Coolant Question

[Silver_Serpent]

So, I am changing my intercooler tank to the 3x capacity tank. I figured I will need some extra coolant to fill the tank up. I went to the local ford dealership to get a gallon of factory coolant. To my suprise, they do not have any pink coolant. The guys book says that my car (a 2012) takes orange coolant. After a few minutes, I bought the coolant and left.

Question: Is it OK to mix the factory pink coolant with the orange coolant I just bought from ford (which is now apparently spec'd for a 2012 GT500)?

 

[dirtyo2000]

Dont see why it would matter. The so called orange is just dexa cool with is basically a GM specific coolant. Never really compared the freezing points to see if there was a difference. Just there to stop the freezing effect in cold weather. Only thing mixing the colors does is make cool colors in see through reservoirs

 

[Silver_Serpent]

Yea ... I feel kind of silly for putting the Dexa cool back on the shelf at autozone to go to Ford and give the $25 for the same stuff, just in a different bottle.

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

Question: Is it OK to mix the factory pink coolant with the orange coolant I just bought from ford (which is now apparently spec'd for a 2012 GT500)?

No it is not ok to mix Ford Orange with Bittering Agent and Ford Premium Gold.

Top it off with some distilled water. Should be fine.

 

[Catmonkey]

I think they're compatible based on research I did a while back. It would be a problem to mix either with the green antifreeze Ford used a few years back. I used an aftermarket Dex-cool equivalent to replace the orange in my 2012. If you replace all the coolant in the system, it doesn't matter what you use. The problem comes in if you mix incompatible types. I would look at the coolant specs in your owners manual and see if those specs agree to the orange type you just purchased. The orange looks pink in the reservoir.

 

[Silver_Serpent]

Is it even possible to buy the pink coolant anymore?? The guy at ford looked at me funny when I asked for it, and their chart didnt even show an option for pink coolant.

 

[phinhead34]

I filled mine with distilled water.

 

[Crushinator]

That's strange. My '12 had orange from the factory so I just topped it off with more. My buddies '09 has the pink. I honestly thought all the '11 and '12's came with orange.

Simple solution to your dilemma SS. Drain it all out and fill it with orange. Very easy to do.

 

[Silver_Serpent]

I may just do that. Crushinator, how much did coolant mix did it take to fill your 2012? That is very interesting that there are different factory fills for the same year.

 

[6-Speed]

The color of the coolant doesn't really matter as long as it's the right chemistry. I believe the pink factory fill coolant is just Dexcool. The Ford service equivalent has an orange color to it so you should be good.

 

[bFoxGt500]

I go along with the Distilled water guys. The ratio of coolant-to-water is related to freezing point depression and boiling point elevation. In Louisiana you need much less coolant than those in Michigan. Water is a better heat transfer fluid than glycol/water mixtures. I'd top it off with distilled water and since you aren't flushing the entire system, you will still have coolant.
Me? - I will be flushing my IC and engine coolant this weekend and replacing with distilled water w/ water wetter. I will add 'some' coolant - I've heard 20% from a couple sources and is probably what I'll do.