Fusion Sport: 1/3 of coolant drained out; where's the rest?

[MacGregor Clan]

I am trying to replace the coolant on my 2012 Fusion Sport 3.5 L.  When I opened the drain on the radiator and opened the fill bottle cap on the cold engine, only about 4 quarts drained out.  The vehicle is level, and even tried raising the front end.   Only one gallon drained out.

 

I assume that the thermostat needs to be opened to allow the rest of the coolant to drain out without the engine being hot.  Or maybe not?  If so, how to I remove the T-stat?  If not, what else should I do?

 

Thanks for any help!

[fusionmanor]

That's about all the Radiator holds, for a completely dry 3.5 system it calls for 11.1 quarts total........... 

[bbf2530]

8 hours ago, MacGregor Clan said:

I am trying to replace the coolant on my 2012 Fusion Sport 3.5 L.  When I opened the drain on the radiator and opened the fill bottle cap on the cold engine, only about 4 quarts drained out.  The vehicle is level, and even tried raising the front end.   Only one gallon drained out.

 

I assume that the thermostat needs to be opened to allow the rest of the coolant to drain out without the engine being hot.  Or maybe not?  If so, how to I remove the T-stat?  If not, what else should I do?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

Hi MC. To do it correctly and get all the coolant out, you need to do a complete drain/flush/fill of the system, not just drain/fill.

 

Good luck.

[MacGregor Clan]

Thanks for your response.  I know that the system holds 10.6 qts, but I don't know how to open the t-stat to pull the fluid out of the engine block and heater core.  How does a power flush do that?  My alternative is to replace the 4+ quarts now and do so each year (instead of every 2 years, as recommended in the owner's manual).

 

Thoughts?

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, MacGregor Clan said:

Thanks for your response.  I know that the system holds 10.6 qts, but I don't know how to open the t-stat to pull the fluid out of the engine block and heater core.  How does a power flush do that?  My alternative is to replace the 4+ quarts now and do so each year (instead of every 2 years, as recommended in the owner's manual).

 

Thoughts?

 

Hi MC. A proper, full flush of the cooling system flushes out the entire engine, radiator etc. That is what you need to do.

 

Draining only the radiator and doing it "4+ quarts" every year is not the proper way to replace the coolant. You will not be flushing out the contaminants in the cooling system, and will simply be contaminating 4+ quarts of coolant with old coolant every year. And pulling the thermostat to try and drain the engine will not properly drain the system of contaminants either. Plus, it is not an easy job to pull the thermostat.

 

Also, no one mentioned a "power flush". You can easily flush the cooling system with a garden hose, if you know how (just do not let the old coolant run onto the driveway/street/into the sewers etc). Whether you do it yourself or have a shop do it, you need to perform a full coolant system flush.

 

You can usually find coupons for a coolant system flush on the Ford Owners website, most individual Dealer websites, websites and ads for independent shops in your area etc.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited November 24, 2020 by bbf2530

[drolds1]

Here's a DIY method of flushing your Ford cooling system.  The only thing I'd add is to use distilled water for the final fill.

https://youtu.be/RWIXa50R9bo