Has anyone changed the engine coolant on the 6.0 PSD? I have an 03 and I've been thinking about changing the coolant as a PM and not trust the manuals "lifetime" statements.

 

That would be a waste of time and money for you IMO. If you're concerned about it you can buy a cheap tool at any auto parts store. You suck a little coolant up into it and it will tell you the boil over and freeze protection points your coolant is good for. If you're concerned about the lubricity of the coolant you can always pick up a coolant filter kit to filter out the grit left over from the manufacturing process etc. A lot of guys run them. I don't.

 

Hey, sgt-
I'm going to do my radiator hoses, and therefore, I must drain the system... Any thoughts on the reuse of the coolant? Perhaps just filter it through some fine media and put it back in? I'm not oppose to replacing it if that's the conclusion.
Thanks-

 

the gold coolant is 5yrs/100k mile coolant. if you are gonna replace it for whatever reason, then its 3yrs/50k service interval.

 

Thanks, BowTieHatr! Is any G05 rated WSS-M97B51–A1 Ford spec coolant OK?

 

the one thing i am not sure about is whether or not all gold coolant is the same. i know that motorcraft gold coolant does not need the cooling system additive like motorcraft green and most green coolants. i do want to say that with that spec then it should be ok, but i am not 100% sure.

 

Thanks again. I'll give it some additional research and post the outcome.

 

The last time I bought the gold at Ford it was $11.00 per gal. That is in line with the after market anti-freezes and you mix it 50/50 with distilled water. Why cut corners for possibly no more than pennys?

 

OZX3+1 How many miles/time spent do you have on your coolant?
Unless it was new I would dump it. The thing is the additives that provide lubricity to your waterpump and corrosion resistance for your aluminum rad get used up over time, much more of a concern that dirt in my opinion. If I had less than a year on my coolant I would consider reusing it, but if more no way.

 

I watched the video that is refrenced in another thread and this is what it said about. It points out that CA., OR., and NM. vehicles use a different coolant, VC-7-B all other states use VC-7-A coolant. Wonder what the difference is. It also state "do not use used or recycled coolant"

 

Thanks all! So far, after a couple of phone calls, I've found that new is better (thought so) and that as long as it's G05 rated WSS-M97B51–A1 Ford spec coolant, it's good. For the record, the truck just clicked 60K and most of those miles were racked up by owner number one. I'm owner number two, so out with the old and in with the new G05 rated WSS-M97B51–A1 Ford spec coolant.
Here's the detail on the coolant variations, state to state... LINK

 

I changed my coolant at 50,000 miles.

Here is why and what I did....

The factory fill is 100,000 miles (or they claim). After that they state it is good for 50,000 miles, but that is due to using regular tap water. I instead used 100% distilled water to flush and then re-fill my system.

I bought the Ford Premium Gold coolant (4 gallons) at my dealer and never thought twice... it is good stuff and was $10.00/gallon or so. I bought 16 gallons of distilled water at the grocery store for about .89/gallon... so I had around $60.00 or less for a complete coolant flush.

1) drive truck and get motor warm (needle moves into normal range).

2) Loosen and drop lower radiator hose from radiator and drain.

3) Re-fill resorvoir with distilled water and refill system.

4) Drive truck until temp guage comes back up and mixes up the system

5) Repeat steps #2 - #4 about 4 to 5 times (depends on how much distilled water you have). By the time I was done... I had only 100% distilled water in my system and running out very clear.

6) After the last time, tighten up the lower hose and re-fill the system with 100% coolant to bring your total to a 50/50% concentration (read your manual and divide the total by 2 and add that amount coolant).

7) Add more distilled water to "top off" your system and you will have a 100% distilled water flush and the proper 50% - 60% coolant concentration.
------------------------------------

Personally, I am not a fan of 5/100,000 mile coolant flushes and believe that is just a marketing tool Ford and the suppliers use to make it sound good to get one to the end of the warrenty period. I added a coolant by-pass filter when I did my flush and was amazed and what even flushing didn't get out!!

I will flush my radiator again between another 50 - 60,000 miles with the same process. I use only the Ford Premium Gold Coolant and between receipts for it and the distilled water... no one can claim I did it wrong or used the wrong stuff... plus I just feel good for doing it that way.

Hope this helps.

 

I personally wouldn't reuse coolant. I suppose in theory you could and it would be fine, but I'd be too worried about contamination in such an expensive motor. Using completely new coolant will also make sure none of the casting material gets back in your motor. I think that's mainly why alot of folks use the coolant filter.

 

Never re-use coolant.... either due to contamination but more importantly, it has been used up and the various chemicals that protect your motor diminish over time (they did their job).

Buy new and never worry.

 

Hey, BeachBumCook-
Got a follow on question...
2) Loosen and drop lower radiator hose from radiator and drain?
I don't want the neighbors to have a fit! Is coolant bad for the sewer intake/critters/noisy old lady neighbors? If I can just uncap and let this stuff fly, my job just got a lot easier!