Coolant: Ford "specialty" orange....Dexcool?
#1
Coolant: Ford "specialty" orange....Dexcool?
Hey guys. Haven't been on the forum in a while. Hope that everyone is doing well and had a nice holiday/new years!
Truck is still going strong. Has 20k miles on it now as I've been commuting more with the new job. Had to have the rotors turned under warranty 5k miles ago for vibration under braking, but otherwise everything has been in good shape (knock on wood). I installed a Borla S-type cat-back system last year but I don't think I did a review (loving it).
Question: So in prep for the arctic blast that we're getting up here, I've been checking a couple things over on the truck. I noticed my coolant was a little low (about half-inch from bottom of cold fill). The bottle says to only fill with Ford-Specialty orange coolant, however they also want $27 a bottle for the pre-mix at a Ford dealer that isn't even convient to get to.
I looked in the manual and it states:
VC-3DIL-B (US)
CVC-3DIL-B (Canada) /
WSS-M97B44-D2
The last number is the interesting one. It's the exact same spec listed on Prestone's Dexcool 50/50 that I can get cheap at my local walmart. I couldn't find the specs listed on prestones site, but here they are on autozones site:
Prestone/50/50 Dex-Cool antifreeze specs (scroll down to standards)
If this meets the same standard listed in the manual, I see no issue in using it. I can get it for about $14 at my local walmart. Cost is not a big deal, but I don't exactly have a local Ford dealer.
Thoughts? Comments?
Thanks guys.
Truck is still going strong. Has 20k miles on it now as I've been commuting more with the new job. Had to have the rotors turned under warranty 5k miles ago for vibration under braking, but otherwise everything has been in good shape (knock on wood). I installed a Borla S-type cat-back system last year but I don't think I did a review (loving it).
Question: So in prep for the arctic blast that we're getting up here, I've been checking a couple things over on the truck. I noticed my coolant was a little low (about half-inch from bottom of cold fill). The bottle says to only fill with Ford-Specialty orange coolant, however they also want $27 a bottle for the pre-mix at a Ford dealer that isn't even convient to get to.
I looked in the manual and it states:
VC-3DIL-B (US)
CVC-3DIL-B (Canada) /
WSS-M97B44-D2
The last number is the interesting one. It's the exact same spec listed on Prestone's Dexcool 50/50 that I can get cheap at my local walmart. I couldn't find the specs listed on prestones site, but here they are on autozones site:
Prestone/50/50 Dex-Cool antifreeze specs (scroll down to standards)
If this meets the same standard listed in the manual, I see no issue in using it. I can get it for about $14 at my local walmart. Cost is not a big deal, but I don't exactly have a local Ford dealer.
Thoughts? Comments?
Thanks guys.
#4
Hey guys. Haven't been on the forum in a while. Hope that everyone is doing well and had a nice holiday/new years!
I looked in the manual and it states:
VC-3DIL-B (US)
CVC-3DIL-B (Canada) /
WSS-M97B44-D2
The last number is the interesting one. It's the exact same spec listed on Prestone's Dexcool 50/50 that I can get cheap at my local walmart. I couldn't find the specs listed on prestones site, but here they are on autozones site:
Prestone/50/50 Dex-Cool antifreeze specs (scroll down to standards)
If this meets the same standard listed in the manual, I see no issue in using it. I can get it for about $14 at my local walmart. Cost is not a big deal, but I don't exactly have a local Ford dealer.
Thoughts? Comments?
Thanks guys.
I looked in the manual and it states:
VC-3DIL-B (US)
CVC-3DIL-B (Canada) /
WSS-M97B44-D2
The last number is the interesting one. It's the exact same spec listed on Prestone's Dexcool 50/50 that I can get cheap at my local walmart. I couldn't find the specs listed on prestones site, but here they are on autozones site:
Prestone/50/50 Dex-Cool antifreeze specs (scroll down to standards)
If this meets the same standard listed in the manual, I see no issue in using it. I can get it for about $14 at my local walmart. Cost is not a big deal, but I don't exactly have a local Ford dealer.
Thoughts? Comments?
Thanks guys.
The dexcool 50/50 will do fine. The "DIL" in the Ford part number stands for diluted....lol. You could use the straight Dexcool also and mix it if it is cheaper to purchase.
#6
We just had this talk in the 6.7L information. Couple of the guys brought up some good information, so I added it to the tech folder. Might be worth a look:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14956468
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14956468
#7
Trending Topics
#8
We just had this talk in the 6.7L information. Couple of the guys brought up some good information, so I added it to the tech folder. Might be worth a look:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14956468
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14956468
#9
#10
I really hope they fixed the Dexcool. Many a GM product has had issues from the stuff. Friends of mine had clogged heater cores, junked intake gaskets, etc from the stuff. Several local mechanics advised them to do a full flush and convert to the regular glycol antifreeze. I remember helping a coworker on his ZR2 GMC. He told me he had no heat in the cab. Temp gauge was normal. It was 20 degrees outside. We went out to look at it and I felt the 2 hoses going to the heater core. One was hot and one was cold. He took it to a garage and they told him it was typical Dexcool. They back flushed the heater core and the whole system and changed it to green. I remember seeing pink powdery paste around his radiator cap.
#12
I really hope they fixed the Dexcool. Many a GM product has had issues from the stuff. Friends of mine had clogged heater cores, junked intake gaskets, etc from the stuff. Several local mechanics advised them to do a full flush and convert to the regular glycol antifreeze. I remember helping a coworker on his ZR2 GMC. He told me he had no heat in the cab. Temp gauge was normal. It was 20 degrees outside. We went out to look at it and I felt the 2 hoses going to the heater core. One was hot and one was cold. He took it to a garage and they told him it was typical Dexcool. They back flushed the heater core and the whole system and changed it to green. I remember seeing pink powdery paste around his radiator cap.
#13
never had any problems with dexcool, though I seem to be in the minority.
this year I finally flushed out the original dexcool on the wife's 1997 cavalier. The thermostat was sticking closed, or I probably wouldn't have touched it.
ended up refilling it with Prestone Orange Dexcool which I've had on the shelf for about a decade. nice to finally use it up!
the reference to the "orange" dexcool is the only reason I mention it.... that and the original coolant it seems to have done it's job for about 17 years and 220,000 miles.
this year I finally flushed out the original dexcool on the wife's 1997 cavalier. The thermostat was sticking closed, or I probably wouldn't have touched it.
ended up refilling it with Prestone Orange Dexcool which I've had on the shelf for about a decade. nice to finally use it up!
the reference to the "orange" dexcool is the only reason I mention it.... that and the original coolant it seems to have done it's job for about 17 years and 220,000 miles.
#14
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