I goofed... or did I?

[lhrhodes]

To make a long story short, running low on coolant. Yep, Job 1. Have not taken a really close look under the truck, but I know we're leaking coolant somewhere. So I had to top the reservoir off with something. Only thing I could get my hands on at the time was some green Prestone 50/50. After the fact I realized the Motorcraft guide states that you should only use Motorcraft gold.

Is this a ploy to get more of my $ than they already have, and have I made a major blunder, or am I OK?

By the way, taking the truck into the shop to have it looked after and get those safety recalls taken care of. Also thinking about persuading the tech to perform a reflash. More details later.

[DieselMan1982]

youll be fine till they can flush the system out, its not going to hurt anything

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by lhrhodes

After the fact I realized the Motorcraft guide states that you should only use Motorcraft gold.

Any antifreeze that is the same chemical formula as Motorcraft Premium Gold is okay. Zerex G-05 is the same thing. And there are some other brands that make a G-05 too, but I stick to either Motorcraft or Zerex. I have found Zerex G-05 at Autozone, but they don't always have it in stock. G-05® Antifreeze/ Coolant

Is this a ploy to get more of my $ than they already have, and have I made a major blunder, or am I OK?

Not a "major" blunder, but a blunder nevertheless. In a nutshell, you have ruined your coolant, and it needs to be flushed out pretty soon. No emergency, but I would do it within a few weeks or a few thousand miles. And I wouldn't trust any dealer or quick-lube place to do it right. So do it yourself (DIY).

The following is a link to an old thread where I explained the procedures. Although not written for a 2008, they will work for your truck. Changing from Green to Gold Coolant in a 7.3L PSD

[444-4D]

How much Prestone did you put in it? I doubt you have ruined your coolant. Smokey is over reacting.

Read this http://www.fleetguard.com/pdfs/produ..._TB03-05-2.pdf

[sheepman]

Its my understanding that once you mix the two the coolent will turn black.

[SmokeyWren]

Plain ole Prestone green antifreeze (no longer available) was high silicate. It was never intended for use in diesel engines because it doesn't work right with supplemental coolant additive(SCA). And if you have green antifreeze mixed with your G-05, then you must maintain th SCA level in the coolant as though it were green antifreeze.

So in effect, the old Prestone green antifreeze mixed with G-05 coolant will be fine for a gasoline engine, but it ruins the coolant for use in a diesel engine.

The Fleetguard page 444-4D linked mentions that it's okay to mix Prestone Heavy Duty antifreeze with various Fleetguard antifreeze formulas. Prestone Heavy duty is intended for use in diesel engines when SCA is maintained in the coolant. But you didn't use Heavy Duty (in the black jug), it sounds like you used plain ole high-silicon Prestone in the yellow jug. And that article makes no mention of high-silicone Prestone being mixed with antifreeze being used in diesel engines.

So I'll repeat, you have ruined your coolant for use in a diesel engine.

[lhrhodes]

Thanks for all the feedback. I put about a half gallon of 50/50 in the reservoir. This was the end of last week. So I'll get it taken care of bright and early Saturday morning. Then again, I'll be into the dealer first thing Monday for a possible rad replacement, so I might wait until then. Either way, not making this mistake again... I'll have a gallon of the gold in my truck box at all times from now on. Lesson learned.

[444-4D]

Regardless of what Smokey says, a half gallon of whatever kind of Prestone 50/50 you put in there won't ruin your coolant.