How do you change a heater hose - radiator hose on a Ford Windstar?

Answer 1

Hose Tips & OverviewRule #1Never ever work on a warm or hot engine!The cooling system is pressurized and will scald you if you forget this #1 rule

• The radiator hose clamps are likely going to be tough to get at - kinda buried or surrounded.

  See "Related Questions" below for information about a great tool to make those clamps a breeze to get at

• Stuck hoses -
• • Twisting works much better than pulling
  • If replacing the hose, use a knife to slice the hose where it sits on the outlet
  • Hose pick - a scratch-awl bent around to a u-shape - great for working up underneath the stuck end to break it loose and help 'pull'
• Clean any corrosion from outlet surfaces to improve sealing
• When replacing any hose, be sure to drain the coolantdown to below that level of the engine
• • Upper hoses & thermostats won't require much draining
  • Lower radiator hose is going to empty the entire engine of coolant
  • Drain accordingly

REMINDER: Make sure the engine is COLD BEFORE opening the cap or removing a hose end

• Drain coolant below that of the hose or part of the system you're working on
• Release hose clamps from both ends of hose
• Remove existing hose
• Route new hose to connect to water outlets
• Replace clamps
• Re-fill coolant slowly to prevent an air lock
• Start engine and look for leaks
• Run engine to normal operating temperature with heater on
• Re-check coolant level

Upper Hose - 1999-2003 (and likely all Windstars, Freestars & Montereys)

• Have one of those hose clamp tools, or suffer a whole lot more than you really need to (see Related Questions below)
• Remove the battery - 10mm nuts on the clamps, 5/16th nut on the battery hold-down
• Remove the rubber part between the air filter housing and the throttle body - 5/16ths clamps & note the small pipe going into the backside
• The front end is relatively easy to access - pair of large size needle-nose pliers works good
• The back end - did you get that clamp tool yet? Now is when you're going to curse the engineers. The 'ears' of the clamp were very likely to be on the bottom-side of the hose - works great with the clamp tool. The pliers will likely work too.

NOTE: My upper hose had a hole worn into it by rubbing up against the bottom corner of the battery tray! Make sure the protective sleeve on the new hose is in the right position to save your new one from suffering the same fate.

Lower Radiator Hose

• Be prepared to get splashed! Including EYE PROTECTION
• Get a clamp tool
• Grab the clamps and move towards the center of the hose
• Don't screw with trying to save the hose - just cut it in half and slice the ends when you get the clamps out of the way ($10)
• Get screw-type replacement clamps and slide onto the hose

  NOTE: Make sure the nut-tightening side is facing a direction you can reach!

• I found putting the top end of the hose on FIRST worked best

See "Related Questions" below for more