Getting ready to do a coolant drain and fill. This topic seems to be a rabbit hole. Any preferences either way? I could also get the motorcraft yellow, but it is more expensive in my area. Thanks!

 

Not a fan of mixing different coolant types. If not doing a flush, I would chase down what you already have in the car. Otherwise if flushing, any OAT coolant will work.

 

It's actually very simple. Use any OAT / longlife coolant which is the same colour as the coolant already in the car, Probably pink/orange as that is the most common. If you wish to change to a different colour then you will need multiple flushes using plain, ideally distilled / deionised, water or you will end up with a murky brown colour.

Richard

 

There are now multiple revisions of OAT coolants (e.g. OAT, HOAT, NOAT, P-HOAT, NAP-free-OAT, Si-OAT to name a few), some of which cannot be mixed, and the colour is no longer sufficient to tell them apart. I hit this issue about three months ago when one of the plastic coolant lines in my VW Caddy exploded... the manual called for one type, the radiator cap had another type, and the dealer could only get a third type that was different again. My understanding on this is limited to OAT, HOAT, and Si-OAT.. these are the three types that VW (incl Audi etc) have gone through over the past five or ten years. I was told by VW that all three can be used interchangeably in the Caddy's engine, but they are not mixable. When the engine was made VW was using OAT as their standard coolant, I'm guessing the radiator cap was replaced some years later when they were using HOAT, now today their standard coolant is Si-OAT. I ended up just buying the genuine VW coolant, it cost me double what I'd have paid at Supercheap Auto but it was a $1000 repair job so the cost was a small fraction of the whole and I feel comfortable knowing the right coolant is in there.

Coolant has become a freaking minefield I got pretty far down the rabbit hole before I gave up and just rang VW to ask "I'm doing a full drain and refill, could you please tell me what spec coolant you would use at your workshop if you were doing this job," so @SeanU calling your local jag workshop (dealer or indy) might be an easy way to get an answer without too much confusion. Or you could just pick one that matches the Jag specs and send it, there really isn't much difference between different brands that make the same type... they're probably all made by the same one or two big chemical manufacturers under private label agreements.

P.S. also write the coolant type you use down, or buy additional bottles of it, so that you don't have to do three weeks of research again when your overflow tank needs a little topup in a few years lol

 

Use the "Ford" stuff - WSS-M97B44-D, not sure what the D stands for concentrated according to tinternet - WSS-M97B44 is what the owners manwell calls for:

https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/home/our-products/chemicals-and-lubricants/ac-and-engine-cooling-products/engine-cooling-system-products/orange-concentrated-antifreeze-coolants.html

Or you could use the pre-diluted:

https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/...-coolants.html

 

I didn't suggest that the colour told you anything at all other than what colour it is. All the widely obtainable OAT/ Longlife antifreezes can be mixed. You might be able to buy some weird stuff designed by NASA for the Space Shuttle but we're talking about the stuff you can buy at your local autostore. 😉

Richard

 

Keep it simple, use DEX-COOL. Doesn't require lessons in chemistry or an engineering degree to figure this out...

 

Thanks everyone... like i said it is a rabbit hole. Ford replaced their original orange coolant with yellow coolant that is supposed to be backwards compatible and mixable with the orange. Prestone does not officially list WSS-M97B44-D spec or the newer replacement spec that Ford Yellow has. Some places say that Xerex *is* the Ford supplier. My original inclination was the Prestone... i emailed them about meeting the old Jag/Ford spec but have not heard back. if I do, i'll post here.

 

Perhaps the right answer's just too obvious. JLR never re-engineered their coolant spec. I've used all of the following for the last 15+ years and they ALL meet the WSS-M97B44 specification.

https://prestone.com/product/preston...-ready-to-use/

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tec...1?from=/search

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

No rabbit hole - Ford do both orange and gold (what you are calling yellow) here below:

https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/...stem-products/gold-concentrated-antifreeze-coolants.html

I already gave you the link to the orange anti-freeze.

 

That is so true. I have an X100 and and X150 and I've never spent more than a second in deciding which coolant, engine oil or gearbox oil to use.

The only fluid which required a little research was the differential oil which Jaguar are reluctant to publish any definitive specs for and which is why so many internet forums and YouTube creators use an oil which is thinner than Jaguar used on the production line. However, even that is not a big deal.

Richard

 

Jag diff oil was replaced by API GL-5/MIL-L-2105D oil, easy enuff to find one compatible with that such as Pennzoil Full Synthetic. I used Klondike Synthetic

 

That's very easy ...... but I always buy the stuff which is the same actual viscosity spec GL5 but much cheaper. Try and find what the actual spec is as defined by Jaguar. I have, but it used to take a lot of detective work, although it's a lot less now as you can find posts by me. 😉

Richard

 

Every OAT type I listed is available at my local auto parts store in varying colours, and most of them cannot be mixed with the others.

I was simply providing additional information for OP that "OAT" is not the same as other formulas that contain the letters "OAT," as it is very easy to hear a vague statement like "any OAT will work and can be mixed" and then come home with Si-OAT or something that is not the correct spec for the vehicle and/or will turn to sludge if you top up with something different later.

 

But all OAT types can be mixed if you're prepared to put up with a murky brown colour. The colour difference is the only reason not to mix them. I was regularly mixing OAT and IAT until OAT became freely available at a reasonable price and I never had a single problem. We'll have to agree to disagree. 😉

Richard

 

OAT, Si-OAT, HOAT, etc. aren't interchangeable or mixable so not certain why someone would do that unless completely ignorant in which case they shouldn't be doing anything to their cars.

 

That was the result of my research too.

If I remember correctly, VW spec coolant has changed from OAT to HOAT to Si-OAT over the past 10yrs or so (maybe not in that order).. I was advised they were "interchangeable" in my application, as in I can use any of the 3 in my Caddy since they were all specced for it at one point or another, but I was also advised to flush the entire system thoroughly if changing from one to the other. I wouldn't take this to be interchangeable in the sense "You can use any of the 3 in any engine that's specced with one of these."

I had no idea what type of coolant was in there when I bought it so, when the new heater pipes went in, we ran three full flush cycles through before filling it back up.