Coolant Condition Check

1. Allow engine to cool and remove radiator cap.

WARNING: NEVER REMOVE THE RADIATOR CAP UNDER ANY CONDITIONS WHILE THE ENGINE IS OPERATING. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE TO THE COOLING SYSTEM OR ENGINE AND/OR PERSONAL INJURY. TO AVOID HAVING SCALDING HOT COOLANT OR STEAM BLOW OUT OF THE RADIATOR, USE EXTREME CARE WHEN REMOVING THE CAP FROM A HOT RADIATOR. WAIT UNTIL THE ENGINE HAS COOLED, THEN WRAP A THICK CLOTH AROUND THE RADIATOR PRESSURE CAP AND TURN IT SLOWLY TO THE FIRST STOP. STEP BACK WHILE THE PRESSURE IS RELEASED FROM THE COOLING SYSTEM. WHEN IT IS CERTAIN ALL THE PRESSURE HAS BEEN RELEASED, PRESS DOWN ON THE CAP (STILL WITH A CLOTH), TURN AND REMOVE.

NOTE: It is not sufficient to inspect only the coolant in the radiator coolant recovery reservoir. The coolant in the reservoir may not be representative of the coolant in the rest of the system. For the reservoir coolant to be representative of the system coolant, the engine must have been operated long enough and gotten hot enough for an extensive exchange of coolant between the radiator and the reservoir since the last time coolant was added to the reservoir.

2. Inspect coolant in both radiator and radiator coolant recovery reservoir. Coolant should be a clear green or blue color (depending on brand of antifreeze used).
^ Clear coolant or coolant only a very light green or blue indicates that there is only water or a very weak antifreeze mixture in the system. Advise the owner of the need for the correct 50/50 ethylene glycol and water mixture.
^ A very muddy brown color indicates an unauthorized brand of stopleak has been used. This may eventually plug the system, causing overheating. Advise the owner that the best course would be to drain the system and repair the original concern, flush the system, and refill with correct 50/50 ethylene glycol and water mixture and, if necessary, add Cooling System Stop Leak Powder E6AZ-19558-A or equivalent meeting specification ESE-M99B170-A.

Make clear to the customer that any stopleak material is not a satisfactory repair for a serious cooling system concern such as a leaking water pump, gasket, or radiator.
^ A reddish brown color indicates rust in the cooling system. Advise the customer that the best course would be to flush the cooling system and refill with the correct 50/50 ethylene glycol and water mixture. Ford Premium Cooling System Fluid E2FZ-19549-AA or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESE-M97B44-A contains corrosion inhibitors.
^ An iridescent sheen on the top of the coolant indicates a small amount of oil entering the coolant. This is common in high-mileage vehicles.

3. Check the engine oil to see if any coolant is entering the engine oil, as indicated by drops of coolant visible in the oil or a milky appearance to the oil.

If the oil checks out OK, inform the customer that while not an immediate problem, the situation should be closely monitored during routine maintenance.

CAUTION: If there is coolant in the engine oil, the cause must be corrected and the oil changed or engine damage will occur.

4. If the coolant is a milky brown color, (like coffee with heavy cream) engine oil is entering the coolant.

The most probable cause is the head gasket leaking around the oil passageway to the cylinder head. It will be necessary to remove the cylinder head, inspect for the problem, and replace the head gasket. If the head gasket checks out OK, then a crack between an engine oil gallery and the cooling passageways could be the cause. Inspect the cylinder block and cylinder heads.

CAUTION: Severe oil leakage to the engine coolant, as indicated by a milky appearance to the coolant, must be corrected or severe engine damage will occur.

5. A reddish milky appearance to the coolant indicates that transmission fluid is leaking into the coolant, indicating a leaking automatic . transmission fluid cooler.
6. Check transmission fluid to make sure coolant has not entered transmission fluid as indicated by a milky appearance to the transmission fluid on the transmission fluid level indicator. If it has, it will be necessary to flush transmission and replace filter.

CAUTION: If coolant is found to be entering -the transmission fluid, the cause must be corrected or transmission damage will occur.

7. Replace radiator and auxiliary transmission fluid cooler (if installed), flush cooling system, refill transmission with fluid specified and refill cooling system with correct 50/50 ethylene glycol and water mixture.

^ If chunks of rust are visible in the inlet tank, flush the cooling system.
^ If there is puffy white corrosion around the tubes where they are attached to the core headers, flush the coolant system. If there is corrosion on aluminum radiator parts, there is going to be corrosion on aluminum engine parts that come in contact with coolant.

In severe cases it will be necessary to replace the radiator.

Advise the owner of the importance of using the proper 50/50 mixture of water and Ford Premium Cooling System Fluid E2FZ-19549-AA or equivalent meeting specification ESE-M97B44-A, which contains corrosion inhibitors.

8. If the appearance of the coolant is OK, use a hand held refractometer, such as Rotunda Battery and Antifreeze Tester 014-R1060 or equivalent to verify proper coolant concentration. The range is minimum 45/55, maximum 60/40.
9. If the cooling system is found to be low on coolant, top off only from a premixed solution.
10. If a weak concentration is found, add straight coolant sparingly until concentration readings are within acceptable levels.
11. If too strong a concentration is found, remove a small volume of coolant, and add water sparingly until coolant readings again fall within the specified levels.
12. Recheck coolant concentration to make sure the coolant has been brought into the proper concentration.

NOTE: Make sure coolant is thoroughly mixed before taking readings.