Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 99 1.8 advice please about replacing coolant

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Thu 29 Jan 2009 21:41
99 1.8 advice please about replacing coolant - jp147
I have the dilemma of needing to change the coolant on my Ford Focus (Petrol).

The car still has the original water pump but the timing belt has already been changed 18 months ago so I am very reluctant to change the water pump at this point unless it was actually leaking because of the cost of replacing the timing belt, tensioner, pulley and water pump all over again !

My question is if next week I decide to get the coolant renewed by the garage and some point down the line the pump starts to cause problems (or the radiator for that matter), would I need to replace the coolant again and if so would it be much more money ?

Edited by Pugugly on 29/01/2009 at 22:00

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Fri 30 Jan 2009 00:56
99 1.8 advice please about replacing coolant - mikej
Changing the coolant is a pretty easy job so if you're worried about the cost, why not do it yourself ?

I haven't got my Haynes Manual to hand, but I'm fairly sure it was just a case of undoing the coolant expansion tank cap, removing the drain plug at the bottom of the radiator and letting the stuff drain out, then flushing through with water and finally refilling with the new coolant, diluted by the correct amount.

I don't remember the Ford/Motorcraft 10-year coolant being too expensive (£10 - £20 tops) and I'd imagine that Halfords or Uni-Part stuff would be even cheaper.

Edited by mikej on 30/01/2009 at 00:56

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