Orange Coolant Backward Compatability

Keith Browning · February 15, 2013

I have always thought the reason Ford states not to use orange coolant in a 6.0L or a 6.4L was compatability with the recommended coolant which would have to be completely removed and the engine chemically flushed if you were to use that type of coolant. But the other question is if there are any issues related to compatability with the metals and plastics used in the engines. I thought we had touched on this in the past and something was mentioned about perhaps the injector cups not liking it. I have a customer asking about this and I am not totally sure what to say.

I am advising to install the recommended coolant but I am wondering if thereis any known advantage or disadvantage to using the orange in place of the gold?

Maybe I will contact the Hot-Line. Posted Image

Aaron · February 15, 2013

I switched my truck to Caterpillar compliant EC-1 (Delo Branded) long life antifreeze.

That's what I see International putting in the Maxxforce engines we see at work.

I'm not sure if it's the same as the orange stuff that Ford is using now, I flushed the truck 3 or 4 times with clear water, and then changed the rad and filled it with the EC-1 after draining via the core plugs.

mchan68 · February 15, 2013

I have thought about using the Ford orange coolant in my own truck myself, so it will be interesting to hear about the feedback here. This is despite the fact that I have put myself on a regiment to change out my coolant every 50,000 kms. (30,000 miles).

Bruce Amacker · February 15, 2013

My personal opinion is to use the OEM recommended coolant and change it more often than the OE specifies. Who are we to argue with the chemical engineers who design the truck? The reason there are so many coolants these days has a lot to do with the alloys of aluminum that are used. An order comes to a dept. from above to cut 10% from the weight of a casting, and the only way to do this is to use a lighter, stronger alloy, but that alloy is more corrosive in some environments so a new coolant is developed to be compatible.

Somewhere in the DTS files there is a pic of a 6.0 PSD front cover that had green coolant in it and ate a hole the size of your thumb behind the WP. I have the pic and I can't remember who posted it.

The next time you're talking to a Euro car guy, ask him about what happens when you put the wrong coolant in one. Euros, specifically German cars, are super sensitive to the wrong coolants and have massive damage happen quite quickly. From eating the WP impeller off (within weeks) to eating through castings, to eating the surface off of an $10K Mercedes aluminum cylinder head, I've seen it all. It's amazing....

Posted Image

Matt Saunoras · February 16, 2013

Ford Orange is dexcool compatable, it's the same stuff the mercury cougar took back in the early 2000s. It is not CAT EC-1 rated extended life coolant that international uses.

Dexcool is well known as a plasticizer, it destroys lower intake gaskets in many of the popular GM v6s from late 90s to mid 2000s. That large intake o-ring is what would keep me from using it in a 6.0. I can envision that thing getting destroyed

I have repaired one 6.0 that was run on a dexcool/gold mix that absolutely gummed up the oil cooler to the point of no return. Visibly it was the most restricted cooler I've ever seen.

I have enough gold to last my truck the rest of it's life so gold and distilled water is all it'll ever see. I even went as far as making my own coolant filter out of a 1083 fuel filter just to see what it would catch. You would be surprised how much sand I got out the first time, then less and less every time after that. The coolant in my truck is crystal clear and I plan on doing a drain and fill every 15k

Keith Browning · July 1, 2013

I have an ambulance in with orange coolant in it that has problems. I contacted the Hot-Line specifically about the use of this coolant and I FINALLY got an intellegent answer to it.

Orange coolant should not be used on 6.0L engine due to the material that the engine block is made of. Orange coolant does not have the proper chemicals present to protect the engine properly and can cause corrosion within the engine.

jimmy57 · July 2, 2013

Is the coolant the cause of that vehicle's issues?

I thought urine colored coolant also caused corrosion in the block. The corrosion from ruptured EGR coolers dumping coolant into cylinders and plugged oil coolers dumping coolant into oil.