[RF Overlord]

Hey, everyone...

I just read the maintenance article by Bob on flushing the cooling system and heater core...very nice. My Dad's '99 3.0 needs a flush badly and I have a question:

The article says to drain the coolant per the repair manual instructions. Well, I don't have access to a repair manual...can some kind soul give me the drain procedure here? I think the rest of the article is clear enough to follow except for that one part...

Thanks

 

[baby sho]

There is a drain valve on the bottom drivers side of the radiator. To get to it you will need to remove the black rock shield under the radiator (attached to the bumper via a few handfuls of screws). The valve will be a whte plastic hex screw. Use a pair of pliers to open it.

Brad

 

[sandrew]

It's much easier if you hook up a piece of 3/8" inner diameter tubing to the spigot before you go opening it up. Run the tubing to a big bucket to collect the coolant.

Hmm...at least it's 3/8" ID tubing for my Gen 2. I'd assume the same for the Gen 3 but hopefully somebody who owns one will double-check for you.

 

[shoz123]

The best place to drain the system is on the passenger side. There is a 1" hose that is connected to the bottom of the degasser tank. T^his tees into the lower radiator hose. Just up the tee a bit is a union where you can take the hose apart. This is also the lowest part of the system AND you do not have to take the plastic shield off.

This picture is looking from the passenger side to the drivers side with the plastic shield off.

 

[pimpjuice2]

helpppp pleaseeeeeee
my problem is my ac stop blowing cold air
I checked my coolant and it is rust colored
now if I flush my radiator and add new coolant will this fix my air

 

[FRAG24]

prolly you need to replace your thermostat.


does anyone has a picture of the in and out for heater core (from engine)? i need to flush it.

 

[John in Charlotte]

RF,

Regarding that shield that's under the car that most remove in order to get to the drain plug; Someone on on this board said they used a hole cutter on a drill .... a hole saw like for a door knob........in order to get to the plug without removing the shield. I removed the shield when doing mine but before I put it back on, I took my saber saw and cut about a 6" square around the area below the drain plug. That way I don't have to remove it again in order to get to the drain plug next time.

It's not that hard to remove this shield but there are 4 screws of one size and about 8 others that need removing. I'm guessing Ford added this for fuel mileage reasons since my '96 Taurus didn't have it. I covered the hole I cut out on the shield with duct tape before replacing.

 

[godspunk32]

If your ac stopped blowing cold, you might need a recharge of the system. Go to Autozone and buy a can of R-134a and follow the directions.

JR