How often to change coolant in 1997 Ford Ranger

[404gpb]

I have a 1997 Ford Ranger with 420,000 miles on it. I drive this thing a lot and have been changing the coolant every 30,000 miles for some time. The WalMart Supertech ethylene glycol coolant I use says it is good for 150,000 miles. I am thinking about increasing my coolant change interval to 100,000 miles which coincides with the frequency I change the timing belt and water pump. I know that coolant technology has improved significantly since 1997 when Ford recommended a 30,000 mile interval but I don’t know what I don’t know about coolant. Interested in thoughts, especially from anyone who has done something similar in an older vehicle.

 

[brandon9715]

I would use the supertech coolant and change it per the coolant specs (150k). If you really want it to coincide with other maintenance as you described, that would work well too. OAT coolants last a long time.

 

[johnmyster]

5 years or water pump/radiator/head gasket, whichever comes first.