How To: Replace the Radiator Hoses on a 2009-2014 Ford F-150
Your Ford F-150’s radiator hoses transport coolant to and from the radiator. The upper radiator hose transports warm coolant to the radiator to be cooled, while the lower radiator hose connects to the water pump, sending coolant back to the engine to keep your truck running cool. Radiator hoses can become cracked, split, dry, or collapsed, causing a lack of coolant movement, or you may see a coolant leak around the radiator hose clamps. When installing new radiator hoses on your Ford, it’s recommended that you inspect the hose clamps, and in most cases, use new clamps to ensure a complete repair. Coolant leaks can lead to overheating, which may cause engine damage or failure. Our step-by-step instructions will help you perform a radiator hose replacement on your Ford F-150.
Supplies Needed for This Job:
0:00 Welcome Back
0:40 Open the Petcock
0:50 Remove Air Intake
1:10 Remove Upper Hose
1:36 Reinstall Upper Hose
1:52 Detach the Lower Hose
2:28 Install New Lower Hose
2:58 Refill Coolant
These step-by-step instructions and video detail the procedure for radiator hose replacement on a 2012 Ford F-150, and will be similar to replacement procedures for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 Ford F-150s equipped with a 5.0-liter engine. The replacement procedures will also be similar for select Ford F-150 FX2, FX4, King Ranch, Lariat, Platinum, STX, XL, and XLT models with a 5L engine from 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. If you notice your truck’s radiator hoses are dry, splitting, or collapsed, or if you notice a coolant leak, you should repair your radiator hoses as soon as possible to prevent low coolant levels, which can lead to overheating and engine failure. Learn to easily replace your Ford’s radiator hoses to keep your truck running cool.
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Wait for the engine to cool down, then place a fluid catch pan under the radiator petcock.
Open the petcock and allow the coolant to drain completely.
Remove the air cleaner outlet pipe to gain access to your radiator hoses.
To replace the upper radiator hose, loosen the hose clamps at the radiator inlet and the water outlet on the engine.
Pull the radiator hose free from the radiator inlet and engine.
In some cases you may need to use a pick, screwdriver, or something similar to break the seal between the hose and the radiator. If you’re not planning to reuse the hose, it can also be split to allow you to remove it more easily.
Now you can use your new hose and hose clamps… position the hose over the engine water outlet… and then over the radiator inlet.
Attach the clamps to secure the hose.
The lower radiator hose on your F-150 not only connects the radiator to the water pump, but also the oil cooler.
Detach the spring clamp at the thermostat housing outlet, then loosen the hose clamp at the radiator. Remove the clamps from the oil cooler inlet… and outlet hoses, then remove the hoses.
Now you can remove the hose from both the thermostat housing… and the radiator.
As before, you may need to use a pick or screwdriver to loosen the radiator hose from the radiator, or you may just cut the hose since you’ll be discarding it.
Install the new lower radiator hose at the radiator and secure it with a new clamp. Reinstall the thermostat outlet spring clamp… and re-engage the clamp.
Install the oil cooler inlet and outlet hoses… and secure them with new clamps. Fill your cooling system.
Remove your drain pan...Start your vehicle... and let it warm up to operating temperature with the heater on. If the heater is blowing warm air, turn the truck off... and check the coolant level. Add coolant as needed... then close the hood.