Coolant mk III

[DradusContact]

Ok, finally back online and i can report my progress. Swapped the coolant over the weekend and what a pain of a job it was. Draining the coolant is easy, there is a small plastic screw at the bottom of the radiator, unscrew it and it all pours out. So i flushed it with cold water, then run my coolant cleaning stuff. My dad, a veteran of the car trade, claimed he had never heard of using stuff, and mocked me greatly during this period. Flushed it again, then i was done. Or was i?

According to the handbook the system takes six litres, so me, being the bright spark, added 3 litres of water, with the intention of then adding 3 litres of collant. Only problem was it was full after the three. I ran it for a few minutes and the level went down a tad, but not much. So emptied it again, this time added two litres of water and one of collant so 3 in total. In retrospect i should of run the engine with the heater on full, but i never thought. I drove home with the three litres in, and during one period when i floored in the temp needled flickered and went very close to overheating, but then settled down. I added another litre of collant to bring it up to max, and since then it seems fine.

I had an hour and a half drive on twisty lanes that afternoon down to telford, and it never missed a beat, so all seems well.

On another note i had 3 beemers aggressivly overtake me (and just about everyone else in sight) when i was doing 60 down a wet lane, i shudder to think how fast they were going.

 

[Dal]

So you think you have 4 litres in it when the manual says 6? Keep an eye on your levels and temperature as you may still have an air lock somewhere.

Glad to hear you managed it though. I know who to ask when / if I want to do mine

 

[DradusContact]

Yes, but i think there was another 2 litres or so in the heating bit, as i never had that running when i did it. The fool i was! Could be an airlock though.

 

[red]

Good work. As you say probably the heating system.

 

[YOG]

This could probably help people in the future:

The different colours of Ford Coolant/Antifreeze should not be mixed. If you are changing the colour, then the old product should be flushed out with water. Generally, flushing agents should not be used in old/high mileage engines, as they can loosen deposits and cause more problems.

The latest Coolant/Antifreeze recommended by Ford is:
Ford Purple Super Plus (this will show as "Pink" in the reservoir when diluted).
5 litres, Finis code 1336808, approx, £12.87 + VAT - Jan '08.
1 litre, Finis code 1336799, £4.28 (list) + VAT - Jan '08.

Coolant capacity (including heater) is 6 litres. Mix should be 50%/50%.
If just checking the strength, the minimum specific gravity @ 15C is 1.061 (40%). Try and stick to the 50%/50%, as the coolant has lubricating and anti-corrosion properties.

Flushing with Cold Water:
If you only undo the radiator drain "tap" (left-hand side, rear, just up from bottom of radiator), you will mainly drain the radiator, not all of the engine block and heating system.

Flushing the system with cold water through a hose will remove more coolant, but will not be fully successful unless you remove the thermostat first (which will be closed) to allow full circulation and flush the heater matrix.

After removing the thermostat and replacing the cover etc, you can flush the system.
Ensure the system is cold and the Heater Control Dial is set to "MAX".

Unscrew the expansion tank pressure cap and loosen the radiator drain tap.

Insert a running hose into the expansion tank.
Try and keep the water level near top of the expansion tank. If the expansion tank starts to overflow, move the hose away from the car until the level reduces. If the level drops, increase the flow (It helps to have an assistant to control the water flow!).

When the outlet flow is clear, remove the hose and tighten the drain tap when flow ceases.

Things to remember:
Always pour 3 litres of Coolant/Antifreeze in first, as you won't get 3 litres of water in after it, due to residual water in the engine block/heater pipes/matrix.
Do not premix 6 litres @ 50%/50%, as again, it won't all go in, due to the residual water in engine block/heater pipes/matrix.
Top up with water to "MAX" level.
Run engine to thoroughly mix the coolant/antifreeze and water, check for leaks. Top up if required.

Some people recommend using de-ionised water, but in practice, how do you remove the residual water, unless you were flushing with de-ionised?
Of course, you could use de-ionised for the remaining volume, after putting in the coolant/antifreeze.


Flushing with Hot Water (thermostat can be left in situ):
I flushed my engine/radiator system by warming up the engine (ensuring the heater controls are set to maximum), switched off and left it a few minutes for the pressure to reduce.
Then, I carefully and slowly unscrewed the pressure cap to remove any residual pressure, whilst keeping it covered with a large cloth . Once this was done, I loosened the radiator drain tap, inserted a running hose into the expansion tank and started the engine. The hose had been previously connected to the hot tap and the boiler temperature was turned to maximum. Make sure the hose water is up to maximum temperature flow before opening the drain tap.

Using hot water, not too fast drainage from the radiator and the engine running, will ensure the water temperature stays hot enough to keep the thermostat open and give full circulation. Try and keep the water level near the top of the expansion tank. If the expansion tank starts to overflow, move the hose away from the car until the level reduces and if the level drops, increase the flow (It helps to have an assistant to control the water flow!). It can help the circulation if you gently rev the engine occasionally. When the outlet flow is clear, switch off the engine, remove the hose and allow to drain. Wait until the engine block has cooled/is cold before filling with the cold coolant and water. Don't forget to close the drain tap first!
Oh, and don't forget to reduce the boiler temperature when finished!

Things to remember:
Always pour the 3 litres of Coolant/Antifreeze in first, as you won't get 3 litres of water (de-ionised) in after it, due to residual water in the engine block/heater pipes/matrix.
Do not premix 6 litres @ 50%/50%, as again, it won't all go in, due to residual water in the engine block/heater pipes/matrix.
Run the engine to thoroughly mix the water and coolant and check for leaks.
Some people recommend using de-ionised water, but in practice, how do you remove the residual water, unless you were flushing with de-ionised?
Of course, you could use de-ionised for the remaining volume, after putting in the coolant/antifreeze.

 

[Dal]

Excellent advice Rick k:

 

[jacko]

takes a few months of topping up to get rid of all the air locks in a puma....

 

[red]

Nice explanation

 

[rboteler]

Do you have to flush the system with warm water?

I cant easiy conect a hose to a hot tap.

 

[YOG]

The hot water keeps the thermostat open for full flow around the engine, radiator and heater.
If you use cold water, you should remove the thermostat and refit the housing before flushing, so that you get the full flow around the system. If you do it this way, for the price, you may as well fit a new thermostat.
You should also not have the engine running, as you don't want cold water circulating in a hot engine. Because of this, you will loose the circulating power of the water pump.
For me, it was easier to use hot water, as I have hot as well as cold water connected to my outside tap. Handy for filling the grandchildren's pool and in the cold weather I can adjust the cold and hot for warm water when washing the Puma (I've always been kind to animals and grandchildren!).