Dealer service said cold level coolant should be below MIN line...

[ben8jam]

I had a coolant flush done at dealer service along with an oil change at 39k miles.

I had noticed the coolant was below MIN at cold when I brought it in, but the next morning after the flush I checked it and was surprised to still see it below MIN. It lined up with the bottom of the triangle part of the arrow.

After driving an hour, I checked again and it had only expanded right to the MIN line.

So I went back to the dealer asking why it was low and kept getting a robotic response "coolant expands and it should be at min, even a little below it." I kept trying to clarify if it should in fact not be at min when cold, but they just wouldn't confirm it and kept saying MIN is fine. Finally, I gave up.

So, when the engine is fully cold, where SHOULD the coolant level be?? This seems so obvious but just need to hear it.

(And yes i goto dealer for service, I had loads of Ford Points and service was free, and been happy (overall) with them)

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[RedDakooter05]

Mine sits just a smidge over the min mark.


Ford probably cutting costs there too haha.

 

[Blmpkn]

As long as there's SOME in that tank, you're good.

 

[dtech]

What is that saying, don't sweat the small stuff, living where you live you could probably just top it off with water, yes technically the level should be at a min but if you've ever worked on replacing the fluid in a coolant system it can at 1st be at the correct level but after some time of operation it might drop a bit, the dealership performs services on the clock, so I'd say not worth losing any sleep over.

 

[ben8jam]

I somehow always sweat the small stuff! haha. But okay, will let it go. Just figured for paying for the service they could at least give me a few extra drops!

Goal is to start to tackle this stuff at home anyway, so probably a good break off point.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I'm curious why you changed the coolant at only 39k? Depending on when yours was built, the coolant is supposed to be good for either 100k (early builds) or 200k (builds after mid 2019 I believe).

 

[RangaDanga]

Funny you just made this post this morning.. check out my similar post I made 35 mins ago https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/coolant-level.22894/

 

[dtech]

So for many it's a seasonal thing - colder weather contracts the fluid even more, plus despite it being a sealed system some coolant is invariable lost owing to chemical reactions over time, hence there may be a need to top it off. But even if it's below the min line it's not going to harm anything so long as the reservoir isn't empty, with my Saabs that had a low warning light I came to expect it to light up each winter and topped it off.

https://vehq.com/coolant-level-low-when-cold/

 

[ben8jam]

I'm curious why you changed the coolant at only 39k? Depending on when yours was built, the coolant is supposed to be good for either 100k (early builds) or 200k (builds after mid 2019 I believe).

Because I'm easily influenced Also wanting a starting point as 2023 is year to self service.

Funny you just made this post this morning.. check out my similar post I made 35 mins ago https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/coolant-level.22894/

Funny. And mine is even a bit lower than yours.

 

[Dr_Strangelove]

Our manual says when the engine is cold it should be between MIN and MAX and it's ok if it expands over MAX while in operation...

 

[ben8jam]

Our manual says when the engine is cold it should be between MIN and MAX and it's ok if it expands over MAX while in operation...

For some stupid reason this didnt occur to me. It's all symantecs at that point but I wish I had pulled the manual out...

 

[RedDakooter05]

I'm sure ford is saving trillions by keeping the coolant below the min mark.

Gotta keep those poor ceo's from having to sell a yacht or two.

 

[diesel924]

In the first place, a flush at 39K is ridiculous. I hope this was your idea and not theirs. When the engine is cold (it doesn't matter what ambient temperature is) the level in the surge tank should be anywhere from MIN to MAX. Not below MIN.

Honestly, unless you are buying the premix from the parts department, you will NEVER get a better quality coolant than what was filled at the factory. Any municipal water that is available in the US is NOT worthy of being mixed with Ford coolant and installed in your engine. What are the chances they used distilled water? Pretty slim in my experience.

 

[Ranger Lariat]

Mine sits just a smidge over the min mark.


Ford probably cutting costs there too haha.

Sadly, likely the truth.

 

[JesseS]

In the first place, a flush at 39K is ridiculous. I hope this was your idea and not theirs. When the engine is cold (it doesn't matter what ambient temperature is) the level in the surge tank should be anywhere from MIN to MAX. Not below MIN.

Honestly, unless you are buying the premix from the parts department, you will NEVER get a better quality coolant than what was filled at the factory. Any municipal water that is available in the US is NOT worthy of being mixed with Ford coolant and installed in your engine. What are the chances they used distilled water? Pretty slim in my experience.

Not to mention that the coolant is also a lubricant, never put in tap water except in an emergency, then flush and replace first chance you get. I had to put creek water in one time when I blew a hose off road, three days later when I drained it that stuff was nasty!

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