theflyfisherman

Wondering if anyone has changed their own (factory) coolant in their 2010 5.4L? Bought the gold stuff at the dealer's, got the flush chemical and the distilled water. When I finally found the rad drain valve, only got about a gallon (4L) of coolant out. Manual says system takes about 4 gallons (16L). How do I get the other 3 gallons (12L) of coolant out to do the flush and refill? Run engine so water pump ejects coolant? Bottom rad hose? Engine block drain somewhere? Thanks for any help available. -Rob

NateC

When I did mine I just did multiple drain and and fills (~20 gallons total) until it ran clear and then refilled. Hopefully someone else can chime in about an engine drain plug though - I've searched high and low but haven't been able to find anything definitive.

RoJo F150

That's what I did with mine too. My overflow bottle had something floating around in it. I drained the system then put my water hose in the overflow bottle and ran the engine with the heat on high until the water came out clear. Then I topped it off with fluid drove the truck for a few days, drained it again and filled it up with the correct anti-freeze.

theflyfisherman

Thanks Nate. Did you just drain through the rad drain plug, and refill through the degas bottle?

NateC

My degas bottle was pretty nasty inside so I took it off to clean it and filled through the radiator cap. Obviously you have to be careful to not let it get too hot / pressurized this way. And yes, I drained from the radiator drain plug. If you put some 3/8 ID hose on the plug you can drain it straight into a bucket instead of spilling it everywhere!

theflyfisherman

Thanks again Nate. My buddy told me to "pump" the old coolant out with the rad plug open and the engine running and warmed up so the thermostat opens, to empty the block, heater and hoses. Then fill with rad flush and water, run the engine to circulate the mixture, drain again, let cool, then refill with 50/50 coolant and distilled water.