This is one of the easier fluid jobs on the 13th-gen F-150, with one catch: there's no radiator cap. You fill and bleed through the pressurized degas bottle on the passenger side, and the system will hold air if you just dump coolant in and drive away. Plan on removing the front lower air deflector to reach the radiator drain, and have a pan that holds at least five gallons.
What varies is capacity and how much of a fight the bleed is. The 3.3/3.5 naturally aspirated V6 and 5.0 V8 bleed quickly; the 2.7 and 3.5 EcoBoost have longer hose runs and turbo coolant lines that like to trap air, so use a spill-free funnel and let it idle with the heater on full until the upper hose is hot. The mistake most people make is coolant choice - check the label on your own degas bottle, because Ford used orange on most of this generation and yellow on some later builds, and mixing them gels the system.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum Lift the front of the truck for access to the radiator drain and splash shield. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair Support the truck at the frame while you work underneath. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Block the rear wheels before lifting. | Safety | shop |
| Socket set 8 mm and 10 mm sockets, 1/4 in drive with ratchet Removes the lower air deflector/splash shield bolts and worm-gear hose clamps. | Required | shop |
| Trim/push-pin tool Plastic pry set Pops the plastic push pins holding the front lower air dam without breaking them. | Recommended | shop |
| Drain pan 5 gallon low-profile Catches 3-4 gallons of coolant; a small pan will overflow. | Required | shop |
| Hose clamp pliers Spring-band hose clamp pliers, cable type preferred Ford uses spring-band constant-tension clamps on the radiator hoses; regular pliers barely work in the tight lower area. | Required | shop |
| Flat-blade screwdriver Medium Opens the radiator drain cock a quarter turn and helps free stuck hoses. | Required | shop |
| Spill-free funnel kit Universal coolant funnel with Ford/large-neck adapter Threads onto the degas bottle so you can fill and burp air without airlocks or mess. | Required | shop |
| Needle-nose pliers Frees hose retainer clips and repositions clamps. | Recommended | shop |
| Garden hose / distilled water Flushing the radiator and topping off if you buy full-strength concentrate. | Consumables | shop |
| Engine coolant Motorcraft Orange prediluted (WSS-M97B44-D2) on most 2015-2020; some later builds specify Motorcraft Yellow (WSS-M97B51-A1) - check the reservoir label Correct spec coolant for the aluminum engine and cooler; never mix orange and yellow. | Parts | shop |
| Radiator drain plug/cock Ford petcock, replace if brittle The plastic drain cock commonly cracks or won't reseal after being opened. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Coolant is hot, slippery and toxic. | Safety | shop |
| Shop towels and degreaser Clean up spills; coolant on aluminum and driveways stains and attracts pets. | Consumables | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/4 in drive, 3-20 ft-lb range Snugs splash shield and clamp screws without stripping plastic or aluminum. | Recommended | shop |
| Coolant hydrometer or refractometer Verifies the final mix gives adequate freeze protection. | Recommended | shop |
Fastener sizes are the same across all four engines - 8 mm and 10 mm for shields and worm clamps, spring-band clamps on the main hoses. Capacity differs: roughly 3 gallons for the 5.0 V8 and 3.3/2.7, closer to 4 gallons on the 3.5 EcoBoost, and more with auxiliary transmission/oil coolers on max-tow trucks. EcoBoost trucks have turbo coolant lines that make bleeding slower, so allow extra idle time.
| Radiator drain cock | Hand tight only, quarter turn to seat (do not use a wrench) |
| Radiator hose worm-gear clamp screw | verify in the service manual |
| Front lower air deflector / splash shield bolts | about 7 ft-lb (10 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Degas bottle mounting nuts | verify in the service manual |
The 8 mm/10 mm fastener sizes, spring-band clamps and degas-bottle fill procedure are correct for this generation, but drain cock presence and exact coolant capacity vary by engine and cooling package, so verify capacity and coolant spec against the label on your reservoir and the owner's manual.
Most use Motorcraft Orange prediluted antifreeze meeting Ford spec WSS-M97B44-D2; some later builds in this generation specify Motorcraft Yellow (WSS-M97B51-A1). Read the label on your degas bottle and the owner's manual, and never mix the two.
On most builds it's a plastic drain cock on the lower driver-side corner of the radiator tank, reachable after removing the front lower air deflector. If your truck doesn't have one, you drain by pulling the lower radiator hose off with spring clamp pliers.
Roughly 3 gallons on the 3.3 V6, 2.7 EcoBoost and 5.0 V8, and about 4 gallons on the 3.5 EcoBoost; more with auxiliary coolers. A simple drain-and-fill only replaces about half of that, so buy 2-3 gallons of prediluted coolant.
Thread a spill-free funnel onto the degas bottle, fill slowly, then idle the engine with the heater on max heat until the thermostat opens and bubbles stop. Blip the throttle to around 2000 rpm a few times, then let it cool and recheck the cold level over the next couple of drive cycles.