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!
Im genuinely curious how much you paid the shop to add antifreeze?
You should be completely fine. Next time just get a bottle of premix from the store and pour it in yourself.
They actually flushed the whole cooling system, I doubt I would’ve been able to do it myself since it requires several steps (AFAIK) and I’m new to all of this, but I’ll try to learn for next time.
That makes more sense. YouTube is a phenomenal source of information if you’re willing to try some projects yourself. Lots of step by step DIY videos. Good luck in the future. You should be fine with the mixture your mechanic put in.
Thank you!