Engine Coolant

Antifreeze is no longer a matter of just grabbing a jug at the auto parts stores.
To further complicate matters, I was given incorrect information at 2 different auto part stores.

I thought that I would share some information that I have found from hours of searching the web........so I am not an expert.....just passing along information.

Ethylene Glycol is still about 95% of the coolant content for the coolants that I list.
The additive package is what has changed......

My '96 3.8L windstar came from the factory with "traditional green" coolant.
This was the "high silicate" coolant.
The silicates provide "instant" corrosion protection.
The high silicate coolant, when left in the system for more than several years, will have the silicate settle out in a "glop" that can clog passages, or the silicate can form a sand like scale....that will sand blast things inside the cooling system.
The "traditional green" coolant is getting hard to locate.
You can still get the "traditional green" under the Motorcraft name at your dealership.
Many traditional green coolants contain a much lower level of silicates than they did years ago, reducing the problems of the settling of the silicates.

The "yellow jug" Prestone is no longer the traditional green.
It now says that it is compatible with all types of coolant.
From what I have read, the yellow jug Prestone has no silicates, which would make it like a "Dexcool" coolant.

Dexcool is a Organic Acid Technology (OAT) coolant, that has NO silicates.
It takes some period of time for a protective layer to coat exposed metal.
This is a long life product.
Right now, this is the coolant that is easiest to find......even hard to find a coolant that is NOT this type in many cases.
Many coolants are "Dexcool" technology, but do not say dexcool on the labeling. This is because they would have to pay GM to put the dexcool name on the label.

Newer FORD vehicles (you will have to check your owner's manual, or other reliable source for YOUR vehicle) come from the factory with a G-05 type of coolant.
This is the Motorcraft "Premium Gold" that you can buy from your dealership.
G-05 is a Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT), which contains a low level of silicates. The silicates provide some "instant" protection, until the other protective chemicals can build up their protective layer.
This is also a long life product.

Japanese car manufactures went with a phosphate in place of silicate for a HOAT technology.

More information on coolants can be found at the Zerex site.......
They do a good job of comparing the 3 types of coolant that I mention.
http://www.valvoline.com/zerex/

FORD still recommends the traditional green coolant for my '96.
I put the G-05 in, as it has some silicate, so I am closer to the FORD recommendation than the Dexcool / OAT coolant.
This was my choice based upon my reading, but IS different from the FORD recommendations.....

I am certain that MANY people are driving around with no clue of what coolant is in their vehicle.....or what should be in there.
This is understandable, as things have changed.
I was one of "those people" as I went in and grabbed my yellow jug of Prestone like I always did when I changed my coolant last year.
Not that there is anything wrong with the yellow jug of Prestone, I am still confident that it is a quality product.
But it is not what FORD says that I should have in there.

You can buy coolant in a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water, which is great for top off.

You can also buy it in the concentrated form, that you will mix to a 50/50 mix yourself with distilled water.
This is great for when you flush your coolant, as you will NOT be able to get all of the contents of your cooling system to drain out. I flush with distilled water, then drain as much as I can out, then add the concentrated, 100% coolant, in the amount of 1/2 of the total capacity of my cooling system (listed in your owner's manual). In other words, for a 12 quart total capacity system, I want to add 6 quarts of concentrated coolant. This way, I know that I have the correct amount of coolant and water for a 50/50 mix. It is OK to be a little higher than 50% coolant, but too much coolant is not good either. I think that most coolants tell you not to be over 70%. This is listed on the label of the coolant, as well as in your owner's manual.
Distilled water is needed as you do not want to have the mineral content that much non-distilled water has.