Okay
So here’s my next recommendation . . .
Buy aftermarket 50/50 coolant which meets that Motorcraft green ESE-597B44-A spec
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If there’s a Walmart nearby, they sell an antifreeze that meets the Ford
spec.
Tester
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So it doesn’t matter that the Zerex American Vehicle is an OAT orange, whereas the the Motorcraft the dealership will use is an IAT green?
My bad.
Wrong stuff.
O’Rielly has the right stuff if there’s one nearby.
Tester
Do NOT use the orange coolant . . . that’s not the correct type for your vehicle
That’s definitely what I thought.
My next question is: if my car calls for Motorcraft Premium green (an IAT), I am noticing a lot of retail sites show a number of greens that are supposed to be compatible with my car that are actually OATs.
Some of these are called “conventional green.”
And I think these conventional greens are ethylene glycol based, like the Motorcraft Premium; however, as far as I can tell, so far all of these conventional greens are OATs.
At least one of these green OATs reports on the label to meet Ford’s ESE M97544-a spec.
Is it okay to use a conventional green OAT, instead of a green IAT, as long as I do not mix the OAT and IAT together, or is it safe to mix an OAT and IAT, as long as they are both greens?
I don’t know who you are talking to at the dealer, most likely a service advisor who knows almost nothing. There probably is a service bulletin updating the coolant recommendation that the person you are talking to is not aware of and too laze or to busy to go look it up.
You owners manual has a customer service number. Call that number and ask the CSR if there is a service bulletin that updates the coolant recommendation. I would still recommend the coolant listed for 2003.
Buy the concentrate product from the dealer, then mix up a diluted version in a labeled plastic bottle.
I’m pretty much done with this one. It’s like talking oil brands. I’m just saying from years of using the concentrate and annual changes, you drain the radiator, calculate how much coolant to add, and end up not being able to get all of it back in again. Even after using the upper radiator hose for filling. I suppose it’s because there is still coolant left in the engine. Of course now it is just topping up a cup or two a year so everything I have is pre mixed.
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I appreciate all your input bing.
So I fine-tooth combed my owner’s manual to read every statement re: antifreeze/coolant
In several places, the manual says use/add Ford Premium Engine Coolant and provides a product #/spec that leads me to the Motorcraft Premium Engine Coolant green.
The coolant reservoir also says “green OK.”
Yet, in one place, the manual states that the vehicle came factory-filled with Ford G05 Gold.
My instinct tells me it would be good to stick with the factory-filled type of coolant.
But I also figure, as long as I flush prior to filling, then I’m good with either coolant specified in the manual?
And yet a major retailer website states that the Motorcraft Gold is NOT a fit for my vehicle, even though the Motorcraft Gold meets the spec in my car’s manual.
I never knew coolant was so complicated.
lol … You have a 2001. If you want simpler coolant choices, think 1971.
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There was a time when you just chose between prestone, zerox, or the no label brand.
I hate to mess up your day again, but G-05 is phosphate free. Phosphate is great at keeping your coolant system clean, but it is slightly abrasive. Vehicles with all aluminum engines usually want to avoid the phosphates.
Your engine has an iron block and aluminum heads so it can withstand the phosphates pretty well. Iron block/aluminum head engines have been using phosphates for several decades with no ill affects. The green stuff has phosphates in it.
I know I’m not helping here, adding more stuff to consider. All I can say is pick the coolant that will give you the best nights sleep and change it per the recommended interval. That would be 30k for the green, 50k for the yellow. Basically the green and yellow will perform exactly the same for the first 30k miles, it just that the green will need to be changed at that time where the yellow can go on for another 20k.
You really can’t go wrong here as long as you stick to the schedule.
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Here’s a final thank you to everyone who took a moment out of their day to help me get back on track with my Grand Marquis.
I went with a chemical-free flush & fill with Motorcraft green at the Ford place, and I’ll service again in 30,000 miles.
I took a little piece from just about every post in this thread.
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For some reason, according to my service writer at the Ford dealership I patronize, doing the coolant and transmission service at the same time cost less than performing them at different times.
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Thank you for getting back to us. It’s nice to get feedback. You made a good choice as long as you remember to get it serviced 3 years/30k from now.
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