Coolant............. do i need it.

[thequietman]

Had another look with a torch.

 

Its kinda green/yellow........... more like lime kind of colour.

[ClutchClark]

10 minutes ago, Strange said:

First of all, there shouldn't be anything "Blue" in the radiator or evap tank and should be "Yellow" if we want to go ahead and go by fords color code. Obviously whoever had been doing the service is using alternatives 

 

Just making sure, but, you are not looking at the windshield wiper tank are you by any chance?

 

If its a Fod diesel then are you talking about the Ford "Gold" coolant?

 

We have several Ford diesels on the farm and that Gold stuff is cr**.

 

But I have not heard of blue coolant either even with after-market products.

 

Further evidence its time to drain, flush & fill.

[thequietman]

4 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

 

Agreed.

 

Your collant has exceeded the manufacturer recommended life and the system should be changed--it should be drained, flushed and filled with new coolant at a 50/50 mix. 

 

 I am not sure the practices of a Thai Ford service center and zi cannot say with certsinty that they flush the system but they should atleast drain it thoroughly and refill with new. (BTW, does your vehicle have a heater? )

 

Good for you to have been curious enough about this to further investigate. 

You mean empty the radiator and flush everything out?   Expensive ?  

[lostinisaan]

5 hours ago, transam said:

Your plastic thingy is an expansion tank, it needs to be filled just above low when cold and just below high when hot. You top up that tank when COLD, do not open when hot...

Do not top up with water only, buy coolant...It is a corrosion inhibitor.....

 

  And it keeps your water pump  alive and and and.....

 

 

   P.S. Trans, I never had a problem when I opened it when the engine was hot. 

Edited October 7, 2016 by lostinisaan

[thequietman]

4 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

If its a Fod diesel then are you talking about the Ford "Gold" coolant?

 

We have several Ford diesels on the farm and that Gold stuff is cr**.

 

But I have not heard of blue coolant either even with after-market products.

 

Further evidence its time to drain, flush & fill.

Yes, more a gold colour if I had to pick. It is a little bit lime colour though.

[lostinisaan]

6 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

If its a Fod diesel then are you talking about the Ford "Gold" coolant?

 

We have several Ford diesels on the farm and that Gold stuff is cr**.

 

But I have not heard of blue coolant either even with after-market products.

 

Further evidence its time to drain, flush & fill.

 

The blue coolant might be window cleaner....

[ClutchClark]

6 minutes ago, thequietman said:

You mean empty the radiator and flush everything out?   Expensive ?  

 

Yes. A shop should open the radiator cap and then open the petcock at the bottom of the radiator.

 

The small amount in the plastic overflow tank you described with FULL-LOW should naturally drain out the bottom hose. 

 

I will look for a YouTube video but your shop will have a procedure they follow.

 

Fortunately, you discovered this before it got so low it started causing problems so this is just a general maintenance procedure which mechanics perform every day. 

Edited October 7, 2016 by ClutchClark

[Strange]

Jesus op, just look in your owners manual. 

 

Also does it say, anywhere, on the cap or the expansion tank or radiator cap what coolant type to use? 

 

 

[thequietman]

1 minute ago, ClutchClark said:

 

Yes. A shop should open the radiator cap and then open the petcock at the bottom of the radiator.

 

The small amount in the plastic overflow tank you described with FULL-LOW should naturally drain out the bottom hose. 

 

I will look for a YouTube video but your shop will have a procedure they follow.

Thanks. If this is something easy then I would like to do it myself. Not the money, I would just like to learn to do it myself. 

[thequietman]

4 minutes ago, lostinisaan said:

 

The blue coolant might be window cleaner....

nope............. window washer on left of engine bay. The container def says Coolant.

[thequietman]

8 minutes ago, Strange said:

Jesus op, just look in your owners manual. 

 

Also does it say, anywhere, on the cap or the expansion tank or radiator cap what coolant type to use? 

 

 

Surprisingly....... the manual is in Thai. Hence asking on here. Thanks anyway.

[ClutchClark]

6 minutes ago, Anythingleft? said:

Please stop encouraging him to continue this, this level of ineptitude seems to be common to the Ford owners on TV

 

Hey...us TVF / Ford diesel owners have feelings too and they get hurt just like yours. 

 

Lol.

[lostinisaan]

7 minutes ago, Anythingleft? said:

Please stop encouraging him to continue this, this level of ineptitude seems to be common to the Ford owners on TV

 

 We have an old saying in Germany. Go on a vacation with a Ford and come back by train. No offense. . 

[transam]

12 minutes ago, lostinisaan said:

 

  And it keeps your water pump  alive and and and.....

 

 

   P.S. Trans, I never had a problem when I opened it when the engine was hot. 

On most rides the cap has printed on it.."Do not remove when hot"....This is because the tank may be pressurised, if it is the cap ill go into orbit and one may be scolded by hot pressurised water...My Vigo is one with the warning...

[ClutchClark]

9 minutes ago, thequietman said:

Thanks. If this is something easy then I would like to do it myself. Not the money, I would just like to learn to do it myself. 

