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Full Version: How Do You Make Your Coolant Mix?
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As I was getting ready to add more coolant to the Focus ($25 later for a 4L jug of Ford's pee coloured stuff :ph34r: ) it struck me as how to make sure I added the coolant in the 50/50 ratio with the distilled water that Ford recommends.

I hit upon a really simple solution for myself, I wondered what others did.

I used a cup that had ridges on the inside and added coolant and then water to the recovery tank using the ridges inside to measure how much of each substance I was adding to the tank (Now I just have to remember to never use that cup fotr anything else ever again :puke:)

NefCanuck
or you could of just get a container, pour one glass antifreeze and one glass water until you get to the desired level

i usually just get an empty windsheild washer fluid container. pour half antifreeze and half water in there and label it 50/50 mixture. so its ready when i need to top up
mo_focus,Oct 17 2006, 01:00 PM Wrote:or you could of just get a container, pour one glass antifreeze and one glass water until you get to the desired level

i usually just get an empty windsheild washer fluid container. pour half antifreeze and half water in there and label it 50/50 mixture. so its ready when i need to top up
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Yeah, that's the method I would have used except I recycled my empty plastic closed containers eons ago (I'm such a recycling nerd I only put out one bag of unrecycleable garbage maybe once a month and I go to the hazardous waste depot with dead flourescent bulbs :rolleyes: )

NefCanuck
wow, that is good.

Our area just started the garbage/recycling reductions as well. We used to have 4 limit and not its down to 3 bags limit.

I dont even know how ppl can produce 4 bags of garbage, Kelly and I recycle as well. We have a bag of garbage every two weeks, but recycling gets pretty full every week.

Its nice to see other ppl here actualy care about the future and recycling.
mo_focus,Oct 17 2006, 05:46 PM Wrote:wow, that is good.

Our area just started the garbage/recycling reductions as well. We used to have 4 limit and not its down to 3 bags limit.

I dont even know how ppl can produce 4 bags of garbage, Kelly and I recycle as well. We have a bag of garbage every two weeks, but recycling gets pretty full every week.

Its nice to see other ppl here actualy care about the future and recycling.
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It's really easy when you're a single guy who's cooking skills are only barely above "non-lethal" :lol:

Measured how much coolant I added to take it to just above the MAX line (It had been just above MIN) only 500ml seperates the two readings on the recovery tank :huh:

Geez, I drink more than that in te morning as my caffiene boost :lol:

NefCanuck
do any of you just buy premixed? I do
^^^me too!
LoL I know all about this. After I flushed my Coolant and re-installed my transmission (myself) I decided I would top up the coolant (did the proper 50/50 Mix) and drive to Niagra Falls to go to the Casino have some fun, and get some milage on my newly installed clutch. Well wasnt I wrong, I came out of the casino a few hours later only to find this massive puddle of coolant under my car. Now im thinking wtf I'm stuck here/screwed.

So I poped the hood, there was still coolant in the reservoir, so I took a chance. Fired her up and made a Cannon Ball run back to burlington, when I pulled in the driveway and shut her down there was NOTHING I mean NOTHING no coolant or anything left in the reservoir. The next day I decided to test it out, so I filled it back up with new coolant again and let the car run. Well It wasnt leaking until the thermostat opened.

So I knew the leak had to be around the thermostat. After shutting the car down and pulling a few suspected hoses I found the hose that had a crack in it. It was so hard to see it, but it was definitly cracked. Just to make sure it was that hose I took it inside and filled it with water and sure enough it was leaking. So $15 and a day later I had my new rubber hose installed and running on the car.

Overall I probably went through about 3 Ford Jugs of coolant @ about $30 a piece. So I guess you could consider me a coolant flush/fill expert on the focus by now :lol:
PerfectSaiyan,Nov 15 2006, 02:30 AM Wrote:do any of you just buy premixed?  I do
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I certainly would have, except I have the Ford gold "long life" coolant and that isn't available as a premix and I'm loathe to start mixing fludis esp. when I'm still under the basic warranty, NVM the extended one I paid for :D

NefCanuck
ah I see.

I was thinking of purchasing that gold stuff when I flush it out soon (at my next oil change) Ive heard that it never corodes and is the best you can buy..

where do you buy it, straight from a ford dealer?

in my PWSC IC Res, im just using premixed with some water wetter
PerfectSaiyan,Nov 16 2006, 03:37 PM Wrote:ah I see.

I was thinking of purchasing that gold stuff when I flush it out soon (at my next oil change)  Ive heard that it never corodes and is the best you can buy..

where do you buy it, straight from a ford dealer?

in my PWSC IC Res, im just using premixed with some water wetter
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IIRC it was $26 after taxes, but you'd only need one jug to fill the Focus cooling system and have some left over. Funny thing is, after I added the extra coolant my level hasn't dropped at all from where I filled it to.

Weird, maybe they shorted coolant at the factory and added more water :huh:

NefCanuck
Wierd... I have NEVER had to fill up either of my focus, and my current one has 130K on it. Just did the flush at 100K and been otherwise maintenance free. Hurray for Gold fluid!