Coolant life?

[ModernSVO]

My s550 is almost 5 years old, but only 14 thousand miles. Should I flush and replace the factory installed coolant, because of age?

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[Paddles]

My s550 is almost 5 years old, but only 14 thousand miles. Should I flush and replace the factory installed coolant, because of age?

I'm going to guess your coolant is fine.

The owner's manual says you should check coolant strength and level at every oil change or every six months.

Additionally the maintenance schedule calls for a coolant change at 200,000 miles.

At five years old I would consider inspecting/replacing the expansion tank cap.

 

[ORRadtech]

According to the owners manual coolant should be changed at 100k miles. There is no mention of a time limit/frame.
You can always get a hydrometer and verify the coolant is of the proper condition/strength.

 

[Paddles]

According to the owners manual coolant should be changed at 100k miles. There is no mention of a time limit/frame.
You can always get a hydrometer and verify the coolant is of the proper condition/strength.

100k makes way more sense

 

[ORRadtech]

100k makes way more sense

I'm curious what year the manual you posted is from? The one I posted is from my '18.
200k seems long. I wonder why the discrepancy?

 

[TrueBlue22]

I have always follwed the 5 years or 60,000miles rule (which ever comes first) for coolant on my 2011 5.0L. But admittedly, my goal with that car is long-term preservation of what amounts to a family heirloom, so I’m willing to undertake some maintenance periods that can look ridiculous. Case in point: last coolant flush and fill in 2020 at 100,353 miles. Next will be this year because I need to replace the coolant hoses and water pump (preemptive maintenance before something bites me). Vehicle is at 107,300 miles. So yeah - 7000mi on the coolant, but five years old, and the vehicle was in off-season storage for perhaps 2.5 years of that time.

Storing and maintaining an infrequently driven seasonal car is actually a pain in the butt!!!

 

[Skye]

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...-Owners-Manual-version-2_om_EN-US_12_2019.pdf

Attached is the reference from the 2020 manual. In it, the requirement is 10 years, 200,000 mi/322,000 km, whichever occurs first. Then, it's every 5 years or 100,000 miles afterwards. See footnote 3.

I'm also posting a link to the ford fluids page, which lists the type of coolant to be used. This page is updated from time to time.

https://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/resources/quickreferencecharts

 

[ModernSVO]

I just don't want it to do what dexacol did and turn to jelly.

 

[Zathras]

The manual on my 2018 shows to change coolant after six years or 100,000 miles. It's footnote #2 in the picture posted above by ORRadtech.

FWIW, the '18 came with the Orange coolant. Other years may have different maintenance needs.

 

[Decosse]

I have my coolant changed every 5 years. We use the Special Operating Conditions schedule, though. I live in the southwest desert, and blowing dust is fairly common, and 100+ F. temperatures are daily from June to early October. Last year we had a lot of 110+ and one 122 F. So we are very attentive to cooling system maintenance, batteries, and tires.

 

[ORRadtech]

The manual on my 2018 shows to change coolant after six years or 100,000 miles. It's footnote #2 in the picture posted above by ORRadtech.

FWIW, the '18 came with the Orange coolant. Other years may have different maintenance needs.

Good catch on the 6 years. I totally missed it.
You can't buy the orange coolant any longer. At least not from Ford. They now spec the yellow flavor. Yellow is backwards compatible and can mix with the orange without consequences.

 

[mookieit]

I heard it is a good practice to half the recommended maintenance schedule from manufacturers.

I just did my second flush in 10 years at 130K miles.

 

[Cobra Jet]

We also have this stickied thread in the Maintenance/Service sub-section and the link Skye referenced is within it too:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/ford-motorcraft-coolant-spec-info.139849/

 

[Garfy]

I just don't want it to do what dexacol did and turn to jelly.

Well, Dexcool is the worst "long-life" coolant I've ever seen. I remember seeing 2-year-old GMs coming in and when you opened the radiator cap, it had all this orange colored goop and crap on the cap and around the filler neck as well as in the tank area.

I bought some coolant test strips which will test the boiling/freeze protection and reserve alkalinity (pH) of the coolant. I haven't replaced my coolant yet either (I've got about half your mileage) and it's still testing good and looking good as well, none of that Dexcool syndrome.

 

[Sean22]

I have my coolant changed every 5 years. We use the Special Operating Conditions schedule, though. I live in the southwest desert, and blowing dust is fairly common, and 100+ F. temperatures are daily from June to early October. Last year we had a lot of 110+ and one 122 F. So we are very attentive to cooling system maintenance, batteries, and tires.

Being in such high temperatures I'm curious as to how the AC holds up for you. Any issues?

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