Answering Coolant Replacement Questions

[Sprinkle_Star]

Yesterday, I went ahead and replaced the factory coolant with the new yellow coolant (but it actually looks like lemon-lime gatorade).

Anyway, I have successfully completed the task, so feel free to ask me questions if you have any.

 

[DEss]

Was it as simple as pulling the lower rad hose, letting the old run out the rad and engine, and refilling from the degas bottle until no bubbles come out the bleeder?

DEss

 

[Capri to ST]

How much coolant were you able to drain out? I had my coolant replaced by a shop about a year ago, just orange to orange, this was before the new yellow coolant came out.
I had brought in two gallons of the Motorcraft orange because the owners manual says the capacity is 6.1 quarts. The mechanic, who is very experienced and who I know and trust, told me that he was only able to get about a gallon out because there was no block drain if I remember what he said correctly.
Because of that I'd be interested to know how much coolant you got out, and how you did it as DEss asked above.

 

[Sprinkle_Star]

How much coolant were you able to drain out? I had my coolant replaced by a shop about a year ago, just orange to orange, this was before the new yellow coolant came out.
I had brought in two gallons of the Motorcraft orange because the owners manual says the capacity is 6.1 quarts. The mechanic, who is very experienced and who I know and trust, told me that he was only able to get about a gallon out because there was no block drain if I remember what he said correctly.
Because of that I'd be interested to know how much coolant you got out, and how you did it as DEss asked above.

Hey there,

I would estimate between four and five quarts came out since some of it ran down my arm and onto the cardboard. such a mess at first lol

I was able to fit the majority of it comfortably into a five quart waste bottle.

 

[Sprinkle_Star]

Was it as simple as pulling the lower rad hose, letting the old run out the rad and engine, and refilling from the degas bottle until no bubbles come out the bleeder?

DEss

Yes that's how simple I thought it would be initially, but actually doing it for the first time proved that I will need to refine my approach next time.

That's the basic overall process minus the details.

 

[SteveS]

You have to use a Cooling System Vacuum Tester and Refiller to get all the coolant out and refill. Then there is a procedure to remove all the air. This video shows the filling portion, but the tools are also used to purge the cooling system.

View: https://youtu.be/_WCRcuCZI50

1. Fill the degas bottle to the MAX FILL line.

1. Install the degas bottle cap until it contacts the hard stop.

1. Turn the climate control system off.

1. Start the engine and increase the engine speed to 3,500 rpm and hold for 30 seconds.

1. Turn the engine off for and wait for 1 minute to purge any large air pockets from the cooling system.

1. WARNING: Always allow the engine to cool before opening the cooling system. Do not unscrew the coolant pressure relief cap when the engine is operating or the cooling system is hot. The cooling system is under pressure; steam and hot liquid can come out forcefully when the cap is loosened slightly. Failure to follow these instructions may result in serious personal injury.
   Check the engine coolant level in degas bottle and if necessary fill to the top of the MAX FILL line on the degas bottle if the engine is warm or to the top of the MIN FILL LEVEL if the engine is cold.

1. Start the engine and let it idle until the engine reaches normal operating temperature and the thermostat is fully open. A fully open thermostat is verified by the cooling fan cycling on at least once.

1. Increase the engine speed to 3,500 rpm and hold for 30 seconds.

1. Allow the engine to idle for 30 seconds..

1. Turn the engine off for 1 minute.

1. Repeat steps 14 through 16 a total of 5 times to remove any remaining air trapped in the system.

1. WARNING: Always allow the engine to cool before opening the cooling system. Do not unscrew the coolant pressure relief cap when the engine is operating or the cooling system is hot. The cooling system is under pressure; steam and hot liquid can come out forcefully when the cap is loosened slightly. Failure to follow these instructions may result in serious personal injury.
   Check the engine coolant level in degas bottle and if necessary fill to the top of the MAX FILL line on the degas bottle.

 

[syasar]

Did the coolant in degas bottle turn yellow once you ran the engine? It does not look like what it did when I first poured it out of the bottle. I'm wondering if I left a significant amount of orange coolant in the system

 

[Sprinkle_Star]

Did the coolant in degas bottle turn yellow once you ran the engine? It does not look like what it did when I first poured it out of the bottle. I'm wondering if I left a significant amount of orange coolant in the system

I did two coolant replacements in order to get most of the old coolant out, and now the coolant looks mostly lime green.

 

[syasar]

I did two coolant replacements in order to get most of the old coolant out, and now the coolant looks mostly lime green.

Yep thanks for that heads up just did drain, distilled water flush and then refilled it. The color looking alot better now. I didn't think the car would retain so much coolant after draining.

 

[Sprinkle_Star]

About 4 quarts comes out each time it drains and the total capacity is 6.5 quarts so I anticipated two drain and fills would likely be required.

I am thinking about doing this once every three years; what are your thoughts everyone?

 

[Capri to ST]

About 4 quarts comes out each time it drains and the total capacity is 6.5 quarts so I anticipated two drain and fills would likely be required.

I am thinking about doing this once every three years; what are your thoughts everyone?

I'm going to change mine every 3 years. I believe the maintenance schedule in the manual says to do the first one at six years and then every three years after that, I don't see any reason to wait 6 years for the first one.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I'm at 4 years on the factory fill, but, I did at least a one gallon 'pull' out of the overflow tank twice a year (distilled water going in for the spring, 100% coolant going in for the fall), every year, after the first winter, so the coolant is somewhat 'fresh'.

But I WILL do a FULL, thorough flush and refill (as well as new hoses, and possibly the thermostat) when I do a radiator next year.