Replacing the brake and coolant

Every 3 years.

Brake Fluid Replacement

The procedure is similar to the procedure for removing air from the brake hydraulic system (see chapter 9), except that you first need to pump out all the brake fluid from the reservoir, and then in the process of bleeding the brakes, allow all the old fluid to flow out of the system.

Coolant replacement

Note: When using Ford-specified or equivalent antifreeze, lifetime coolant replacement is not required. If you do not know what fluid is supplied to the car or if you are using non-regulated antifreeze, or if you still prefer to change the coolant, then change the fluid (usually after 2 years), as below. see also paragraph 3 of this chapter.

Warning: Do not allow antifreeze to come into contact with skin or vehicle paint. Rinse off spills immediately with water. Do not leave the antifreeze container within the reach of children and pets - they may be attracted by its smell. Ingestion of even a small amount of liquid into the body is very dangerous and can be fatal. Wipe up spills of fluid immediately. The antifreeze container must not be left open, and fluid leaks from the cooling system must be repaired immediately.

Warning: Never remove the expansion tank cap while the engine is running or immediately after it has stopped, as the fluid remains hot and there is a risk of scalding and serious burns.

Coolant drain

Warning: Allow the engine to cool before performing this procedure.

1. After the engine has completely cooled down, open the lid of the reserve tank (see par. 3).


2. To improve access, you can raise the front of the car and place it on supports.

3. Turn out screws of fastening of a protective guard of a radiator (8 or 9 screws). Place a suitable container under the radiator and remove the drain plug. Try to get most of the liquid into the container (see fig. 28.3, a, b).

Flushing the system

4. With irregular replacement of the coolant, as well as with the loss of antifreeze of its qualities, the efficiency of the cooling system can be significantly reduced due to the overgrowth of channels with dirt, rust, etc. avoid it (along with the use of only high quality antifreeze and pure soft water) you can by flushing the system when you remove / install any component or replace the coolant.


5. After draining the fluid, install the drain plug and fill the system with clean water. Close the expansion tank with a cap. Start the engine and wait until it warms up to normal operating temperature. Then muffle it and after it has completely cooled down, drain the fluid from the system again. Repeat the procedure until only clean water flows out of the system. Then fill it with the specified coolant.

6. If you use only high quality antifreeze and clean soft water and have already changed the coolant (according to the recommended replacement schedule), the above flushing procedure ensures that the system is kept clean for a long time. If the system was serviced inaccurately, then the following operations should be performed.

7. Drain the coolant and disconnect the upper and lower radiator hoses. Insert a garden hose into the top radiator hose. Flush the radiator with clean water until clean water comes out of the bottom outlet.

8. To flush the engine, insert a garden hose into the thermostat outlet. Run a jet of clean water through the engine until until clean water comes out of the lower hose.

9. If the water is not clear after a sufficiently long flush, flush with a special flushing agent.

10. If the radiator is very dirty, it may be necessary to flush it in the opposite direction. To do this, insert the hose into the bottom outlet, wrapping the sealing hose with a piece of cloth. Run water through the radiator until clear water flows from the top hole.

11. If there is a suspicion that the radiator is clogged with deposits inside, remove it, turn it over and wash it in the same way as indicated in paragraph 10.


12. In the same way, you can flush the heater heat exchanger. The heater heat exchanger tubes are of the same diameter and pass through the engine baffle. The removal and installation of the heater heat exchanger is described in more detail in chapter 3.

13. Use flushing agents only as a last resort. With regular replacement of the coolant in the system, this is usually not necessary.

Filling the cooling system

14. After draining the fluid from the system and flushing it, secure all removed hoses and tighten the radiator cap. Install the radiator shield onto the three tabs located on the front edge of the shield. Tighten the shield fixing screws (see fig. 28.14). If the vehicle has been raised, lower it to the ground.



15. Prepare coolant of the specified composition in the required quantity (see technical data), but with some margin for possible refueling.

16. Slowly fill the system through the filler neck of the expansion tank (see fig. 28.16). Since the reservoir is located at the highest point of the cooling system, all air from the system will exit through the reservoir. Slow filling will prevent air pockets from forming.




