bill so young, healthy, lazy dirt bags on welfare can have a free cell phone paid for by working/ tax paying suckers like me. I think our tax rate on purchases is around 8.9%. New York State is "The Cadillac" of Welfare states.

 

[Number4]

The G-05, Fords yellow coolant, is actually one of the best types you can use.
Just Never mix coolants. Complete drain and flush if you plan to change. Really, the G-05 would actually do well in almost all cars. Remember, Ford doesn't make anything, it's sourced from the lowest bidder like all other manufacturing companies do. May not even stay the same over the course of a year.

 

[SyberTiger]

Just checked NAPA pricing on unmixed ZX001. $27.98 Florida, $13.99 Hawaii. Unbelievable.

I was able to get the Zerex ZX001 at the local NAPA for $13.99 a gallon. I bought three gallons so after a complete flush I should have about 1/2 gallon left after the 50-50% mix.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I'm going to do the oil adapter leak repair tomorrow which means it's the perfect time for the coolant flush and an oil change. Wish me luck.

p.s. In case anyone is wondering, I didn't use Prestone because they don't put on the bottle that it meets Ford ESE M97B44-A. Even though it says it does on their website I read somewhere where that comment on their website has to do with their product many years ago but may not hold true today. Seems like green Prestone should be fine and should meet Ford specs but why bother with it if you don't know for sure.

 

[Joe in NY]

I flushed mine and converted to gold. The green only lasts 2 years at best. The gold lasts over 5 years. I drained, filled with water, ran, drained, filled with water, ran, drain, filled with water, ran, drain, last fill with Gold.

This ensured no green coolant was left behind. If the green and gold mix, they form mud.

I also used a cooling system refill tool. I pulls an almost complete vacuum on the system using compressed air then has a hose that goes to your new buckets of antifreeze. This also ensures no air pockets.

 

[Number4]

I also used a cooling system refill tool. I pulls an almost complete vacuum on the system using compressed air then has a hose that goes to your new buckets of antifreeze. This also ensures no air pockets.

Post a link of the tool you used if you would.

 

[SyberTiger]

I also used a cooling system refill tool. I pulls an almost complete vacuum on the system using compressed air then has a hose that goes to your new buckets of antifreeze. This also ensures no air pockets.

I would assume the "non-messy" way of draining the coolant is to use the petcock at the bottom of the radiator and remove the coolant resevoir cap. On a 2002 Explorer does anyone know how much coolant is expected to drain out and how long it takes?

I assume Ford intended for us to refill the system by pouring in the new 50-50 mix into the reservoir and let it suck it in since there is no radiator cap on a 2002 Explorer. Anyone have an idea on how quickly it sucks up the coolant? I assume you have to warm it up 15 minutes or so for the thermostat to open before the new coolant is sucked in?

 

[Number4]

Disconnect the hose from the t-stat and rotate it at the radiator, then fill the radiator with the 50/50. Good time to put in a new t-stat.
Then use reservoir to fill the rest.

 

[Joe in NY]

it was almost identical to this only snap on or mattco tools:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IHK1VI/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0081N522E&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0C39RJHPC276KEZN1GNP

 

[Joe in NY]

You see, on these newer cars, you actually have to use the refill tool. As the radiator drain is designed to drain almost all of the coolant from the system.

I holds around 15 quarts. And take a couple minutes due to the tiny drain hole.

 

[SyberTiger]

I completed the oil adapter gasket replacement a couple of days ago. Wow...what a PITA! Flushing the coolant and refilling was the final step of the process. I'll do a write-up soon with my findings about the gasket replacement and flushing the coolant soon. I didn't use a refill tool or a flush kit.