Coolant from 2006 Ford Explorer, gel. 90k

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I was helping my friend put a 3rd set of plugs in his 2006 Ford Explorer 4.6L 3 valve. Never had a coolant flush, or any added to his knowledge. I noticed the reservoir was almost empty, and what was in there seemed to be two elements separated, one grey, one clear. (see photo). The reservoir is not air tight, it has a pop top like you would find on a washer fluid tank. Really cheap.

I opened the radiator cap and it had a gel built around it. The coolant was low, but there. This explorer has no leaks or even a whiff of Coolant under the hood when hot. I changed all the plugs, it's not burning any coolant. The cores in the radiator look great. What is up with this? Coolant reacting and evaporating from the Res not sealing? Then this gunk sifts down onto the cap and sticks there too?

Or maybe a top off at some point with a non compatible coolant from a garage?

It is hard to get a cell phone to focus aimed inside like this, you'll notice some dried white inside the tank. It almost looks like dried salt.


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The guy needs a drain fill with new factory coolant. Wash out the overflow reservoir bottle.
 
Last edited:
Coolant is cheap, tap water is cheap, flush chemicals are cheap, labor for friends is cheap
grin.gif


I'd just flush it, especially since the owner thinks the coolant is 10 years old
 
If the antifreeze has never been changed, it should be. The overflow bottle only needs to be washed out.

As far as it being a "cheap" overflow reservoir, its no different than any other vehicle I've owned with a non-pressurized overflow. There is zero need for anything more complicated.

As far as why the coolant is low, if its been that long without checking it may be evaporation. However, there are several common leak points. With the 4.6, the two to look for are:

-Radiator at the plastic seams. If you crawl underneath, look for the two ovalish mounts that the radiator mounts fit into. If they are damp or show signs of coolant residue, the tank seam is shot and you need a new radiator.
-If it has the rear AC and Heat, check the Y-pipe, located along the passenger side of the engine. Easiest to see through the wheel well. Same deal - if its damp at the Y or dripping, its shot and needs to be replaced. A Y-pipe can be sliced in from an autoparts store, or Ford sells the whole thing as an assembly - hoses and all.

Had to do both of these on my '07 Explorer. The Y-pipe was a mystery one - I was loosing coolant, no smell most of the time. When it drips, it either hits the exhaust manifold or the frame, and never makes it to the ground, and its such small quantities that it never left a puddle.
 
Yes of course. The coolant is at the end of it's life cycle and is due for a change. I posted to see what people thought the reason was this happened, I wouldn't expect to see this gel in a system at this stage.
 
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
If the antifreeze has never been changed, it should be. The overflow bottle only needs to be washed out.

As far as it being a "cheap" overflow reservoir, its no different than any other vehicle I've owned with a non-pressurized overflow. There is zero need for anything more complicated.

As far as why the coolant is low, if its been that long without checking it may be evaporation. However, there are several common leak points. With the 4.6, the two to look for are:

-Radiator at the plastic seams. If you crawl underneath, look for the two ovalish mounts that the radiator mounts fit into. If they are damp or show signs of coolant residue, the tank seam is shot and you need a new radiator.
-If it has the rear AC and Heat, check the Y-pipe, located along the passenger side of the engine. Easiest to see through the wheel well. Same deal - if its damp at the Y or dripping, its shot and needs to be replaced. A Y-pipe can be sliced in from an autoparts store, or Ford sells the whole thing as an assembly - hoses and all.

Had to do both of these on my '07 Explorer. The Y-pipe was a mystery one - I was loosing coolant, no smell most of the time. When it drips, it either hits the exhaust manifold or the frame, and never makes it to the ground, and its such small quantities that it never left a puddle.


All the pressurized overflow tanks on cars I've owned had some integrity in the res cap and always screwed on. Regardless, I was just looking and it seems the Ford Gold coolant has only a 5 year life? I assumed it was 10/100,000. If so it is double the years past it's life span.
 
And since these tanks aren't pressurized, no need for any type of cap that screws on. Don't think any of the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Gen explorers had a pressurized expansion tank.
 
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy

All the pressurized overflow tanks on cars I've owned had some integrity in the res cap and always screwed on. Regardless, I was just looking and it seems the Ford Gold coolant has only a 5 year life? I assumed it was 10/100,000. If so it is double the years past it's life span.


That is just an engine design option. I personally like the pressurized overflow type but many have the old style still... in 2016.
Subaru for example.
 
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Coolant is cheap, tap water is cheap, flush chemicals are cheap, labor for friends is cheap
grin.gif


I'd just flush it, especially since the owner thinks the coolant is 10 years old


*Distilled water is cheap, less than $1 a gallon at pretty much any grocery store. Don't use tap water especially if your local water supply has a lot of minerals.
 
Yeap, unpressurized tank. The cap holds pressure in the cooling system and when it exceeds the pressure rating of the cap it allows it to escape into the overflow bottle. When the engine cools, the suction pulls the overflowed coolant back from the bottle into the system.
 
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy


All the pressurized overflow tanks on cars I've owned had some integrity in the res cap and always screwed on. Regardless, I was just looking and it seems the Ford Gold coolant has only a 5 year life? I assumed it was 10/100,000. If so it is double the years past it's life span.


Sorry, this should read non-pressurized.
 
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