The F-150 nameplate has been around since the mid-1970s and is still applied to Ford's half-ton pickup trucks. The radiator fins in your F-150 are made from aluminum, but the upper and lower radiator tanks are made from plastic. The drain plug, which is mounted on the lower tank on the bottom of the radiator, is also made from plastic. If you are not careful when performing maintenance on your radiator, it is quite easy to strip the threads of your drain plug, necessitating its replacement to prevent coolant from leaking around it.
Tools Used: Drain pan, 19 mm wrench, Replacement drain plug, Funnel
Replace a Radiator Drain Plug
Open the hood. Place a clean drain pan under the front of your F-150.
Crawl under the vehicle and loosen the white plastic drain plug on the passenger side of the radiator at the bottom with a 19 mm wrench turned in a counterclockwise direction.
Allow the coolant to fully drain from the radiator and into the drain pan.
Remove the drain plug by twisting it counterclockwise until it backs out of the fitting. Thread a new drain plug into the fitting by hand, being careful not to cross-thread it. Carefully tighten the plug with the 19 mm wrench turned in a clockwise direction.
Remove the cap from the white plastic coolant reservoir on top of the engine by twisting it off in a counterclockwise direction. Place a funnel into the opening. Slowly pour the coolant from the drain pan back into the reservoir. Start the truck and let it warm up to operating temperature if the reservoir fills up before all of the coolant is poured in. Pour the rest of the coolant into the reservoir once the engine has warmed up and the coolant has circulated, purging any air bubbles from the system.
Tighten the reservoir cap in a clockwise direction and close the hood.
Tips & Warnings
If your new drain plug will not tighten properly, the threads on the lower radiator tank may be stripped. If this is the case, take your truck to a radiator shop so that they can replace the bottom tank on your radiator.
Do not perform this procedure if the truck has been run or driven recently. Let the engine cool down completely so that you will not be scalded by hot coolant.
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