flymore Report post Posted May 13 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flymore Report post Posted May 27 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flymore Report post Posted May 27 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flymore Report post Posted May 27 It doesn't seem to turn past 1/4 turn and I'm afraid to break it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flymore Report post Posted May 28 This is as far as it will turn to the left. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
handfiler Report post Posted May 29 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kruzr1 Report post Posted May 29 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1004ron Report post Posted May 29 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chipster Report post Posted May 30 (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 by Chipster Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1004ron Report post Posted May 30 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 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dabangsta Report post Posted May 30 Motorcraft says that it is a 50/50 mixture with "treated (purified) water". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1004ron Report post Posted May 30 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) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dabangsta Report post Posted May 30 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! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1004ron Report post Posted May 30 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chipster Report post Posted May 30 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? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1004ron Report post Posted May 30 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chipster Report post Posted May 30 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? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1004ron Report post Posted May 30 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flymore Report post Posted June 11 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. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
