I would use the Ford gold.

 

You cannot buy 100% ethylene glycol from prestone. They don;t make it. The green Prestone "All Makes & Models" is simply GM dexcool with green dye and some minor additives. It is indeed extended life, but comes will all the problems associated with origninal GM dexcool.

With that said there is no reason to use anything but Conventional Green (the old skool stuff), Zerex G-05, or Motorcraft Premium Gold.

If you use the old stuff, use an electrolysis additive to cut back aluminum failure. If using Zerex G-05 or Gold, you will be fine. G-05 and Gold are the same with just a tad different dye.

 

That's news to me. I'll have to look at the containers I've been buying over the years and check the Prestone and Zerex website.

So your saying Prestone never made full ethylene glycol and it was GM coolant, or they just stopped making it at some point and no longer offer it???


"Prestone Prime looks pretty good. They apparently make many kinds of coolant, dexcool among them.
http://www.prestone.com/products/ant...t/product_list


BTW, Happy New Year to all.

 

IF you are pleased with the results you have with Preston, then stick with it. Maybe I'm just an OEM guy, but the manufacturers formulate coolants around materials used in the engines they produce. I have always been skeptical about one-size-fits-all/universal coolants. They make compromises. Even at work our techs would do the cardinal sin of coolants, mixing etholene glycol with the gold coolant we were using. Most of our guys were just draining the radiator and filling. Did this every 30K miles. I did not see any ill effects, but did notice the heater core failure rate decreased.

 

..So how do I know what coolant to use in my 01? whatevers in there is green ot looks like. Over the summer I drained the overflow tank and cleaned out all the crap in it and just refilled it with a little prestone green. I'm a little leary about "flushing" stuff out as the bottom of the radiators usually fall out after you do such task!

 

The jug should tell you what type it is. It was probably ethylene glycol, which would have been factory fill in 01. I'm pretty sure Ford recommends Motorcraft Prem for everything now. If the cooling system is clean you don't need to power flush or use a chemical flush. Just drain everything, fill with clear water, run the engine to circulate, and repeat the process until the water comes out clear. The process goes a lot quicker if you pull the plugs on the side of the block to drain the engine. The plugs should be 15mm. Warning-if you pull the engine drain plugs be quick or you will get a bath. Use a 6pt socket and long extension. Use a garden hose with low pressure to back flush the heater core. Don't forget to do the overflow tank.

 

Do not "flush" like in chemical flush. Simply drain, fill with distilled water pure, run it, drain it, repeat until clear. Then add in the coolant of your choice.

 

https://www.ebay.com/p/Ford-OEM-Elbow-XR3Z18599AA/1424482516?iid=302173874899&chn=ps&ul_ref=https%25 3A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F711-117182-37290-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww .ebay.com%25252Fp%25252FFord-OEM-Elbow-XR3Z18599AA%25252F1424482516%25253Fiid%25253D30217 3874899%252526chn%25253Dps%2526itemid%253D30217387 4899%2526targetid%253D595076375168%2526device%253D m%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9031933%252 6poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D1661472618%2526adgrou pid%253D67688990127%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-595076375168%2526abcId%253D1140476%2526merchantid% 253D111826191%2526gclid%253DEAIaIQobChMI94O7xurX3w IVmMVkCh1MDAFaEAQYFSABEgKLO_D_BwE%2526srcrot%253D7 11-117182-37290-0%2526rvr_id%253D1808583125253%2526rvr_ts%253D206d 44741680a9cb79505be3fff96a71 shows the part, oddly, called an elbow... $10. It fits 3/4" heater hose easily w a bit of soap. I cut mine from a Dorman hose that a mech put on mine, along w 2 coils and 2 plugs that the coolant killed... Curiously, my Dorman hose lasted 50 miles, (stranding me and I got sick overnight.) The shop towed it back, put on new hoses, free, (they were crossed by the mech, unless they were crossed when I got it and he uncrossed them, and then recrossed them w the new ones which lasted well over 50 miles,) and one blew yesterday, a year later, after maybe 1-2000 miles. I am temporarily replacing a hose section and including the restrictor. (The larger fat end goes near the wng & the smaller fat end toward the coor.) I may later include a bypass with an adjustable gate valve, and MIGHT even add a temporary T to check pressure.

 

This time *I* am doing a good temporary(?) repair. (F150 2001, XLT SuperCab 4x4) The intake hose blew between the engine output nipple (which is vertical at the front of the engine,) and the restrictor, 6" away and hidden within the hose. It can be found by a minor lump (~5x8 dia x 1 3/8" long, black plastic, w/inner orifice~5/16") and a small hose clamp that that stops it from migrating.
I removed the intake hose (w the restrictor) only at the eng nipple end, and cut the hose an inch downstream (nearer the core) of the nipple. This ~9"(?) removed segment almost forms a lazy 90° angle.
To replace all this I bought; 1 ft of 3/4" heater hose & 6(!), 3/4-1 1/4 hose clamps from O'Reilly's, (Home Depots were poorer quality,) a straight 5/8-3/4" plastic adaptor (& a brass 3/4x3/4 90 from Home Depot.) Starting at the eng nipple, this is the fabbed fix: 3/4 hose to brass 90 to 3/4 hose (w now re-imbedded restrictor, cut out from the orig hose,) to 3/4 adaptor-end and 5/8-adaptor end to what (~12") remains of the orig input hose, which is still connected onto the heater core. 1 new clamp holds the restrictor from movement, as said. (The larger of the 2 fat ends of the restrictor goes closer to the eng nipple. Hot water hits the bigger of the fat ends first.) This had v minor leaks at 50F but once warmed up hoses softened and sealed with a small bit of extra clamp tightening. Most antifreeze went into the (passenger side) fat radiator hose once disconnected frim the radiator. 3/4 gal was easy. Slip it back on w/o the clamp, temporarily. Remove the pressure cap from the resevoie. Start the eng, re-pull that fat hose for the next half gal, then replace and tighten the clamp. Rest went into resevoir ok, and 3 qt of water chaser, v soon after. Rev'd it to 3-4k rpm slowly 2x to move any bubbles. (None seen nor heard, but it's an issue w some engines.) I had lost ~2/3ds of my fluid. Both intake and output core hoses got hot, demonstrating flow through the core. Test drive, top off.

Later 2 T's and partial bypass might be done for hose longevity. The restrictor causes pressure buildup from the front eng nipple to the restrictor which protects the costly core, but burdens heater core hoses above normal. (The added brass 90 will be a lil restrictive too, and help hoses a wee bit.) This is typical mfr cheap fix for a design oversight, is made to last "past warranty." But hose failure casts coolant onto plugs and coils and some will fail, costly power and stranding you in any valley between towns! THIS is not cheap nor convenient! Ford's solution works but Does Not Last, IMExperiences. One blew because 1 used 1st gear and hit 3500rpm to slow, down a grade, luckily, I could limo a mike in heavy traffic. "Hot" was approached.