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Just a quick one about anti freeze.
Ford specify a particular type for use in their cooling systems; presumably other manufacturers do the same. How much importance should one attach to those recommendations? How different is any one anti freeze from another?
Might a dealer refuse to honour a warranty claim which is unrelated to the cooling system, simply because the owner had used supermarket anti-freeze rather than seeking out the proper stuff and paying through the nose for it?
Mine could do with topping up (its the orange stuff) and I don't want to buy the wrong product and fall foul, just in case I need to make a further Powershift claim.
Ta.
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I'd be more inclined to find out why it needs topping it. If its under warranty get it to Ford and ask them to do a leak and pressure test and top up for you.
Last time I ever topped up coolant was on a Mark 1 Fiesta which was 20 years old and developed a problem with overheating.
Edited by daveyjp on 14/11/2017 at 16:59
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It would only take a dealership 2 minutes to top up--but they might give you the forked tongue run around about always using approved "parts and materiels". They might even dare try and sell you a winter check(££££?)
I would just go to Halfords-they are fine with something as simple as this and -having looked it up-can sell you some perfectly acceptable "orange" stuff for well under a tenner.
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There are several varieties of antifreeze, distinguished by colour. The orange variety is defined as OAT (someone will remind me what that means) and is the default stuff which my indy uses. They all say that you shouldn't mix them - some may be chemically incompatible.
If you know your system uses orange, I think you should be safe adding some more. A litre of concentrate cost me £6 the other day.
Edited by Andrew-T on 14/11/2017 at 18:38
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Thanks for those replies.
For clarification, there's no question of a leak. The level hasn't changed since we've had the car but has always been nearer Min than Max, so I'm thinking now might be a good time to top up.
I'll fetch a small bottle of orange from the local factors tomorrow.
Edit: its not a question I've ever asked before because till now, I never owned a car which was still covered by manufacturers warranty. All my previous cars have had bog standard anti freeze of whatever colour I happened to fancy without any obviously negative effects. So this bit is a learning curve.
Thanks again.
Edited by argybargy on 14/11/2017 at 19:19
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If the car is new enough to still have OE coolant i'd be inclined to pop into the dealer parts dept and get a litre of the correct stuff, if anything like Toyota the proper stuff is so reasonably priced its not worth messing about, espacially if you buy concentrated and not ready mixed where you're paying for water.
If you have a poke nose around the shelves at factors/accessry shops there are some other red coloured types that arn't necessarily compatible, i'm sure than ethanol based stuff that evaporated off was red or is my appalling memory playing tricks again.
OAT should be used on older systems that feature brass fittings (i wonder if copper is a no no too?) cos it apparently reacts with the metal.
Edited by gordonbennet on 14/11/2017 at 19:22
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Thanks again, GB.
The coolant in it will almost certainly be OE, because the last service (proper service, that is) would have been done by the Ford dealer.
I'll give them a ring tomorrow.
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I use the GM/Vauxhall Dex-cool in all my Ford cars. More info on a/freeze here;www.coolantexperts.com/coolant_overview/oat_coolant
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Check your handbook. Coolant isn’t like oil. The max mark is to allow for expansion when the coolant is hot. Top it up cold and you may have problems with too much coolant as it can’t expand.
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Check your handbook. Coolant isn’t like oil. The max mark is to allow for expansion when the coolant is hot. Top it up cold and you may have problems with too much coolant as it can’t expand.
Understood. Its merely going to be a case of adding a little, if required, and keeping the rest lest it be needed. Which is unlikely, I admit.
Call it OCD, if you like.
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I use the GM/Vauxhall Dex-cool in all my Ford cars. More info on a/freeze here;www.coolantexperts.com/coolant_overview/oat_coolant
Many thanks for that. Might just head for the local motor factors and see what they have in stock.
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''OAT should be used on older systems that feature brass fittings (i wonder if copper is a no no too?) cos it apparently reacts with the metal.''
I'm such a clot, that should read should NOT be used on older systems...NURSE :-)
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The "Orange" Ford antifreeze is now "Purple" or, at least, it was the last time I bought some.
My local Ford Main Dealer asssured me that there was no problem at all adding purple to orange that's already in your cooling system; after all, the colour is only a dye, the antifreeze is the same.
Both are "OAT" type.
Edited by Galaxy on 14/11/2017 at 20:14
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The "Orange" Ford antifreeze is now "Purple" or, at least, it was the last time I bought some.
My local Ford Main Dealer asssured me that there was no problem at all adding purple to orange that's already in your cooling system; after all, the colour is only a dye, the antifreeze is the same.
Both are "OAT" type.
Thank you. I suppose I should eliminate any confusion and merely ask my wife what colour she wants. ;0)
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''OAT should NOT be used on older systems that feature brass fittings (i wonder if copper is a no no too?) cos it apparently reacts with the metal.''
I'm not disputing your info GB, but where do you get that from please?
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Just top it up with a little water so when cold it is mid way between min and max, job done, no worries about using the wrong stuff, only a minuscule reduction in concentration.
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If it is between the minimum and maximum when cold, it doesn't need 'topping up' - a phrase more applicable to a wine glass than any fluid reservoir of a car.
You will theoretically accelerate corrosion by opening the carefully designed airtight cap, exchanging possibly oxygen depleted air (from internal corrosion) for a fresh supply. Also, any additional fluid will undoubtedly contain oxygen - necessary for all automotive corrosion, inside and out.
If it works, don't mend it.
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.... Any additional fluid will undoubtedly contain oxygen - necessary for all automotive corrosion, inside and out.
Not if you use boiled-out water, John - or even fresh deionised .... :-)
Actually (at a tangent) I am impressed by the original blue coolant in my Pug 207 diesel. At 10 years old it has never been changed, and only once topped up slightly, and what is in the overflow reservoir is still clear blue. In the 'old days' cars of that age would have brown soup in the bottle without regular changes.
Edited by Andrew-T on 15/11/2017 at 09:59
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Thanks for the additional responses.
Clearly a topic that generates more opinion than I ever anticipated. ;0)
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If you must top it up, check the manual. My Mazda for example uses FL-22 long life that stays in for 10 years. Topping up with compatible stuff that isn't long life would mean it wouldn't be long life any more.
Or leave it alone until it does need topping up.
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I've topped up the anti freeze in most of my previous cars when the level has been just above, or just below Minimum and the liquid has been cold, and on no occasion has there been any obviously detrimental effect on the vehicle's cooling system.
Maybe I've just been lucky.
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Actually (at a tangent) I am impressed by the original blue coolant in my Pug 207 diesel. At 10 years old it has never been changed,
Ha! A mere stripling! The original pink coolant in our 137,000m Focus is a mature 17yrs old and has required only 250mls of water from our rainwater butt a couple of years ago to keep it above minimum.
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Edited by John F on 15/11/2017 at 16:58
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Although the colour of anti-freeze/corrosion inhibitor has a general consistency, it CANNOT be taken as absolute evidence of the type in use.
Changing the coolant fluid at recommended intervals gives the opportunity to flush out any debris accumulating in the system - it's not exactly high cost anyway.
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''OAT should NOT be used on older systems that feature brass fittings (i wonder if copper is a no no too?) cos it apparently reacts with the metal.''
I'm not disputing your info GB, but where do you get that from please?
I haven't the foggiest where i read it originally, but the article was convincing enough for me, here is a link from a quick online search on the subject.
www.da7c.co.uk/technical_torque_articles/right_ant...m
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