 

There are some tricks involved and a mechanic knows to look for a few things such as air trapped in the system and how to bleed it and they can also do an inspection of hoses and such. 

 

I hate to sound like a spoil-sport but if you don't know anyone with previous experience to walk you through it then I would probably suggest a shop perform this. Its a simple procedure for them but not necessarily for a first timer.

 

cost should not be too bad but Transam or a one of the other guys in Thailand would know the details. I moved back to the States...but I caught this TVF habit and can't kick it.

[lostinisaan]

7 minutes ago, transam said:

On most rides the cap has printed on it.."Do not remove when hot"....This is because the tank may be pressurised, if it is the cap ill go into orbit and one may be scolded by hot pressurised water...My Vigo is one with the warning...

 

 Mitsubishi is a little different and i was not talking about the radiator cap. There's never really pressure on it, maybe with a blown head gasket?

 

     Hope you're doing well, mate. Holiday starts Tuesday......talk soon? 

[Anythingleft?]

5 hours ago, thequietman said:

My radiator topped up but there is a plastic box next to it with a pipe going in from the radiator and then a small pipe for out, that allows liquid to just fall down onto the ground.

 

The plastic box says coolant and is empty and had low, high levels marked on.  Should there be something in this, ie coolant or is the radiator full sufficient?

 

I am not an engine guy, so go easy on me if i am supposed to keep this topped up.

 

Thanks for any advice.

1. check radiator when cold by removing cap counter clockwise, if empty add normal water (as you do not have coolant mixture at your house) if full replace cap clockwise rotation (not too tight)

2. fill expansion tank (little clear plastic tank) with hose connected to radiator until half full with normal water (as mentioned you have no coolant at your house)

3. check around and underneath vehicle for water leaks - any leaks do not start engine until fixed - no leaks start engine and allow engine to warm up

4. engine is warm, check level of expansion tank (should be half full to upper level mark)

 

If only water added was to the expansion tank then do not worry about the dilution of the coolant mixture, the small amount added will not affect the engine on the other hand if you added water to both the radiator and the expansion tank then take the vehicle to a garage to have it looked at as you may have an internal leak (which is bad)

 

If you wish to change the coolant (although at this point I would heartily not recommend it) then make sure you have somebody there that can drive you to a garage (in a different vehicle) when the procedure goes wrong to take you to the pub

 

[Strange]

2 minutes ago, lostinisaan said:

 

 Mitsubishi is a little different and i was not talking about the radiator cap. There's never really pressure on it, maybe with a blown head gasket?

 

     Hope you're doing well, mate. Holiday starts Tuesday......talk soon? 

There would definitely be pressure if the vent clogged from age or whatever but not like a hot radiator that immediately lost pressure causing the coolant to immediately boil. 

 

 

[Strange]

Op your truck is completely fine to drive, and you can top up the expansion tank with water. 

 

Drive that sucker to any b-quick or whatever and tell them what you want. Its not even worth getting dirty over, and that ethylene glycol is straight-up poison. Its sweet and animals love it, and its a killer, its not something you want to dump outside or in a drain. 

 

Just take it in and have them change the coolant and I'm sure they will let you watch. Takes like 15 minutes. 

[ClutchClark]

7 minutes ago, Anythingleft? said:

1. check radiator when cold by removing cap counter clockwise, if empty add normal water (as you do not have coolant mixture at your house) if full replace cap clockwise rotation (not too tight)

 

If only driving for a few days until OP gets the coolant drained & filled then I probably would not even add water since the OP can still see some coolant in the reservoir.

 

Unless its distilled or de-ionized then its just introducing bad stuff. (Thats a technical term used amongst automotive professionals.)

[thequietman]

1 minute ago, ClutchClark said:

 

If only driving for a few days until OP gets the coolant drained & filled then I probably would not even add water since the OP can still see some coolant in the reservoir.

 

Unless its distilled or de-ionized then its just introducing bad stuff. (Thats a technical term used amongst automotive professionals.)

I have distilled water but yes, I will wait until I go into town. The coolant is slightly above the 'Low' marker, so should be fine.  There's a Tyre-Plus in town. I assume they can flush the radiator for me. If it only takes 15 minutes to perform, it can't be that expensive. 

[cornishcarlos]

https://www.fordparts.com/Products/Chemicals-EngineProducts-Coolants.aspx

 

I have the same Ranger model and year.

Never needed to top up my expansion tank after 130,000km.

As long as the coolant is above the minimum level when cold (as stated in several replies) its fine.

 

If you want to change the coolant for new, just find out from Ford which coolant it needs to be replaced with. As you can see in the above link, there are quite a few different ones that are compatible with Ford motors.

[transam]

1 minute ago, thequietman said:

I have distilled water but yes, I will wait until I go into town. The coolant is slightly above the 'Low' marker, so should be fine.  There's a Tyre-Plus in town. I assume they can flush the radiator for me. If it only takes 15 minutes to perform, it can't be that expensive. 

