Hi everyone! I have a Ford Focus MK3, 2.0 Duratec engine, 49k miles, for which I wanted to change the whole coolant/water mix for maintenance purposes.

The manual says the whole capacity is 6.5L, 50% should be concentrated coolant and 50% distilled water.

So I bought 4L of Total coolant (organic, red color); 3L to use for sure and 1L just in case it needs a bit more, aiming to save what’s left.

I brought the 4L to a mechanic who did the whole job. Sadly I wasn’t clear enough and just trusted that he would know but… he actually put all of the 4L of coolant and completed it with distilled water.

So now I guess the car has a mix with approximately 65/35 coolant/water which is not what the manual suggests, but the mechanic told me it is “better” that way.

What do you suggest?

  • Do I move on and just keep an eye on the temperature indicator? (I read that coolant’s heat transfer capacity is not as good as water’s).
  • Do I, somehow, “adjust” the mix by getting some out of the deposit and filling with water? I don’t know how to “get some out”, but I read some people use turkey basters for removing excess.
  • Do I replace everything again? The bad part is all of the cash I spent on the 4L of coolant and the mechanic’s work.

Thank you in advance!

  • Ravenblack67@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Too much concentrate is not ideal. It can cause problems on some engines. The best solution is to drain about 1 liter from the radiator and replace with 1 liter of distilled water. That will get your mixture closer to 50/50. You can drain from the valve on the bottom of the radiator. An alternative that is less ideal is to drain the overflow container and add distilled water there.