Hey guys, Im wondering if there is a difference between green and orange goldish coolant? I went and bought some coolant and missplaced the receipt and when I openned it I realized it wasnt green.. I was all hyped that the stuff was good for 250 000 K's but Im now woried that I can't even use it..

It say that its compatible with ford wss-m9b44-d standard... I have a 2002 ranger with the 4.0

Im thinkin' i just wasted 40$ and I need to get me some green coolant but wanted to check first.

 

Yes, there is. These newer yellow and orange coolants have different ingredients and are designed to be "long drain".

However, some of the factory coolants are NOT mixable because of incompatible chemical ingredients.

Prestone, Xerex and others make "universal" long drain coolants that CAN be mixed (though it dilutes their properties) and if you have to top off something that you don't know exactly what it is, they are a good choice.

The stuff you bought SHOULD tell you whether it can be mixed with "traditional" green coolants.

Last, your owners manual has a section on fluids which will tell you what's compatible. It may even be on a sticker near the radiatior -- don't remember.

 

Thanks John, I looked up my owner's guide as you suggested and I guess I can use the yellow colored coolant as well. The only thing that im woried about is that the ford specification in the manual is wss-m97b51-a1 and the one on my coolant is wss-m9b44-d. Im not worried about mixing the coolant as I am flushing my radiator anyways and putting the new coolant in. I bought the formulla 1 coolant( I think its specific to canadian tire stores in canada) ..

 

I don't know much about those specs, Gilles, or the relationship between them -- so I can't tell you anything at all on that, lol.

The main thing with Fords like ours is a problem with galvanic corrosion that has a long history in Rangers, particularly in the heater core. Definitely use a "modern" coolant because they help eliminate that. Doing the "wrong" think for a little while probably won't cause any problem -- but again, I'm over my head here.

 

Cool, well I did alot of reading on this and came to the conclusion that I bought the "orange" coolant.. its not the yellow or green coolant that should be used in my ranger so i guess its back to the store to buy some green or yellow just to be on the safe side.

http://www.motorcraft.com/products.do?item=6

Other references if anyone interested:

http://www.motor.com/MAGAZINE/Articles/021999_17.html
http://www.motor.com/MAGAZINE/Articles/081999_11.html
http://www.motor.com/MAGAZINE/Articles/021999_17.html
http://www.motor.com/MAGAZINE/Articles/062003_11.htm
http://www.amalgatech.com/technical/compatibility.htm
http://www.motor.com/MAGAZINE/Articles/112003_04.html
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/ar...ic/166431.html
http://www.delanet.com/~pparish/antifreeze.htm

 

Thank you!

 

just dont use dex-cool for GMs that **** is garbage!

 

If you've got the green flush it completely and run the good gold stuff. But otherwise if you mix them it makes this peanut butter looking stuff in the radiator.

 

Traditional green antifreeze is an IAT (Inorganic Acid Technology) which uses inorganic salts of borate, phosphate and silicate to prevent rust and corrosion. Green coolant has corrosion and scale inhibitors that are very effective but only have a working life of about two years.

GM has been using orange Dex-Cool since the mid-90s. It is a long life OAT (Organic Acid Technology) coolant. OAT coolant has required that GM make some material changes in its cooling systems. Organic acid technology (OAT) is based primarily on organic acids which protect cooling system metal but are not as effective during boiling conditions and do not protect soldered radiator joints. For this reason OAT is not backward compatible to vehicles that were designed for traditional green coolant.

In the late 90s, Ford was running behind and needed to become competitive with GM's extended coolant service interval. Ford was slated to begin phasing in OAT coolant then but did an abrupt about-face when it began having some component failures with the OAT coolant in testing.

Finally, in 2002, Ford found what it was looking for in HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) coolant. HOAT coolant uses both organic and inorganic, carbon-based additives. Hybrids provide excellent all around corrosion protection along with the extended drain interval that is expected on modern cars and trucks. HOAT is color-coded yellow and should not be mixed with green IAT coolant or orange OAT coolant. HOAT can, however, replace green IAT after a radiator flush.

The additives in green IAT create an alkaline coolant. OAT and HOAT are acidic coolants. Acids and alkalis can be thought of as chemical opposites. Because they protect the coolant system through different chemistry, conventional and organic acid coolants are NOT compatible. When two different classes of fluid are mixed, the corrosion-inhibiting properties may be decreased lower than either of the two original types and the service life of the combined coolant may be reduced.

There are new, supposedly "universal" coolants on the market that can be mixed with any other coolant. Personally, I see no reason not to play it safe and keep the yellow, orange and green coolants separate.

 

Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks for the clarification, Bob.

 

the peanut butter thing comes form mixing ethylene (dog killer)and propylene(dog safe) glycol

IMO the ethylene taste better

 

well how do I do a coolant flush??? How much cartons do I need?

 

If you want a quick easy way to flush the coolant, pull the bottom radiator hose and put a garden hose in the top of the radiator and run water through until it's clear. Personally I put the hose back on and fill it with water and run the engine to operating temp and it gets everything else out of the block/water pump. Then you're set to drain it again and fill with whatever you want. If you want to run 50/50 mix just make sure to get one gallon of coolant and use good water for the other gallon or so. Just don't buy the peak antifreeze that is a dollar cheaper because if you read it it's already mixed 50/50 for you.

 

iight I'll do that this afternoon.....SO I should go w/ the golden color type?

 

I would. Or you can buy Prestone and it mixes with everything anyways.