safetypin

To be honest, this is a pain in the ***, but seriously, this isn't that huge of a deal. It sucks, yeah. The petcock to drain the radiator is like having your ******* on your left ankle: really stupid location.


But it's a reasonably quick fix, and cheap, too. I'm not defending Ford, or arguing for reducing manufacturing costs at the expense of product longevity. Just being real.


Comment intended toward the guy saying the 5.0 isn't reliable. The most common issues I know of for this pickup/engine are the rear u-joint (none of us have an ecoboost) and this coolant loss (present on my buddy's ecoboost). That's it. Trucks up to 150K.

benchwarmer4203

I've fixed both leaks myself after my initial trip to the dealer when I started this thread. Definitely not a big deal, just a nuisance. However, I do wish they'd issue a TSB. That way when someone decides to have the Ford garage look into the leak, the parts and suggested diagnosis are right in front of them. It gets pretty old hearing "We've never seen this problem before."

mustang todd

I just took my truck in to have the leak at the top of the hose near the water pump looked at. Confirmed the leak and ordered the o-ring to do the job myself.

My question is, how to you remove the hose connection? I have never seen a connector like this before.

Thanks
Todd

benchwarmer4203

Remove the locking clip. Then slide the hose off. That's all there is to it; but the hose will be stuck on there pretty tight.

2o11_TuX_BlacK_Fx4

Replaced the upper radiator hose. All is well. Had to buy off eBay. No dealers had it in stock. Local dealers couldnt even place an order until Feb 8th.

SIXCHUTERCUSTOM

I found my upper radiator hose leaking last week. The seal that connects the upper radiator hose to the T connector is the culprit. I tried a parts store for the complete hose and it was 70 bucks... Went to my local ford dealer and it was 48 bucks... That right there told me it was a common issue without checking the ford PTS web site .

It started as a drip on the driveway when ambient temps dropped to around freezing. The cold must shrink the seal and form the leak.

Ford and other car companies like to solve a possible recall issue first by dropping the price of the part.

mustang todd

Thanks, I will take a closer look once the part comes in this week.

steelerz1

Just worked on this today. What an absolute joke of engineering excellence. My trouble started a few weeks ago when I noticed my heat was not working well. Checked my coolant and it was low. It took a gallon of coolant to get back to the cold operating range in the tank. Obviously been lax with checking the coolant level. So I began searching for leaks. There were no stains where I park at home or at work so the leak is mostly when moving. This weekend I got under the truck and noticed dried antifreeze on the lower radiator hoses. Went back up top and finally found the culprit when I wiggled the t-connector. The seal on the thermostat side was bad and coolant would pour out when the connector was moved. So I go to the dealer and get a new t-connector. Installed it and that leak is gone...however now have steady stream of coolant from upper radiator hose side of t-connector! WTF? It was not leaking before at all. Back to the dealer for the upper hose. I installed it and the leaks appeared to be gone. I drove the truck about 20 miles and after parking noticed a few drops of liquid under the truck. Great...it was dark so not sure if it was residual water from where I rinsed the old coolant off or if it is new coolant. Guess I will check again tomorrow.
This design by Ford is pathetic. The entire t-connector contraption relies on o-rings to seal but is not fixed to a bracket so it moves around with the vibrations of the motor and bumps in the road. No way that the flimsy design will not fail prematurely.
I am going to see if I can find a permanent solution like the one someone came up with for the coolant tank leaking issue. I have zero confidence that this won't happen again.

benchwarmer4203

Take everything apart again when you'll be able to let the truck sit for at least 24 hours at a temp above 50F. Clean the upper and lower portion of the T with denatured alcohol. Clean the upper connection to the thermostat with denatured alcohol and scotchbrite as necessary. Put a heavy bead of high temp rtv on the outboard edge of both connections (this will be a secondary seal after the factory seals.) The RTV will also "glue" the T connector to the thermostat and the upper radiator hose to the T connector. You should have excess RTV squeeze out of both connectors. Reinsert the locking clips. After an hour or so, pull connections toward the thermostat again. Let the RTV set up for a minimum of 24hrs. If temps are below 50F you should let it set up longer. After it's set, test tightness of connections, and refill the system with coolant mixture. It's critical to make sure the RTV is set up before refilling the system.

steelerz1

Thanks benchwarmer. I will try this if I am still having issues. My problem is having 24 hours without a vehicle and the above 50F. May have to wait a month or so. We shall see. Thanks for taking the time to respond with the details. Very much appreciated. Really surprised with this poor design. Everything is done for cheap and speed of install on the assembly line I guess. A nice aluminum y connector with hose clamps would take care of the issue I would think?