Yup... quite ridiculous.. There are a few ways they could have made that much easier to get too.

 

My 2011 5.0 XLT has the same problem. Have to drain the coolant? Any advice on the process besides time? Hind sight is 20/20.

 

Really sorry for the late reply. But yes you have to drain the coolant. There's a little resivoir/red clip you pull on the passenger side to release the coolant. Make sure you set aside a good 3-4 days to complete the job. Depending how many hours a day you work on it. Definitely not a fun process.