Hey guys, Firstly, I did a search on these forums for a possible answer but the result took me everywhere so I wanted to ask the question here to be specific in the Super Duty forum. I have an 02 F-250 4X4 6.8 Litre Gas engine with 45K miles. The cooling system takes a whopping 28.5 quarts! is after market coolant ok or should I use Ford brand coolant? Secondly, should it be mixed 50-50 ? roughly 14 quarts of full strength coolant and 14 quarts of water?

 

I'm interested to hear the responses. I should change the coolant in mine also. I was planning on using good ole prestone and distilled water 50/50. Thats what I've used on my other trucks.

 

The mix ratio depends on where you live and what you think the coldest it is going to get.

Brand well personally I thing they are all made by one or two companies and just put in different jugs.

 

For my 2000 5.4 i used Carquest Green Coolant, this was back in Aug. 2007 when i had new upper and lower hoses put on and the coolant still looks brand new. I believe it was done 50/50, I wasn't the one that did the work though so i cant say for sure but haven't had any problems.

 

Best bet is to check the owners manual for coolant specs.

There are 3 basic types of coolant available and they are not necessarily compatible.

Usually but NOT ALWAYS, you can go by color. The old classic type coolant usually was greenish yellow. But at least one brand was orangish red(Zerex I believe)

Mid 90s, Dexcool came out from GM, Texaco and a few others. It was usually red and was NOT compatible with the old green stuff. Mixing these two would cause jello in your radiator.

I think 2000+ Ford came out with Golden coolant. I think it is compatible with the old green. Prestone sells this.

In all cases read the bottle to be sure what specification it meets. I prefer not to mix any of the different types since color is not a sure clue to what you got.

I believe the main differences had to do with what silicates if any were in the coolant. Newer long mileage coolant systems required few or NO silicates. So that would explain why mixing was bad. Also some of the metals used in newer cars required the newer coolants.

Most coolant brands recommend a 50 50 mix with water, preferably low mineral(soft) water. You can go with less coolant in temperate climates but you lose a bit of maximum temperature boilover protection and of course freeze protection. Most labels will show you a temperature range for the mixes.

Don't buy the premixes, they are just selling you water mixed with coolant. You can buy water cheaper in the supermarket if you can't use home water.

Be sure to do a thorough system flush if you are changing type of coolant. Should be clean anyway. I like to do multiple fresh water flushes and then if possible drain thru the engine drain plugs and radiator. I put in the required amount of coolant first since there will be trapped water in the system so at least you know how much coolant you have if you put it in first.

Check coolant level every day or so and top up as needed.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Thanks Jim, great response and I appreciate your knowledge and time. I am going to perform a complete system flush and start with new Coolant. The coolant currently in the truck is a yellow color, I believe Ford calls this their premium coolant, the lesser is green. I'll make sure I buy some soft water because our water here is hard meaning too much calcium which my guess would cause a build up and deposits.

Jerry

 

I just now realized that more of you had responded, thanks you guys for your suggestions and opinions.

 

When I picked up mine last fall, it had the Orange stuff in it. Had my mechanic flush it out this spring, and he put the same thing in. No problems so far as I can see.