Your engine is full of the stuff, not just the rad....But they will know how to drain the lot, don't worry. Remember, if it has never been changed the corrosion element of the fill could be useless. Your engine has alloy and cast iron stuff, it needs protection...B-Quik will sort it in no time..

[thequietman]

1 minute ago, cornishcarlos said:

https://www.fordparts.com/Products/Chemicals-EngineProducts-Coolants.aspx

 

I have the same Ranger model and year.

Never needed to top up my expansion tank after 130,000km.

As long as the coolant is above the minimum level when cold (as stated in several replies) its fine.

 

If you want to change the coolant for new, just find out from Ford which coolant it needs to be replaced with. As you can see in the above link, there are quite a few different ones that are compatible with Ford motors.

Yes, when cold, it is slightly  above the minimum marker. I just never noticed before.  I will now know to keep an eye on it. My truck has only done 88.000 km. I drive it slow also and it keeps a normal temp at all times. Thanks for this.

[Strange]

2 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

If only driving for a few days until OP gets the coolant drained & filled then I probably would not even add water since the OP can still see some coolant in the reservoir.

 

Unless its distilled or de-ionized then its just introducing bad stuff. (Thats a technical term used amongst automotive professionals.)

 

Bad stuff lol

 

Yeah if its cold right now and there is visible coolant in the expansion tank AND he has never checked it before, drive it. 

 

I was a diagnostic tech at ford for a while and an apprentice performance machinist. Its hard to convince people that its not gonna hurt anything to do something they don't recognize. 

Even if its non conventional "Coolant" (Long life, Dexcool, etc) and the manual says only add distilled etc, its not going to hurt anything to run straight water or add straight water to a non conventional system for a little while. Even in the dealership, we use garden hose water to test everything before adding the expense distilled/non conventional stuff.

The principals are the same, the manufacturers are trying appeal to regulations. There are some differences like a degas system, but for the most part its fine. 

 

[cornishcarlos]

10 minutes ago, thequietman said:

Yes, when cold, it is slightly  above the minimum marker. I just never noticed before.  I will now know to keep an eye on it. My truck has only done 88.000 km. I drive it slow also and it keeps a normal temp at all times. Thanks for this.

 

You can also add a "Re-vitalizer" which is supposed to replenish the anti-corrosion properties !!

Never used it, so can't comment but I'm sure Transam or Strange might know more about that sort of product...

[thequietman]

1 minute ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

You can also add a "Re-vitalizer" which is supposed to replenish the anti-corrosion properties !!

Never used it, so can't comment but I'm sure Transam or Strange might know more about that sort of product...

Re-vitalizer....................... sounds interesting. Maybe Transam can advise on this. I think I will just keep an eye on the coolant level for now and if I am passing a garage and its not expensive and doesn't take long, it couldn't hurt to drain the system and top it up again.

[ClutchClark]

2 minutes ago, Strange said:

 

Bad stuff lol

 

Yeah if its cold right now and there is visible coolant in the expansion tank AND he has never checked it before, drive it. 

 

I was a diagnostic tech at ford for a while and an apprentice performance machinist. Its hard to convince people that its not gonna hurt anything to do something they don't recognize. 

Even if its non conventional "Coolant" (Long life, Dexcool, etc) and the manual says only add distilled etc, its not going to hurt anything to run straight water or add straight water to a non conventional system for a little while. Even in the dealership, we use garden hose water to test everything before adding the expense distilled/non conventional stuff.

The principals are the same, the manufacturers are trying appeal to regulations. There are some differences like a degas system, but for the most part its fine. 

 

 

I agree that tap water from a spicket in the US can be run through a coolant system but I do not know about where the OP is located in Thailand and his tap water situation. 

 

Plus I don't know about Thai mechanics enough to trust they thorougly drsin the system so I figured there is a greater risk that old tsp water and its bad stuff will remain after a drain & fill. 

 

There are just too many unknowns for me to think its a better option than not until he can get to a shop. If he was overheating and had no visible coolant in the overflow tsnk (us Ford diesel guys call it a de-gas tank..Lol) then I would say to add water if he was driving it to town. 

[johnnywishbone]

Just had a 2012 mustang gt need USD$3000 cooling system redo.
Never ever buy another Ford.
My VW TDI @ 100,000 miles gets timing belt and water pump.
Plastic impellers in pump degrade.
"The folks who make Water Wetter claim straight water is a better heat transfer agent than 50/50 eth. glycol+water."


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thequietman]

4 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

I agree that tap water from a spicket in the US can be run through a coolant system but I do not know about where the OP is located in Thailand and his tap water situation. 

 

Plus I don't know about Thai mechanics enough to trust they thorougly drsin the system so I figured there is a greater risk that old tsp water and its bad stuff will remain after a drain & fill. 

 

There are just too many unknowns for me to think its a better option than not until he can get to a shop. If he was overheating and had no visible coolant in the overflow tsnk (us Ford diesel guys call it a de-gas tank..Lol) then I would say to add water if he was driving it to town. 

Never over heats and coolant just above 'Low' line.