flymore Posted May 13, 2023 Report Share Posted May 13, 2023 Is the drain on the drivers side a 19mm plug? Planning just opening up, draining and filling with motorcraft pre-dilluted. Is this what others have done? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CARR142 Posted May 14, 2023 Report Share Posted May 14, 2023 Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flymore Posted May 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2023 Hello I've removed the filler cap and opened the drain valve, but the coolant is not draining out. Any suggestions? Thanks Picture uploads are not working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flymore Posted May 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2023 Sorry for the stupid questions, but I haven't done this before. How many turns of the drain vailve to the left do I need to make? Is it 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn? a full tuen? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flymore Posted May 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2023 It doesn't seem to turn past 1/4 turn and I'm afraid to break it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flymore Posted May 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2023 This is as far as it will turn to the left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handfiler Posted May 29, 2023 Report Share Posted May 29, 2023 It takes at least 1 turn to get it to start draining. You using just your fingers to turn it? Don't be afraid to use more force to break it loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruzr1 Posted May 29, 2023 Report Share Posted May 29, 2023 Perhaps after you make the turn the plug then just pulls out? I have seen some that removed this way but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted May 29, 2023 Report Share Posted May 29, 2023 A couple of weeks ago I changed my 2.7L over to the new Yellow coolant and cant recall how many turns the drain needed but it is definitely one or more - I recall it was tight to turn even after the initial breaking it free. I applied compressed air to the filler and it got more of the old coolant out, but unless you do a good few flushes the coolant in the expansion tank is going to have a mix of the old and new color - thank goodness the new Yellow is backward compatible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipster Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 (edited) On 5/29/2023 at 8:05 AM, 1004ron said: A couple of weeks ago I changed my 2.7L over to the new Yellow coolant and cant recall how many turns the drain needed but it is definitely one or more - I recall it was tight to turn even after the initial breaking it free. I applied compressed air to the filler and it got more of the old coolant out, but unless you do a good few flushes the coolant in the expansion tank is going to have a mix of the old and new color - thank goodness the new Yellow is backward compatible. This is a timely thread as I too will be changing my 3.5 over to the "new" Yellow. I wondered what was involved. I also was a bit concerned about how many "partial" cycles it would take to do a complete change over, then whether or not I should get a vacuum refill so all the air gets pulled out of the system. I also wondered about what motorcraft uses in the 50-50 pre-mix? I bet it's not distilled water! Flymore did you get that drain valve opened? Edited May 30, 2023 by Chipster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 I have a vacuum device which I used for the first time when I changed over to the new yellow, but I doubt that its essential for the Edge - some vehicles are prone to air being trapped in the system, but haven't read such reports on the Edge. I bought the 2 gallons of concentrate which I mixed with distilled water bought from my local supermarket for $0.80 per gal - that's enough to do about 4 drain/fills. Some flush with distilled water then go with the concentrate and measure the fluid to get it where the want it. Amazon.com: Prestone AF-1420 Antifreeze/Coolant Tester : Everything Else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabangsta Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 Motorcraft says that it is a 50/50 mixture with "treated (purified) water". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 14 minutes ago, dabangsta said: Motorcraft says that it is a 50/50 mixture with "treated (purified) water". The website says distilled water. USA - Motorcraft - Yellow Concentrated Antifreeze/Coolant Quote A 50/50 mixture of this antifreeze/coolant and distilled water provides year-round freeze protection down to -34 °F (-36.7 °C) and boiling protection up to 265 °F (129 °C) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabangsta Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, 1004ron said: The website says distilled water. USA - Motorcraft - Yellow Concentrated Antifreeze/Coolant That is the concentrate, and what you need to do, not them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, dabangsta said: That is the concentrate, and what you need to do, not them! I expect that the prediluted is made with deminerilsed water which would be cheaper and easier for them to make in bulk, but not any better than using distilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipster Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 35 minutes ago, 1004ron said: I have a vacuum device which I used for the first time when I changed over to the new yellow, but I doubt that its essential for the Edge - some vehicles are prone to air being trapped in the system, but haven't read such reports on the Edge. I bought the 2 gallons of concentrate which I mixed with distilled water bought from my local supermarket for $0.80 per gal - that's enough to do about 4 drain/fills. Some flush with distilled water then go with the concentrate and measure the fluid to get it where the want it. Amazon.com: Prestone AF-1420 Antifreeze/Coolant Tester : Everything Else When drained your's, how messy was it? Perhaps, I should ask how much fluid went where you wanted it to go on a percentage basis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 I had a tube/hose on the petcock into a large plastic drain pan and it was totally mess free, until I got impatient and put some compressed air onto the reservoir which caused the hose to snake around a left a mess on my garage floor. If I had secured the hose 100% would have been contained in the drain pan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chipster Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 43 minutes ago, 1004ron said: I had a tube/hose on the petcock into a large plastic drain pan and it was totally mess free, until I got impatient and put some compressed air onto the reservoir which caused the hose to snake around a left a mess on my garage floor. If I had secured the hose 100% would have been contained in the drain pan. Thanks, I had to laugh as I saw it coming. Sounds like a move I might have made, if not via "the snake" the hose on the petcock would have blown off. Well live and learn. Do you think it would be possible to "force" all the old coolant out using the compressed air? As it was, how much were you able to remove as well as you can guess, given what went on the floor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1004ron Posted May 30, 2023 Report Share Posted May 30, 2023 I cant estimate the quantity that I got at each drain event. No, the compressed air didn't get it all out. When I did my wife's 3.7L Mustang I wrapped rags around the reservoir opening to seal against my leaf blower and I think that was more effective, probably because of the higher volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flymore Posted June 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2023 Thanks for the replies. It was way to hard to use my fingers, so I tried pliers. That's when it looked like it may break off! Now have the radiator petcock socket tool for next attempt. I have four, one gallon jugs of motorcraft premix yelloe coolant. That's what I'll be filling with. Compressed air sounds like a good idea, I'll try that to get more of the old coolant out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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