My 09 ranger was way overdue for a coolant flush. Manual says it takes motorcraft gold. I'm not on speaking terms with my local dealer so I wasn't going to them to buy coolant. I picked up Zerex G05 which after much research I was told was 100% compatible with motorcraft gold.

Now... the zerex g05 is gold, like **** colored yellow. The stuff that was in my reservoir was orange like Gatorade. I have never changed the coolant before as far as I know no one else has either.

so... question one, is the original motorcraft stuff just a different color from the g05 stuff?
question two, I was able to change out a little over 2 gallons and the manual says it holds 2.55 gallons. How bad would it be if that last bit of coolant WAS different from the g05 I just filled it with. I know mixing is bad but to what degree? I didn't do a full flush, just a drain and fill but flushed the tank and radiator with the hose (i.e. never ran the motor on straight water).

I still have another gallon of g05 concentrate so I can make another 2 gallons to do a second drain and fill. Worth it or just run it?

 

There are 3 kinds of coolant, and color is not standardized, but mostly it is, so look at the label to be sure of what you have
Silicate based, green , 2 year life
Organic acid based(OAT), red, 5 year life
Hybrid organic acid based(HOAT), gold, 5 year life, but Lifetime claim, and thats 8 years to car makers, so more than a hamster but less than a big dog, lol

HOAT is the most recent and can be used to replace straight silicate or OAT, it will mix with either because it is a combination of both, Zerex G05 is HOAT, so good choice.

No, it won't hurt anything to have older coolant left in the system when using HOAT coolant.

Silicate and OAT can't mix, so needs a complete flush to switch types, i.e. drain old coolant refill with water, distilled if possible, run for a few days and repeat, refill with water, after second time drain and refill with your choice, silicate or OAT.

I generally run silicate based when vehicle hits 20+ years old, its less expensive and I am pretty sure I will be draining coolant within the 2 year life span for repairs, lol, so..........why spend the extra money on coolant I will probably be losing in a year or two

 

Thanks again Ron. Put my mind at ease. My coolant was super clean even with how old it was which is why I was lazy and didnt do a proper flush. Like I said I still have another 2 gallons so I think ill just drive a couple thousand miles and drain and fill it again as a "why the hell not" measure of maintenance.