Is Motorcraft orange coolant really just Dexcool?

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wtd

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If so, I just ripped myself off. The coolant tank on my 2014 Mustang GT was just below the cold fill line so I went to the dealer to get some coolant to add to it. I had always heard that you could only get the gold and the orange coolant at the dealer.

Well, after buying(at a crazy price)the orange coolant at the dealer, I read on here that the Ford orange coolant is really just Dexcool. If this is the case, I guess I should have done better research before I bought it at the dealer.

Wayne
 
Color has nothing to do with the composition of the coolant (corrosion inhibitors in the coolant, to state it more accurately). This applies to green, orange, and any other-color coolant.

Brand-new cars don't consume coolant. If it does, have it repaired and filled with the specified OEM coolant under warranty. Don't ruin a brand-new engine by topping off with a random aftermarket/universal coolant.
 
Ford coolant chart pdf

Ford orange started in mostly 2011 model year and is dex cool, Motorcraft gold/yellow is 2009 and older mostly which is Zerex G05. 2010 is the year where some models used either or.
 
If it's orange, than it's Prestone made DexCool; the same stuff I use in my car from Walmart.

It turns pink when you mix it with water.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
If it's orange, than it's Prestone made DexCool; the same stuff I use in my car from Walmart.

It turns pink when you mix it with water.


Yup, explaining the pink thing to people is a never ending battle.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess I should have done some more research before I bought and I would have saved myself $24. I had some Havoline Dexcool in the shed.

As far as the coolant level goes, I really have not paid much attention to the level in the tank. I just noticed it today because my fiancee just had the coolant flushed in her 07 GT and I wanted to check my level. It was just slightly below the low cold level line. It may have been that way from the beginning and I just didn't notice.

I park on a concrete pad covered by an enclosed carport and never have noticed any fluid on the ground or even on the engine so I don't think I have a leak. I will keep an eye on it to make sure. Thanks again for the info.

Wayne
 
Now that the OP got his answer I have a question. I need to add some coolant in my 2011 Silverado 5.3. Is there an aftermarket Dex Cool or Universal coolant I can buy to top off?
 
Originally Posted By: CKN
Now that the OP got his answer I have a question. I need to add some coolant in my 2011 Silverado 5.3. Is there an aftermarket Dex Cool or Universal coolant I can buy to top off?


You could use Prestone all makes all models but the Prestone dex cool 50/50 is only like 50 cents more expensive around here. About $13 a gallon for 50/50.

Prestone, Havoline, Zerex all make dex cool it's all good just try to get dex cool if possible it's easy to find.
 
So the MC Orange turns Pink when it gets mixed with water!?!?

on my '12 Fusion, I had to add some antifreeze to the bottle, and I knew it took MC Orange, and I have a gallon of that.
But when I really stared at the color it was Pink. So I started to question myself as to what the heck was going on.
The car came from the dealership as a used car and I figured some rookie tech put whatever they found lying around in.
But I went with the sticker and put the orange mixed with distilled water and went for it, it's still pink in there!
Good to know!
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Motorcraft sells the orange coolant in pre-mixed and concentrated. VC3B is full strength and VC3DILB is the pre-mix.


I got the concentrated stuff since the dealer I bought it from did not have the pre-mix stuff.

Wayne
 
Originally Posted By: wtd
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Motorcraft sells the orange coolant in pre-mixed and concentrated. VC3B is full strength and VC3DILB is the pre-mix.


I got the concentrated stuff since the dealer I bought it from did not have the pre-mix stuff.

Wayne


Not every dealer carries it. The only reason my manager started bringing it into inventory was for a recall that required it for billing.
 
In this case the OEM, in addition to selling OEM coolant, also has a spec -- WSS-M97B44-D2. In such cases, it would be OK to go with an aftermarket coolant certified for that spec.

So, this spec seems to be the same (or very similar to) Dex-Cool, as Dex-Cool aftermarket coolants also seem to carry it. However, I'm not a fan of Dex-Cool because 2-EHA in it is known to harm gaskets.
 
I should have done my research before I bought like I usually do so lesson learned.

I plan on using Dex-cool in this car while under warranty and then see if I can use anything else after.

I'm also not a fan of Dex-cool and is why I no longer run it in either of my 98 Chevy trucks.

Wayne
 
There is no reason to avoid Dex cool in modern properly gasketed setups. Do you think Ford would have switched to Dex cool if there was something wrong with it? Gasket compatibility has been well sorted out since the 90s!

Dex cool systems are far cleaner than most of the other systems i have seen, if they are not messed up they are usually spotless.
 
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
There is no reason to avoid Dex cool in modern properly gasketed setups. Do you think Ford would have switched to Dex cool if there was something wrong with it? Gasket compatibility has been well sorted out since the 90s!

Dex cool systems are far cleaner than most of the other systems i have seen, if they are not messed up they are usually spotless.

Asian OEMs still don't allow 2-EHA in their super-long-life coolants. Since Asian OEMs are known for reliability, that tells you something.
 
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