Tackled a coolant flush/fill on my 2010 5.4L F-150 today. It’s not as easy as a Mustang! First off, getting all of the coolant out is a challenge. With our Mustangs, the lower radiator hose is easily accessible... not so much in a 4x4 truck. The guides online simply say to drain the coolant from the radiator petcock. Problem is this is not the lowest point of the system.
I got the truck up in the air to make this job easier:
![189618]( "189618")
I drained what I could from the radiator drain. I actually slipped some vinyl tubing on the drain since the drain goes straight onto the truck’s frame and all over.
![189619]( "189619")
Next, I tried gettting to the lower radiator hose. The access is severely hampered. I removed the plastic air dam... it helped, but still not good access. Next step was to pull the front driver’s side wheel. I then used a plastic trim removal tool and popped the forward most plastic push pin on the fender liner. I pulled it back and used a ruler stuck in the spring to hold it out of the way. I finally had adequate access! There is a metal C-clamp that pulls completely off before you can pull the lower radiator hose off. Once I pulled the hose, quite a bit more coolant came out!
![189620]( "189620")
Next, I lowered the truck a bit and used vinyl tubing to siphon/drain the degas bottle.
![189621]( "189621")
After the system was drained, I put it all back together and filled it with straight distilled water. I ran it for a bit and then did all of the above steps to drain it a second time.
I filled the system with 50/50 gold concentrate coolant/distilled water. Now the problem was trapped air! I backed the truck into the ditch to get the nose up and revved it. No help! I had the heater on full hot. It was blowing cold and the truck was about to over heat. I put it back on level ground and then slowly opened the radiator cap to dump pressure. Quite a bit of pressurized air came out. Next, I pulled the upper radiator hose and back-filled it with coolant. This did the trick and all is well again! I topped off the degas bottle and called this project DONE!
![189622]( "189622")
I got the truck up in the air to make this job easier:
I drained what I could from the radiator drain. I actually slipped some vinyl tubing on the drain since the drain goes straight onto the truck’s frame and all over.
Next, I tried gettting to the lower radiator hose. The access is severely hampered. I removed the plastic air dam... it helped, but still not good access. Next step was to pull the front driver’s side wheel. I then used a plastic trim removal tool and popped the forward most plastic push pin on the fender liner. I pulled it back and used a ruler stuck in the spring to hold it out of the way. I finally had adequate access! There is a metal C-clamp that pulls completely off before you can pull the lower radiator hose off. Once I pulled the hose, quite a bit more coolant came out!
Next, I lowered the truck a bit and used vinyl tubing to siphon/drain the degas bottle.
After the system was drained, I put it all back together and filled it with straight distilled water. I ran it for a bit and then did all of the above steps to drain it a second time.
I filled the system with 50/50 gold concentrate coolant/distilled water. Now the problem was trapped air! I backed the truck into the ditch to get the nose up and revved it. No help! I had the heater on full hot. It was blowing cold and the truck was about to over heat. I put it back on level ground and then slowly opened the radiator cap to dump pressure. Quite a bit of pressurized air came out. Next, I pulled the upper radiator hose and back-filled it with coolant. This did the trick and all is well again! I topped off the degas bottle and called this project DONE!
