MK4 Focus - Mixed colour coolants

[Murat123]

hi all,

My vehicle was due for a service 2 days ago but due to covid-19 it did not happen. My coolant level was on the minimum level and it was the red colour. I've panicked and drove to Shell quickly grabbed the only 1 left which was CarPlan Blue star. I've now poured in about 200ml of that mixed with the original red coolant which was in their already. 

Some people are saying it's fine, some are saying it will damage the engine (including the owners manual).

I want to know some of your opinions/solutions to this if it is really and truly bad. I didn't know beforehand that mixing 2 colours may end up putting me into a bad situation till I poured it in and thought is it right to mix 2 colours..

[JW1982]

You should have the coolant replaced and the cooling system flushed as soon as possible.

The original red/pink coolant does not mix with blue/green glycol based coolant. When mixed the coolant can form a gelly substance which can clogg the radiator, heater core or small cooling channels inside the engine.

It would have been better to top up the cooling system with ordinary water. The original red/pink coolant is concentrated and need to be mixed (50/50) with water. 

[Murat123]

I've booked a full service with Halfords for next wednesday. Will get them to sort it out. I've done some more research and it appears that OEM Ford Antifreeze superplus is also glycol based? 

[Comares2001]

The OEM antifreeze (RED) is Organic compound based ,Blue is Glycol based . Ie not compatible.

Although you only put a small amount in ideally you should have the coolant replaced. As already said you should have just put water (distilled)in as the concentration could have been easily corrected later on.

I would be more concerned as to why the level was on minimum.

[StephenFord]

I have also had this issue in the past, all the 'discount' stores seem to sell blue 1 liter bottle of coolant top up, not red. At the time of need, I had a yet to be diagnosed heater matrix leak! I did top up quite a lot of a few weeks using the 'wrong' colour. Once I got the heater matrix sorted, the coolant was drained, flushed, and returned to a nice bright red!

[Murat123]

3 hours ago, StephenFord said:

I have also had this issue in the past, all the 'discount' stores seem to sell blue 1 liter bottle of coolant top up, not red. At the time of need, I had a yet to be diagnosed heater matrix leak! I did top up quite a lot of a few weeks using the 'wrong' colour. Once I got the heater matrix sorted, the coolant was drained, flushed, and returned to a nice bright red!

I wish I knew from before... I only thought about it as soon as I poured it in. How long do I have before it messes anything up do you reckon? I'm not using the car anyway until I take it to service on wednesday. 

[Murat123]

7 hours ago, Comares2001 said:

The OEM antifreeze (RED) is Organic compound based ,Blue is Glycol based . Ie not compatible.

Although you only put a small amount in ideally you should have the coolant replaced. As already said you should have just put water (distilled)in as the concentration could have been easily corrected later on.

I would be more concerned as to why the level was on minimum.

I would be getting that checked out. Thankyou.

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, Murat123 said:

I wish I knew from before... I only thought about it as soon as I poured it in. How long do I have before it messes anything up do you reckon? I'm not using the car anyway until I take it to service on wednesday. 

That's only 3 days away, wouldn't give it another thought, not as if you put diesel in a petrol car LOL, and as stated, you can get that leak sorted at the same time...

[JW1982]

Most likely there is no leak. It is perfectly normal for the coolant to drop a bit the first Year (or two) on a new car. As a result of temperature fluctuations and pressure inside the cooling system the coolant hoses will expand a bit which causes the coolant level to drop.

Also note that the waterpump that is installed on modern Ford engines has a coolant cooled/lubricated seal. A tiny amount of coolant loss through the seal is required to cool and lubricated the (spring loaded) ceramic seal surfaces. When the pump is new the coolant loss can be slightly higher because the seal Surfaces need to bed-in properly. 

 

 

[Murat123]

1 hour ago, JW1982 said:

Most likely there is no leak. It is perfectly normal for the coolant to drop a bit the first Year (or two) on a new car. As a result of temperature fluctuations and pressure inside the cooling system the coolant hoses will expand a bit which causes the coolant level to drop.

Also note that the waterpump that is installed on modern Ford engines has a coolant cooled/lubricated seal. A tiny amount of coolant loss through the seal is required to cool and lubricated the (spring loaded) ceramic seal surfaces. When the pump is new the coolant loss can be slightly higher because the seal Surfaces need to bed-in properly. 

 

 

Thanks for the information. Much appreciated. I checked my coolant and it still looks as red as it was. Would be alright till wednesday I guess.