2.3L/2.5L Radiator Drain/Refill/Bleed procedure

[JoeliusZ28]

Hey All,

 

I just figured I would provide a write-up on how to do this, since prior to doing this job I wasn't able to find a detailed write-up for the 4-cylinder fusions. Initially i was concerned about doing this myself since I've read a lot of horror stories of getting the air bubbles out of these systems, but it actually turned out to be really easy. Here's how I did it. Please use this information at your own risk!

 

1. Start by elevating the front of the car (safely on jackstands, the more jackstands the better). Make sure the engine is COLD before going any further. Do not begin with a hot engine.

 

2. Open the hood and open the Coolant cap on the passenger side of the engine bay.

 

3. Remove the plastic valences beneath the radiator and get them out of the way. What you are looking for is the radiator drain petcock on the driver side. It has a red cap. You may want to soak this with a penetrating agent like PB blaster if it hasn't been used in a while, so that it doesn't crack when you try to open it. (do not force it!!). If the petcock is stuck, it may be better to disconnect the lower radiator hose instead. Its a little more work and messier but will be less of a headache than replacing a radiator.

 

4. Drain the coolant from the petcock valve. I use a medical drain pain so i can measure exactly how much coolant I drain out of the car. It will drain very slowly, but at least this part isn't messy like it is on some other types of vehicles.

 

5. Once the radiator is fully drained, close the petcock valve and lower the car. (you may want to wait to replace the plastic valence until later if there are any issues). It is important that the car is level when refilling this finicky 2.3/2.5L coolant system.

 

6. Locate the bleeder valve (the users manual has an image to show where it is) and open it. It is located on the driver side of the intake manifold and is attached with a short piece of small hose. You open it with a screw driver. Again, a penetrating agent might be a good idea if it hasnt been opened in a long time. It may appear to only open a quarter turn, but it can opened much further. When you refill the radiator next, be prepared for some new coolant to spill from this valve beneath the car.

 

7. Refill the coolant with the correct coolant. You will use at least the same amount you drained in the refill procedure, likely more. Refill until you reach the "cold level" fill line on the reservoir. Some coolant may spill out of the bleeder valve as you do this. This is not necessarily a bad thing because the coolant spilling out seems to be bring out air bubbles with it. Let the car settle a minute, and refill again if the reservoir level drops any.

 

8. Close the bleeder valve and the cap.

 

9. take the car for a drive.

 

(IF THIS IS THE FIRST TEST DRIVE READ THIS, IF NOT SKIP TO STEP 10) It is very likely you will hear the dreaded gurgling sound these cars are known for when you start the car. Don't panic, you're not done yet. While on the test drive stay very close to your garage / driveway / work space and *WATCH YOUR TEMP GAUGE!* Most likely the car will eventually reach proper operating temperature and remain there. If so, you can trust it to drive anywhere at this point and you can reinstall the lower bumper valence. if the car begins to read hotter than normal, shut it off! let it cool a while, and then return to your garage. if this happens that means there is a large air bubble trapped in the coolant system and its blocking flow. its only a big deal if you continue driving and let the car overheat.

 

10. Park the car on a LEVEL surface and let it cool off completely. (recommend at least 12 hours).

 

11. Now that the engine is cold again, open the reservoir cap, and open the bleeder valve to burp remaining air in the system. With the bleeder valve still open, add coolant to return the reservoir to the correct cold fill level. Due to the position of the bleeder valve in relation to the reservoir, topping off even a small amount can make the difference in getting air bubbles out. Close the bleeder valve and reservoir cap and the car is ready to drive again.

 

12. If at this point you still hear gurgling noise, repeat steps 9 - 11 until you no longer hear gurgling noise after startup. It may also be helpful to give the car full throttle on the test drive since the waterpump is driven by the engine and high RPMs may help work some air bubbles through the system. What I've learned about the cooling system on these cars is that they are not *difficult* to bleed, they are just time consuming to bleed. In other words, they take a few burps and full cold/hot cycles of the engine to get all the air out. So having done this, I can imagine why this is a pain for shops and dealerships that are expected to complete this job in short time. I had to bleed mine 4 times (including the initial fillup) before the gurgling noise went away. And now that the gurgling noise is gone it hasn't returned. (did this job about 3 weeks ago now).

 

Any questions let me know, and hopefully you find this helpful!

Edited January 23, 2017 by JoeliusZ28

[sirtanon]

Nice write up! Thanks for this.

[Mr Maintenance]

Thanks for writing this up, but I'm still having problems:

#6, I used the PB blaster, the bleeder valve opened much further (started at 1/8 turn, maybe a half turn now?).  Our 2012 fusion 2.5 never has any fluid come out of the bleeder valve, and the air is not getting out of the system.  Where is the air and fluid supposed to come out of the bleeder valve?  From the screwdriver slot?  From somewhere else?

Thanks in advance,

     Mr Maintenance

[Mr Maintenance]

I went back and turned the screw part open until I saw the O ring come out of the valve.  That is how I should have done it the first time.  Thank you for this article, it was very helpful (except for how far to turn the valve open).

Mr. Maintenance