Extended drains

[Frank D]

Just a comment on the extended drain antifreezes. When I was changing the oil in my wife's 02 Windstar 2 weeks ago I glanced into the radiator fill/overflow bottle and instead of seeing the nice green color of the antifreeze, I was shocked to see brown instead. Granted the car has 75,000 miles on it but the manual says to replace antifreeze at 105,000 miles. I got out another drain pan and opened the radiator drain plug and out came nothing but brown fluid. Off to Walmart I went and purchased a bottle of Prestone radiator flush and 2 gallons of the new Prestone all makes/all models antifreeze. It took qiute a bit of flushing before I got clear water running out of the radiator. I installed the 2 gallons of Prestone (rear heater, it takes 15 quarts) and everything is nice and green again. Lesson learned: Don't trust manufacturers extended drain intervals like I did.

 

[Big Jim]

If you had green antifreeze, it wasn't long life. Ford's long life fluid is yellow toward gold.

Ford says that their green should have been changed at 45,000 miles or 3 years, whichever came first. I think that is too long though.

Is it possible that someone changed your gold over to green? Or is it possible that Ford had not made the change yet when your's was built?

 

[Big Jim]

According to the chart in the Ford Chemical catalog, the 02 Windstar changed from green to gold on 7/15/02. That would mean that the change did not come until near the end of the model year build. You can check your build date on the VIN plate on the door.

Follow this link to the Ford Chemical Catalog and find the coolant use chart on page 71 (page 72 pdf):

http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/fad/pdf/catalog.pdf

 

[doitmyself]

Will putting in the "Dexcool type" new Prestone be o.k. in a vehicle that originally specified either conventional green silicate or HOAT coolant?

Ray H. - Comments???

 

[Ray H]

doitmyself, probably. At least my experience with DEX-COOL and the SuperTech unlicensed clone in a Honda Accord and my current Hyundai Sonata respectively were/are both successful* so far. I can also recommend G-05 without hesitation based on the results Mercedes-Benz and BMW have had with the chemistry (over 20 years in the case of M-B).

*Honda OEM fluid is HOAT by virtue of its phosphate content as co-corrosion protection. Dunno what the heck Hyundai uses, other than it's green in color. I suspect its corrosion protection is silicate based - maybe at reduced levels, but nothing to base that speculation on. Aggravatingly, Hyundai's owner's manual recommendtion is a model of non-information stating only to use "a high quality ethylene-glycol coolant in a 50/50 mix with water". (Has anyone ever ever come across a jug of antifreeze concentrate that was described on the jug as "low quality" coolant?) At one year and four months the Sonata's SuperTech coolant is doing great - haven't had to top it up, and it continues as clear blue-green in the radiator with shiny metal looking back up at me. Went through a fairly hot inland So-Cal summer without ever hinting at overheating, and I use the A/C constantly mid-spring through mid-fall. This DEX-COOL clone had a workout. Even though it's an extended life chemistry, it may ome out this spring, maybe next fall - haven't firmed up on that, yet.

 

[Big Jim]

I have had Dexcool in my 98 Ford Contour SVT since it was a year old. It has been great. I won't be using anything else in it.

 

[Frank D]

My Windstar was built in March 2002, came with green antifreeze because we purchased it new and the owners manual says it is longlife and to replace it at 105,000 miles. I have Dexcool in a 97 Nissan Altima that we purchased new in 97 and was my wife's car until we got the Windstar in 02 and then it became my son's car. Flushed out the original Nissan green antifreeze in 2000 and installed the Texaco Dexcool and replaced the Dexcool in 2005 with Dexcool again. There have no antifreeze problems with the Dexcool in the Altima.

 

[doitmyself]

Interesting, Frank.

Sounds like Ford screwed up on your Windstar owner's manual recommendation.

My daughter's 2002 Escort manual actually states "if green is installed, follow this schedule.....if gold is installed follow this schedule...... Her's came with green.


There does exist green HOAT fluid - John Deere sells it.

I wonder what the answer is?

 

[Frank D]

Big Jim, you are correct and doitmyself it turns out I screwed up and not the owner's manual. I just went through the maintenence guide reading every recommended maintenence and indeed green antifreeze should have been replaced at 45,000 miles and every 30,000 miles there after. The yellow antifreeze calls for initial replacement at 100,000 miles and every 50,000 miles there after. In the Nissans I have owned, green antifreeze called for replacement every 30,000 miles. When I got the Windstar I looked at the 30,000 mile, 50,000 mile, 60,000 mile and 90,000 mile maintenece schedules and none of them called for antifreeze replacement. 100,000 miles called for yellow antifreeze replacement and 105,000 miles called for green antifreeze replacement. So I left the initial green antifreeze in for two intervals instead of one. Even bigger lesson learned: Read the ENTIRE maintenence guide not just certain sections. I hope I haven't caused any permanent damage. And I hope this new Prestone All Makes/All Models antifreeze won't be harmful especially with aluminum heads.

 

[m2200b]

You may want to do another drain to be sure you
got all the old (really old) coolant.

It does sound like you flushed enough when you forced out your heaters coolant. I'd just do a radiator drain and get half out again when the weather is nice in the spring so you can see what that looks like. Then you only have to replace 1/2 if what you dropped looks OK.

You caught the problem.