coolant color 02' | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

  • We're glad you found us via a search engine! Right now, you can join our club absolutely free and unlock member only features like the site search! This notice only appears once! It only takes 30 seconds to register, and we would love to have you as part of the World's largest Thunderbird Forum/Club! Click here to continue

  • Click here to remove google ads from the site
  • Click " Like/Thanks" at the bottom of a member's post to reward and thank them for their response! Points are added to their profile.

  • 2002-05 Owners. As of August 2022 there is now an entire suspension kit for sale! Scroll down to the bottom of the first post click here.

  • Get rid of swirls and minor paint surface scratches with this Polish & Compounds kit. Click here to read more!.

coolant color 02'

  • Thread starter Thread starter stretch
  • Start date Start date
S

stretch

Bronze Member
Reaction score
13
Thunderbird Year
2002
Hi all,wanna do coolant flush on my02 that i bought last year.This car has red coolant in it now.who knows what color was the original from the factory.im guessing green.Owners manual says use either motorcraft gold or green.car was built april 02.heard something about ford changing coolant colors at the plant mid july year 02 fm green to gold.is this really gonna matter what color green or gold im gonna use?i get the feeling the red coolant shouldnt be in there.thanks..

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 
I don't know the chemical qualities of the different colors of coolant. But I would go with what the owner's manual states. My 05 manual like your 02 states to use Gold.
Be interesting to learn what the differences in color truly mean. Also be interesting to learn if Ford dealerships do a coolant flush using Gold or what?
 
When I flushed my 03 Tbird out I just went with "Prestone" universal. All the local independent shops use it, not sure what the Ford dealer uses. Book says to use that expensive Motorcraft antifreeze that you can only get at Ford dealer for about triple the price of "Prestone" off the shelf at Wally World. I'm betting "Prestone" or some other company makes the expensive gold stuff for Motorcraft anyway.
 
Word of caution to your pocket change. Some coolants are sold already pre-mixed at 50/50 in the gallon so you are paying for less coolant/gallon.
 
02 ( like mine) is the gold color coolant in the red Ford jug. I flushed mine last year, make sure you bleed the systeme properly. Its called burping the system. BTW, your radiator fan assembly runs off a oil driven system. Its not an electric fan like the 03 to 05. Make sure that once the coolant temperature heats up, the rad fan speeds up. If you start a/c ,, it should also go into hi speed. If i was you, i’d also replace the thermostat and thermostat o ring gasket. Many time after replacing coolant, the thermostat sticks.
 
stretch said:
Hi all,wanna do coolant flush on my02 that i bought last year.This car has red coolant in it now.who knows what color was the original from the factory.im guessing green.Owners manual says use either motorcraft gold or green.car was built april 02.heard something about ford changing coolant colors at the plant mid july year 02 fm green to gold.is this really gonna matter what color green or gold im gonna use?i get the feeling the red coolant shouldnt be in there.thanks..
Click to expand...
While you are changing fluid check out your thermostat housing. Mine just went bad luckily I was stopped at red light. The shop had don one a couple months earlier and one a couple weeks ago and then mine. If had happen on freeway might have gotten to hot before I noticed it. Part runs about $120 from local store and is plastic originally and will go bad at some point.
 
BillM said:
While you are changing fluid check out your thermostat housing. Mine just went bad luckily I was stopped at red light. The shop had don one a couple months earlier and one a couple weeks ago and then mine. If had happen on freeway might have gotten to hot before I noticed it. Part runs about $120 from local store and is plastic originally and will go bad at some point.
Click to expand...

Yes the plastic parts will go bad. I blew the upper radiator hose going down the interstate. The rubber hoses were okay but the plastic connecting parts were the ones that developed a leak. Replaced the upper radiator hose and a few months later the plastic thermostat housing got a leak. 6 months later - plastic parts on lower radiator hose went bad. 6 months after that - water inlet pipe (GD PLASTIC) started to leak, that one you have to take off or loosen intake manifold to get to.

I guess my point is - just plan on replacing ALL THE EFFING PLASTIC PARTS sooner or later. It would probably be better sooner so you don't get left out on the interstate.
 
Elsie said:
Yes the plastic parts will go bad. I blew the upper radiator hose going down the interstate. The rubber hoses were okay but the plastic connecting parts were the ones that developed a leak. Replaced the upper radiator hose and a few months later the plastic thermostat housing got a leak. 6 months later - plastic parts on lower radiator hose went bad. 6 months after that - water inlet pipe (GD PLASTIC) started to leak, that one you have to take off or loosen intake manifold to get to.

I guess my point is - just plan on replacing ALL THE EFFING PLASTIC PARTS sooner or later. It would probably be better sooner so you don't get left out on the interstate.
Click to expand...
The "plastic" coolant tubing looks more like a "bakelite" material that is more durable than plastic. Nevertheless, mine on 2004 Pacific Coast Edition developed cracks in 2018. Parts available only at Ford dealer, according to my independent mechanic. Too, labor was high due to difficulty getting to and replacing failed tubing.
 
Nitpicker said:
The "plastic" coolant tubing looks more like a "bakelite" material that is more durable than plastic. Nevertheless, mine on 2004 Pacific Coast Edition developed cracks in 2018. Parts available only at Ford dealer, according to my independent mechanic. Too, labor was high due to difficulty getting to and replacing failed tubing.
Click to expand...

Nitpicker - yeah the plastic water inlet pipe is not an easy change. You have to loosen or take off the intake manifold to replace that part, which then means new intake gaskets. I've heard other people say the parts are hard to find, but I didn't have any problem. I found the radiator hoses on either "Amazon" or "Ebay" they were being closed out by a warehouse and I got em for half price. By closing em out - I'm sure that means they will be hard to find either now or very shortly. They had "Motorcraft" stamped on em - could still be fakes though.

Most of my hoses are new now. I say "most" because I haven't replaced the parts that run to that climate control valve and I didn't replace that one hose that runs from dgas bottle - to up front somewhere. Only place I could find that hose was at "Ford" dealer and they wanted something like $475!!!! Again nothing wrong with the rubber hose themselves just the plastic parts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top