2001 Ford Taurus LX antifreeze - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

outlawstar223 · 04-13-2010, 16:29

Hello guys I was wondering if I could get your help. My parents just gave me a 2001 Ford Taurus LX they bought like a year ago. They really didnt drive it because they were out of the country. I looked over the car and everything seemed ok, but the only thing is that when I looked in the antifreeze compartment it had red/orange liquid. In the manual it says only use green. So what should I do? Should I take it somewhere and have them flush it ASAP, or should I just stick to the red/orange since its there already.

**Bert** · 04-13-2010, 17:37

The owners manual says green or premium cold colored. Find out if it's really coolant and not rusty.

outlawstar223 · 04-13-2010, 18:44

You are right , that is exactly what the manual says. That is what I get for jumping to conclusions. Do you know if there is any simple way to determine if it is rusty. I guess the issue now is what coolant do I purchase for it from now on.

**tbird100636** · 04-13-2010, 19:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by outlawstar223

You are right , that is exactly what the manual says. That is what I get for jumping to conclusions. Do you know if there is any simple way to determine if it is rusty. I guess the issue now is what coolant do I purchase for it from now on.

Rusty coolant will be dark pea green or brown, and look almost slimmey. A Taurus LX... that will be the 3.0L Vulcan. It does have a track record for the cooling systems getting gunked up if not changed as directed (3 years, 36,000-45,000 miles).

If it is actual red/orange coolant and not rusty coolant you still should flush it out and put green back in. Red/orange has a different additive package and can cause increased deposits in the system. Gold, although a long life coolant like red/orange has a more compatible additive package with green, so you can use gold, but make sure the old stuff is fully flushed out if you want the full 5 year interval, but... with the track record of the Vulcan cooling systems, you don't want to leave coolant in longer than 3 years.

Wether you are flushing a dirty system or a mis-filled system out, flush the heater core well!!! Make sure to flush forwards and most importantly backwards. These are the first things to clog when a Vulcan cooling system gets neglected and dirty.

SyracuseP71 · 04-13-2010, 20:07

Our Vulcan-powered 1999 Taurus came from the factory with red/orange coolant. Our previous car was a 100,000 mile interval for coolant change so we foolishly assumed the same for the Taurus. At 75,000 miles the cap exploded off of the plastic reservoir tank on the highway and showered the entire engine compartment with antifreeze. Fun times.

outlawstar223 · 04-14-2010, 08:30

tbird100636: You hit the head right on the nail, it look slimy and brown/red.

I guess my last question is, where can I go to get it flushed? My apartment building does not allow me to do that kind of work on site, and I dont think the city would want me doing it on public property.

P.S Thanks everyone that has replied this has probably been the nicest and most helpful board that I have ever been on.

**tbird100636** · 04-14-2010, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by SyracuseP71

Our Vulcan-powered 1999 Taurus came from the factory with red/orange coolant. Our previous car was a 100,000 mile interval for coolant change so we foolishly assumed the same for the Taurus. At 75,000 miles the cap exploded off of the plastic reservoir tank on the highway and showered the entire engine compartment with antifreeze. Fun times.

This was a misprint in the shop manual. It uses green. Have a 1999 Sable in the driveway since new and it used green coolant. (Was 2, both had green off the assembly line).

**360ci** · 04-16-2010, 21:05

My '99 SE had green coolant from the factory. Got a good deal at the dealer last year to change it out and do a flush in the process for $60 (Canadian dollars too I might add). I'd do it, but it's not worth the clean up time at that price.