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Little bit of background, I just had the radiator pump replaced in my car. The coolant was flushed with Ford Morotcraft Gold. I added some Oreilly Universal and recently I discovered that it was green instead of gold; with no silicates or phosphates that the Motorcraft Gold has.

This is a bigger question now because it seems I have another leak in the system, this time in the reservoir and until I get it into a mechanic I'm topping off with this green-colored universal coolant. Is it OK or will I need another flush with pure Motorcraft Gold?

Thanks!

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I believe if it says that it fills WSS-M97B51-A1 (which should be in your user manual) specifications then it should be perfectly fine. But if it does not say it, it may still be fine (see info below)

It looks like your original antifreeze is HOAT (yellow) and the green one is IAT. The IAT has a lifetime of 2 years so you will need to change it earlier. Source: http://www.hastingsfilter.com/Literature/TSB/05-2R1.pdf and http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/us120426.htm

The thing is, usually antifreeze is mixed 50-50 with water. Is the one you use pre-mixed? If it says 'full strength' you need to add equal amounts of water also. But it may also be ready '50/50' mix.

If you think that you will need a lot of extra coolant until you can make it to service, you can go with the green one. It is probably cheaper also. But if you replace significant amounts of the yellow coolant, all you need is to get the coolant replaced next time after 2 years instead of 5 years. Instead, you can also use coolant test strips to have an eye on it once in a while. I found online that 50 strip package costs $15 only. Just make a web search.

Personally I think the flush is an unnecessary operation unless your warranty requires it or the coolant is muddy/cloudy when you are changing it.

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