17. Add fluid until the level in the tank reaches the mark "MAX". Then close the lid.

18. Start the engine and let it idle until it warms up to normal operating temperature and the electric radiator fan turns on. Check the temperature gauge to see if the engine is overheating. If the liquid level in the expansion tank drops significantly, add liquid to the tank to the mark "MAX" to minimize the amount of air circulating in the system.

19. Stop the engine and leave it to cool completely (overnight if possible). After that, open the lid of the reservoir and add liquid to it up to the mark "MAX". Install and tighten the reservoir cap. Eliminate all smudges from the engine compartment and from the body.

20. Check for leaks, especially at the joints that were disassembled. New antifreeze tends to quickly penetrate the weak points of the system.

21. Note: If, after draining the fluid and flushing the system, you find signs of overheating that did not appear before, then such a malfunction is almost certainly caused by the formation of air locks. Usually, air enters the components of the system when it is charged too quickly. Sometimes plugs can be cleared by tapping or squeezing the various hoses. If the problem still persists, stop the engine and let it cool completely, then open the reservoir cap or disconnect the hoses to bleed air from the system.

Antifreeze mixture

22. Ford claims that the antifreeze filled in the car's cooling system at the factory (TU ESD-M97B-49-A or WSS-M97B44-D), will last as long as the car itself lives. This will happen provided that the initially filled antifreeze does not mix with other types of liquids during refueling. The cooling system should always be charged with the specified brand of antifreeze mixed with clean water in a 50/50 ratio. Filling with another brand of antifreeze will automatically void the Ford warranty. To restore the warranty before refueling the system, it is necessary to completely drain the coolant and flush the cooling system.

23. If you have a used car at your disposal, the history of which is unknown, before filling the cooling system with branded antifreeze, you should thoroughly flush the cooling system in forward and reverse directions. If you then pour Ford antifreeze into the system, you can no longer worry about the cooling system.

24. If the antifreeze is not to Ford specification, it should always be replaced according to the maintenance schedule. The usual rule of thumb is to replace the antifreeze every three years.

This is necessary not only to provide reliable freeze protection, but also to prevent corrosion, which will occur due to the decrease in the effectiveness of its retarders. Always use ethylene glycol based antifreeze that is designed for multi-metal cooling systems. The amount of antifreeze and the level of protection are regulated in the specifications.

25. If antifreeze meets Ford specification, mix according to Specification. The standard mixture consists of 40% antifreeze (by volume) and 60% pure soft water. If using a different type of antifreeze, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

26. Prepare the mixture with some excess, taking into account possible refueling. True, you cannot know in advance when and how much mixture you will need, so recommendations on the amount of reserve fluid are more of an academic nature.

27. Before replacing the antifreeze, the cooling system must be emptied, flushed, and the condition and reliability of all hoses must be checked. As noted above, fresh antifreeze quickly finds a weak spot in the system.

28. After filling the system with antifreeze, stick a label on the expansion tank with a record of the brand and concentration of antifreeze. Subsequent replenishment should be made using the same brand and concentration of antifreeze.

29. Do not use antifreeze in windshield washers as this causes paint damage. To clean the glass, use special detergent additives.

General cooling system checks

30. Before they start, the engine must cool down. Therefore, perform system checks before a trip or at least 3 hours after it.

31. Remove the expansion tank cap (see paragraph 3) and wipe it with a cloth inside and out. Wipe also the neck of the tank. The presence of rust or corrosion on the neck indicates the need for a fluid change. The fluid inside the tank should be relatively clean and clear. If it is rusty, drain the fluid and flush the system, then refill with new fluid.

32. Carefully check all connections of the cooling system for leaks. Typically, the location of a leak can be identified by the presence of white or rusty loose deposits. If a leak is found, it is usually necessary to replace the hose, gasket, etc. that caused the leak.

33. Clean the front side of the radiator core from leaves, insects and other debris with a soft brush. At the same time, do not damage the thin finning plates and do not cut yourself on them. In order to perform this work more thoroughly, remove the radiator grille (see chapter 11).