Engine Coolant Flush Question

[2017_GT350]

Good evening. Quick question - do you need to remove the front bumper to do an engine coolant flush? Or can petcock be accessed by the removal of the belly pan? I haven't seen any coolant flush videos on YouTube for the GT350/350R. Thanks!

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[ice445]

I can't answer for 100% sure, but the GT350 rad is basically the same as the PP rad, so the petcock is in the same spot as it is on the GT. Removing the belly pan only should give you plenty of access to the area.

 

[CorralesR]

I was just thinking about doing this as well. I have an early build 17 that probably wouldnt be a bad idea to do a coolant change. Anyone have tips on doing this? Was thinking about doing a couple of drain and fills.

 

[JAJ]

I literally finished my first coolant swap today, so the answer is "you have to remove the splitter first, then the underbody panel. Once they're off, the petcock is easy to find and open up". Getting the splitter off is an SOB, but the rest is easy. To get the splitter off (just the center section, not the ends) you have to take all 14 screws out (watch the OEM video for the install to see where they are) and then pry downwards on the splitter with a tool from the front of the car where it joins the front fascia while pulling it forwards.

It's a bit challenging to put a (3/8"/10mm ID) hose on the hose connection on the drain valve because there's an HVAC pipe directly in front of it, but it's doable. Oh, and if you back the valve out far enough for it to drain fast, fluid pours all around the valve stem and makes a mess. Other than that, draining is pretty straightforward. I have an AirLift so filling it was a breeze.

The other gotcha is that it'll only drain 5 quarts of the 15.2 quarts in the cooling system. I drained and refilled mine three times before I was done, just to get the old coolant out.

 

[2017_GT350]

Thank you, all! I appreciate the information and detailed plan of attack. I will be tackling the job this weekend. I do recall the pain of the front splitter. Ford did not install the 4 diagonal bolts after they performed the cooler line recall a few years ago. I had to take care of the problem.

 

[CorralesR]

I literally finished my first coolant swap today, so the answer is "you have to remove the splitter first, then the underbody panel. Once they're off, the petcock is easy to find and open up". Getting the splitter off is an SOB, but the rest is easy. To get the splitter off (just the center section, not the ends) you have to take all 14 screws out (watch the OEM video for the install to see where they are) and then pry downwards on the splitter with a tool from the front of the car where it joins the front fascia while pulling it forwards.

It's a bit challenging to put a (3/8"/10mm ID) hose on the hose connection on the drain valve because there's an HVAC pipe directly in front of it, but it's doable. Oh, and if you back the valve out far enough for it to drain fast, fluid pours all around the valve stem and makes a mess. Other than that, draining is pretty straightforward. I have an AirLift so filling it was a breeze.

The other gotcha is that it'll only drain 5 quarts of the 15.2 quarts in the cooling system. I drained and refilled mine three times before I was done, just to get the old coolant out.

Thanks for this. Did you replace with the updated Ford coolant?

 

[JAJ]

Thanks for this. Did you replace with the updated Ford coolant?

Yes. Yellow all the way!

 

[fpa1974]

Is there a block drain bolt anywhere on these voodoos?

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