[LongDucDong]

New owner (2 months) of a 03 SVT and need some questions answered if possible. Thanks!

1. My degas tank is dry but my car is running perfectly normal. I want to drain the radiator and put in new coolant this weekend, but seeing that there is no cap on the radiator to pour into, what is the best way/method to go about this? What coolant does the SVT come with from factory? Anyone know the part number?

2. I plan on swapping in a IMRC motor soon, seeing that Ive now had the P1518 code thrown twice in 6 weeks. How much do these run? I called a local dealer and they never heard of it (????) and said they needed a part number to look up the price. Anyone know what ballpark they run ($ wise)?

Thanks! [loveff]

 

[gonzorelic]

theres a drain on the bottom of the radiator. unscrew it and let it all drain then crank the car and let it continue to flush the fluid out of the block. your going to have to wait on the thermostat to open to do this so keep an eye on the temp gauge so the car doesnt run warm. after most of the fluid is out plug the radiator back off and start to fill it up with the car running so the water pump fills the block up too. if you do this cold or with the engine not running it will show full in the tank until the thermostat opens then it will all go into the engine and out of the resovoir.

 

[WD40]

Moved to "Ford Focus Technical Chat"

Early models had the green coolant, but IIRC most 2003 and all 2004 had the gold colored stuff. (good for 100,000 miles)
Take a look at your owner's manual, the spec and color will be listed in it.
Note...DO NOT MIX DIFFERENT COLORED/TYPE COOLANTS!!!!
This is the spec from the 2004 manual if your's happens to be gold in color:

Add Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant
(yellow-colored), VC-7

​

–A (U.S., except CA and OR), VC-7–B​

(CA and OR only), meeting Ford Specification

WSS-M97B51
​

–A1.​

As far as the IMRC, it's between $75-100.
For the best deal:
Get a hold of Mike Trendel (b16sir1991 on FF) at Hilbish Motors.
He is a vendor on this site, and has his own forums:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=94
NOTE!
Calling him will get much quicker results than posting a thread or sending him a PM.

​

 

[dirtbrown]

i think imma need this module also

 

[Peregrine]

Ford has changed the container that the gold colored coolant comes in. The containers used to red but are now white. Ford also specifies on the outside of the container that it has a "bittering agent" in the mix. Don't know specifically if that's for pet deterence...lol

Side note: The reason that WD has mentioned to not mix the gold coolant with your standard green is that the gold coolant runs about 20* difference than the regular stuff.
(This is what I have been told WD, so don't pulling some info on me.....lol)

 

[LongDucDong]

Thanks, gents, much appreciated! I called a local Ford dealer and they stock the gold coolant, which is what I aim to pick up this weekend. Anyone know how much coolant the car will require (roundabouts)?

 

[dirtbrown]

^^^it will take a little bit more than 1 bottle.

 

[LongDucDong]

theres a drain on the bottom of the radiator. unscrew it and let it all drain then crank the car and let it continue to flush the fluid out of the block. your going to have to wait on the thermostat to open to do this so keep an eye on the temp gauge so the car doesnt run warm. after most of the fluid is out plug the radiator back off and start to fill it up with the car running so the water pump fills the block up too. if you do this cold or with the engine not running it will show full in the tank until the thermostat opens then it will all go into the engine and out of the resovoir.

Ok, hopefully either tomorrow or Sunday Im gonna tackle this. My next question is, when the car is running and Im pouring in the coolant, when do I know to stop? There is the normal Max/Min levels, what should the level be at when the car is running at normal operating temp?

 

[briandg510]

Ok, hopefully either tomorrow or Sunday Im gonna tackle this. My next question is, when the car is running and Im pouring in the coolant, when do I know to stop? There is the normal Max/Min levels, what should the level be at when the car is running at normal operating temp?

After emptying the radiator, put the plug back in and fill the reservoir to max with coolant/water mix. Leave the reservoir's cap off and start the car. Let the car warm up. You will notice the coolant level getting low because the engine block is getting filled up with coolant. Top it off again with fresh coolant to max level. Rev the car up gently and steadily (for about a minute and let off the gas) to let some of the bubbles in the system out. Watch out for some coolant splash from the reservoir as it is hot (cover it with towel but do not stuff the hole). After this, watch the level of coolant (should be right in between of max and low). I always prefer it to be middle of max and low. Put the cover back on. And the job is done.

 

[LongDucDong]

Thank you, Brian! How do you give rep on this site? You deserve it. Thanks once again.

 

[viney266]

Just go to the white scales under his user name, click on that, and it will allow you to give positive or negative rep, you can also post a little blurb that he can read as to why you gave it.

 

[briandg510]

Thank you, Brian! How do you give rep on this site? You deserve it. Thanks once again.

[welcome] I am glad to help. BTW, you would have to click the actual number of rep points and a link will pop-up in a new window. Then, you can state a comment and it would just automatically add some points. This is what I did to give others points. So, correct me if I am wrong.

 

[90base]

They both do the same thing.