radiator fluid question
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Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Goliad, Texas
radiator fluid question
I wrote Pat Goss at Motorweek about a month ago concerning this question and he still hasn't written back yet so I figured I'd ask y'all smart Ford Enthusiasts. well I'm 16 and I didn't know that there was a difference between orange and green antifreeze. well one day my truck was low so I just filled it up. the next day when me and my dad were going to take the trash to town in my truck I told him I filled the engine coolant reservior up with orange. he said a couple words that I can't say on this site and then called his friend that knows a lot about vehicles and asked if we could still run the 79 with the orange in there. the friend said "yeah, it shouldn't do anything." now I not worried about it cause we've been running it like that for about 6 months or so and it runs fine. okay that's everything but that wasn't the question. is there a diiference between orange and green or is it just to make money and confuse everyone?
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Louisville,Ky.
Drain it. It seems to rot away GM cooling systems. I can't tell you how many radiators and water pumps that I have had to replace on Blazers due to that dexicool crap.
Just drain the system and add a 50/50 mix of green coolant and water. You can usually buy it already pre mixed.
Just drain the system and add a 50/50 mix of green coolant and water. You can usually buy it already pre mixed.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 820
Likes: 11
The orange stuff is something that GM came out with a few years ago. It was suppose to be “specially formulated” for their vehicles cooling systems. There is a difference in the chemical makeup but it is well over my head. As for whether or not it is better than the green stuff is still up for debate. I do faintly remember reading an article about early 90s S10s having cooling problems. After a couple different repair attempts by GM they finally put out to their service departments to change the orange coolant with green.
If you own a late model car that came with orange coolant I’d stick with it. But for our old trucks use the green. But I doubt that it will hurt anything if you’ve put a little bit into a system that was running good to begin with. Especially if there hasn’t been any change in the running temp.
My question is do you know what type of mixture you’re running now? We were just talking about this in this thread:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...l-cooling.html
If you own a late model car that came with orange coolant I’d stick with it. But for our old trucks use the green. But I doubt that it will hurt anything if you’ve put a little bit into a system that was running good to begin with. Especially if there hasn’t been any change in the running temp.
My question is do you know what type of mixture you’re running now? We were just talking about this in this thread:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...l-cooling.html
Elder User
Joined: May 2006
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From: Spokane, Washington
COOLANT CONFUSION: It's Not Easy Being Green . . . or Yellow or Orange or . . . | Motor | Find Articles at BNET.com
coolant color doesnt matter so much, often times you'll see on the bottle that it says will mix with other colors is ok and stuff like that. It isnt a big deal, Ive never had a problem in a pickle (more about making it 50/50 and other stuff like that) It wont harm anything, a GM mechanic friend of mine told me they tell you that for leaks, and because Ford and GM have to be different, and all that good junk, but if you look on bottles it usually says it doesnt make a difference what you mix it with.
coolant color doesnt matter so much, often times you'll see on the bottle that it says will mix with other colors is ok and stuff like that. It isnt a big deal, Ive never had a problem in a pickle (more about making it 50/50 and other stuff like that) It wont harm anything, a GM mechanic friend of mine told me they tell you that for leaks, and because Ford and GM have to be different, and all that good junk, but if you look on bottles it usually says it doesnt make a difference what you mix it with.
Elder User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 947
Likes: 0
From: Spokane, Washington
Drain it. It seems to rot away GM cooling systems. I can't tell you how many radiators and water pumps that I have had to replace on Blazers due to that dexicool crap.
Just drain the system and add a 50/50 mix of green coolant and water. You can usually buy it already pre mixed.
Just drain the system and add a 50/50 mix of green coolant and water. You can usually buy it already pre mixed.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,409
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From: Goliad, Texas
jokerforever, I guess I'm running probably about a 80/90 green-10/20 orange.
the reason that there's orange at our house is for my dad's 01 chevy and my mom's 98 buick.
I guess when my dad and I start rebuilding his 81 chevy and continue keep up my 79 F100 he'll have to tell me little things like that so one day I don't really mess up and then have to end up paying for it good.
the reason that there's orange at our house is for my dad's 01 chevy and my mom's 98 buick.
I guess when my dad and I start rebuilding his 81 chevy and continue keep up my 79 F100 he'll have to tell me little things like that so one day I don't really mess up and then have to end up paying for it good.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 820
Likes: 11
So very little orange to green so that is good. But before adding the orange what was the mixture of antifreeze to coolant? Have you been running any water or have you just filled up with a 50/50 mix straight from a store bought bottle? And have you been having any other problems with the cooling system?
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Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Goliad, Texas
this was the first time that we filled it up so I don't know what the previous owner was running, if it was 50/50 mix or just this must coolant and looks like this is enough water
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 820
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Well, being that you don’t know what it in there I would drain it. Lord only knows what has been run in there by the person before you so it’s better to start over. Your profile says you’re from Texas. If that is where you’re running the truck I would put a 25/75 mixture of antifreeze to coolant. As long as you are in the South that is what I would run. Mix the store bought 50/50 stuff with distilled water. Remember to use only distilled water and not tap water. If you move up north change to 50/50.
Elder User
Joined: May 2006
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From: Spokane, Washington
I used to live in the desert and I never had a problem with running 50/50, everyone down there tells you to keep it at 50/50 so if you do ever go up north on a trip nothing is bad. But honestly I was told just to keep a 50/50 mixture.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 820
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Distilled water will transfer heat better than Ethylene Glycol (90% +/- of what antifreeze is made up of). You still need the anti-corrosion properties of antifreeze and it helps to raise the boiling point but in warmer climates it isn’t necessary to run a 50/50 mix. A generation or two ago it was even common place to change to pure water in the summer and 50/50 in the winter.
Now that’s a little excessive and wasteful but if there isn’t a chance the engine will freeze there is a cooling benefit to running more water. A few years ago they change from selling pure antifreeze to the premixed stuff. It wasn’t only a move it make more money. It was justified that the common driver now a days isn’t as mechanically inclined, and quite frankly, not smart enough to mix it right. It was to idiot proof the process.
But we as enthusiast know better. We are smart enough to research the issue and make an informed decision. Or at least ask the question and absorb as many opinions as possible. I suggest that in the low country and south of the Mason Dixon Line you should run a 25/75 mixture.
Now that’s a little excessive and wasteful but if there isn’t a chance the engine will freeze there is a cooling benefit to running more water. A few years ago they change from selling pure antifreeze to the premixed stuff. It wasn’t only a move it make more money. It was justified that the common driver now a days isn’t as mechanically inclined, and quite frankly, not smart enough to mix it right. It was to idiot proof the process.
But we as enthusiast know better. We are smart enough to research the issue and make an informed decision. Or at least ask the question and absorb as many opinions as possible. I suggest that in the low country and south of the Mason Dixon Line you should run a 25/75 mixture.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,398
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From: Hesperia, CA
I flushed my 77 a couple of year's back and filled it with straight water, distilled of course. I was going to run it for a few days to make sure all of the flush was out of it. I forgot about it until a couple of months later. I drained the water out to put the anti-freeze mix in and the water was pure rust. I had to re-flush it to get all of the rust out. I put the anti-freeze in immediately after the flush this time. I don't know what caused it to rust up so fast, but I will never make the mistake of running straight water again.