Ford Antifreeze Change Interval

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Why does Ford recommend the first antifreeze change at 100k and then 50k after that? Is there something special about the factory fill? Perhaps an additional additive that makes it last longer? I'm at 73k now and I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and do a drain and fill at my next oci @75k or wait until about 90k. My car uses VC-3 orange.

Also, is it a good practice to replace the thermostat when doing a drain and fill of the cooling system or is it one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" type of parts.
 
The only things that I can think of for the 100K change is the fact that it was an all brand new cooling system, engine, water pump, radiator etc. And too, that no air has yet entered the system. Now at 100k miles they must feel that enough of the coolant has broken down to warrant a replacement. Other will chime in with more info.
 
I had gold in my 2010 and did not change it for 5 years/150K and it was "ok", but I probably should have changed it at 125K. I believe that you are fine to go the full 100K miles.
 
I'm with Char, unless you find a way to completely drain, flush, and refill the system, they're anticipating some of the old coolant will linger, and affect the chemistry of the replacement coolant that you've added.

Or they've picked 100k to limit the necessary services for the first/second owner, thereby reducing cost-of-ownership, but set 50k from there to extend serviceable life of aging parts.
 
Originally Posted By: RichardS
Or they've picked 100k to limit the necessary services for the first/second owner, thereby reducing cost-of-ownership, but set 50k from there to extend serviceable life of aging parts.

I'm with RichardS. Sorta like lifetime transmission fluid. I'd change at 50.
 
It's because they don't trust whoever is doing the coolant change to perfectly bleed the system and not allow contaminants in.

It's the same reason that OEMs use snap-head bolts on certain critical applications where techs just aren't likely to use a torque wrench.
 
Originally Posted By: ssamaroo01
Why does Ford recommend the first antifreeze change at 100k and then 50k after that? Is there something special about the factory fill? Perhaps an additional additive that makes it last longer? I'm at 73k now and I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and do a drain and fill at my next oci @75k or wait until about 90k. My car uses VC-3 orange.

Also, is it a good practice to replace the thermostat when doing a drain and fill of the cooling system or is it one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" type of parts.

How much have you added over the time you have had it?
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
Originally Posted By: ssamaroo01
Why does Ford recommend the first antifreeze change at 100k and then 50k after that? Is there something special about the factory fill? Perhaps an additional additive that makes it last longer? I'm at 73k now and I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and do a drain and fill at my next oci @75k or wait until about 90k. My car uses VC-3 orange.

Also, is it a good practice to replace the thermostat when doing a drain and fill of the cooling system or is it one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" type of parts.

How much have you added over the time you have had it?


I've never added any coolant. It has always been at the right level.
 
To be honest I usually change my antifreeze 5 years regardless of miles. A simple drain and fill with 50/50 will refresh the lubricants etc. in the cooling system and gives me a peace of mind
 
Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
To be honest I usually change my antifreeze 5 years regardless of miles. A simple drain and fill with 50/50 will refresh the lubricants etc. in the cooling system and gives me a peace of mind


I do that with my wife's Escape since she only drives about 8k per year. I drive a lot - about 30k per year. I bought my Fusion new in April of 2015 and I am currently at 73k.
 
Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
To be honest I usually change my antifreeze 5 years regardless of miles. A simple drain and fill with 50/50 will refresh the lubricants etc. in the cooling system and gives me a peace of mind


I'd say the 5-years thing would work for a lot of people, but not for everyone, especially when dealing with G-05/Motorcraft Premium Gold, which is rated at 5-years and 100,000 miles. For me, 5 years of driving amounts to roughly 150,000 miles, which would be too long for a standard HOAT like G-05.

Add to that the fact that if you're already at the 5-year/100,000 mile limit for said HOAT, and you only drain-and-fill to replace with fresh stuff, you're not going to get all the old stuff out.. probably leaving about 40-50% of the old stuff.. then the "refreshed" coolant will really only be good for about 2.5-3 years and 50k-60k miles, at most.

If you really want to get another full 5 years and 100,000 miles out of the new fill, then I'd say at least ONE flush will be in order.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Forget what they recommend and change it every year.
Complete waste of time and money.
 
Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
Complete waste of time and money.


What about acid build up that can eat away at your engine's gaskets ? Also, if I see junk sticking to the walls of the overflow bottle, that's another indication the coolant needs changed out.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
Complete waste of time and money.
What about acid build up that can eat away at your engine's gaskets ? Also, if I see junk sticking to the walls of the overflow bottle, that's another indication the coolant needs changed out.
Does that happen on a yearly basis? I do not think so and that is why I said it is a waste. I ran my 2010FX4 as hard or harder than most and I still managed 5 years out of it. My PSD has to be checked frequently for additive strength and even it does not need annual changes. If you have acid build-up or floaters requiring an annual change you have other issues.
 
Just ignore Merk.. he's not just a little sarcastic.. he's a LOT sarcastic.

lol.gif
 
On my 09 Grand Marquis, I recently (late spring) did a flush and fill of the radiator My service manual calls for first service at 150K regardless of age (not that I agree with that) with Motorcraft Gold/G-05, but that's for a passenger car normal service schedule. The car was new to me at 99K and now at 148K, so I don't know the complete maintenance history but it came to me in excellent condition. That being said, I don't know if it was the original factory fill still in the radiator, but what came out looked pretty good, and very little grime came out during the flush.
As far as coolants go, I have been thoroughly impressed with G-05 in a few different applications.

I wanted to do a full flush, but just wasn't possible with a 4yr old "helping" at the time. Otherwise, I'm not gonna stress it - I plan on doing another drain/fill of the radiator and probably change out the thermostat in the spring, but I doubt I will touch it again for another couple years after that. So far, I've been very pleased with what I've seen of G-05 coolant - it seems to hold up well (considering everything else is in order).

Originally Posted By: Gebo
I'm with RichardS. Sorta like lifetime transmission fluid. I'd change at 50.


I was all excited to do the flush on my transmission because I wanted to see what 150K fluid and magnet would look like coming out. When I dropped the pan, I was simultaneously disappointed and relieved to find an aftermarket filter and cork gasket (I have no idea why - the factory gasket is reusable). From now on I'm just exchanging 3-4 qts at a time with a fluid extractor every 3rd oil change (about 20K miles) to keep things fresh.
 
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I had the old "green" in my 2002 for 2 years/13K miles. Looked fine though certainly not clear. But, changed it on age anyways this summer, switching to G05. Did numerous flushes. Looking to go at least 3-5 years on the Zerex G05.
 
Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
I had gold in my 2010 and did not change it for 5 years/150K and it was "ok", but I probably should have changed it at 125K. I believe that you are fine to go the full 100K miles.

^^^This.^^^
I flushed/filled mine at 98K, and am about to have it flushed/filled/new t-stat at 148K miles. I will be keeping the old t-stat, just in case. Also, if you ever replace your serpentine belt it's always a great idea to keep the old one for a spare. You never know..........
 
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