Coolant reservoir

[cableguynoe]

OK.. I'm a little concerned.. and i feel like an idiot for having to ask this but..

What is the difference between the engine coolant reservoir & the engine cooling fan fluid reservoir?

Do they use the same coolant? and if not, what happens if you mix them.

I put some 50/50 coolant in the engine cooling fan reservoir...
please tell me it's no big deal...

 

[marcredd]

Big deal it is. Our cars use a hydraulic cooling fan. The actual radiator coolant reservoir is close to the driver's side dash/steering wheel area. I've heard of others who have made the same error. I would not take a single chance and would drain that cooling fan tank and line before driving the car. There are some other posts in this forum regarding the same exact issue.

 

[rickztahone]

listen to marcredd and do what he said ASAP

 

[gcwimmer]

The 1st gen that use hydraulic cooling fan use Motorcraft MERCONt ATF.

Big difference, get a turkey baster and empty the reservoir and use the fluid as recommend in your Owners Manual.

 

[cableguynoe]

the thing is...

I made this bonehead mistake about a week ago... been driving it everyday :slam

How concerned should i be?

I didn't put that much in... just topped it off since i noticed it was a bit below the full line....

 

[gcwimmer]

the thing is...

I made this bonehead mistake about a week ago... been driving it everyday :slam

How concerned should i be?

I didn't put that much in... just topped it off since i noticed it was a bit below the full line....

Oil/water.....are you still driving? Keep driving and get back with us...or change it out and keep your fingers crossed, time will tell if there is any damage.

 

[cableguynoe]

The 1st gen that use hydraulic cooling fan use Motorcraft MERCONt ATF.

Big difference, get a turkey baster and empty the reservoir and use the fluid as recommend in your Owners Manual.

Got the turkey baster. I wanted to do this Sunday morning... can I find this fluid at Kragen or Autozone? Or do I have to get it from the dealer?

 

[gcwimmer]

I'm surprised they did not carry it, common product, you could probable use another brand that has the same spec. as MERCON ATF. It is the same transmission fluid that is used in the manual transmission and power steering but is different than automatic MERCON V. The owners manual doesn't give a capacity just says to fill to max line.

 

[cableguynoe]

Oil/water.....are you still driving? Keep driving and get back with us...or change it out and keep your fingers crossed, time will tell if there is any damage.

haha... keep driving? How bout.....NO! I might make bonehead mistakes without realizing it... but i wont take stupid risks

Anyway, I Just sucked out all the old dirty oil/coolant and filled with with the right stuff.
My only concern now is how small amount was actually in there. It only took a little more than half of 1 quart to fill her back up.

Is it possible that there's more of that dirty stuff deeper in there that will come out once I start driving the LS again?
And if so, should i redo the whole process to ensure it's clean oil in there?

 

[lincoln00]

well waiting till sunday to do a 5 minute job is another bone head mistake

 

[marcredd]

My operative word was "before" as in before driving the car. Man be careful procrastinating.

 

[cableguynoe]

My operative word was "before" as in before driving the car. Man be careful procrastinating.

I did not procrastinate... I fixed it as soon as I realized the mistake i had done. Maybe I wasn't clear... I drove around for a week not realizing i had screwed up.

 

[VA_04LS_V8]

A trick that a racing buddy of mine told me about power steering fluid applies here too. If you want to be sure you get as much of the "old stuff" out as possible do the turkey baster thing and refill with fresh fluid every day for 3 or 4 days (of course after driving the vehicle which mixes the old with the new fluid).