I have a 2000 f150, 5.4. I read through the forum and still I am confused about what type of coolant to use. Green or extended life Dexcool. Everyone says use what was in it. The problem is I dont know what was in it. Just water when I got it. Sticker under hood says Ford Spec ESE M97B44-A. My Dexcool says M97B44-D Same thing? Thanks for all those replys.

 

Go to the parts store, they have the universal stuff that mixes with anything. It's yellow in color. Just make sure to flush your current stuff out good...that is, leave the pet**** open and just run a host in the top of your rad for a few minutes.

edit: lol it bleeps out petc*ck

 

I just changed my coolant last weekend and used the Prestone stuff... On the jug, it said it was good to 'mix' with any coolant from any make/model.....

That's the same stuff I used last time too, and it seemed to be fine... It says it's good for 5 years, but I flush out my coolant every 18 months!! Overkill I know, but I've not had to replace a heater core yet! (knock on wood!)

Mitch

 

isnt dexcool for chevys???? ive always used the prestone premix and never had a problem.

 

I changed mine a few months back. Just be sure that the antifreeze you buy meets the Ford spec. Don't get caught up with all these people who say you have to buy a certain color of antifreeze. Color has absolutely nothing to do with how the antifreeze works.

 

I called Texaco customer service on this. The difference between Spec ESE M97B44-A and M97B44-D is that the -A stands for factory fill while -D is replacement. So bottom line, same thing. Yes I called it Dexcool, but it is the Texaco 5 year 150,000 mile Etheyl Glycol. It is however Dexcool approved and orange in color.

 

I would be wary of using dexcool. I believe GM had a lawsuit brought against them saying the dexcool was eating away at the intake gaskets causing them to leak. I would flush the system and just use the green stuff to be safe.

 

Agree. NAPA has the green coolant for your ride. So will stores that sell PEAK. See this chart for help...

http://www.peakantifreeze.com/referencechart.html

 

I highly recommend getting rid of the Dexcool crap at your earliest chance. I had to change the lower intake manifold gaskets on the wife's '01 Blazer with 68K miles because the Dexcool turned them into chunks and started leaking. I got "lucky" that it only leaked to the outside and not down into the oil. The new gaskets they developed in '04 can resist the garbage now, but after seeing the Dexcool "brownies" in the back of each head, I knew it was time to get that crap out.

The new Prestone 5/150 has no silicates, phosphates or other stuff that made the old Prestone a bit hard on engines, so I'm putting that in anything that needs a coolant change from here on.

 

I'll second the recommendation for the Prestone 5 Year Coolant (it's green, and pre-mixed). I did a coolant change a few months ago on my 02 Supercrew as part of the 30,000 mile service. After I drained the system, the coolant still looked brand new. But I figured, the truck is 5 years old now no matter how many miles are on it, so I changed it.

I ended not flushing it with water because I didn't want to deal with the mess all over the yard/street. Also, I'm outside with the dog a lot and don't want to chance her getting sick. I'll probably do the full flush for the next major service.