How to change the thermostat in a 1997-2004 F-150

[@NomadRad]

I have had mine 5 years and the truck just threw a code for this. It hasn't overheated, on the contrary, mine would not get up to temp. Thanks for walking me through it. 2004 4.6l

[@luisponce1472]

What code did it Throw?

[@MrTmax74]

And very little heat from the heater I take it? That's where I'm at

[@NomadRad]

@MrTmax74 I don't recall the code. But the thermostat fixed it. In regards to the heat, there was absolutely no heat coming through the vents.

[@markfcoble]

Thank you! Good video to help us non mechanical.

[@FATMAC_365]

Don’t forget to drain some of the coolant because you need to scrape off all the old glue from thermostat housing and mating surface and also I didn’t see him use no gasket maker glue ALWAYS USE THAT FOR ADDED PROTECTION THAT WAY YOU HAVE 0 LEAKS

[@chriss4365]

There was no glue. Watch it again. I used a new gasket. You don't need gasket maker. Still has no leaks.

[@FATMAC_365]

@@chriss4365 I seen the gasket I’m saying personally I always use gasket maker in addition to the gasket that’s for added protection and also I mentioned you didn’t clean neither surface on the thermostat housing rust and corrosion can cause your gasket to leak and you also need to drain some of the coolant so you can see the thermostat housing surfaces but you just threw the thermostat and gasket straight in

[@CoreyAnderson-p5e]

@@FATMAC_365DUDE STHU DAMN

[@jessicahiggins1988]

So the service engine light came on ... its not over heating or anything but the codes read said it was low coolant , the thermostat or the coolant system . Its a Ford F-150 5.4 V8 . What exactly would " coolant system " mean ? Where should i start ? Thermostat ? That seems obvious lol but id still like to understand the system issue . ( if thats it )

[@chriss4365]

I would start with checking the coolant level. Heated coolant has a unique smell so you can smell it you have a leak. My truck actually overheated and the ecu kicked in and saved the engine getting my attention so I could pull over and shut it off. Make sure engine is cool before opening fill cap on radiator if you do not see coolant close to the top its low.

[@santozfigaro8892]

Hola amigo tengo un ford f150 año 2000 y me calienta me puedes indicar por donde empieso, dame algunas ideas porfa

[@chriss4365]

Verifica el nivel de refrigerante: Asegúrate de que el depósito de refrigerante esté lleno hasta el nivel adecuado. Si está bajo, agrega refrigerante según sea necesario. Inspecciona posibles fugas de refrigerante: Busca signos visibles de fugas de refrigerante, como charcos debajo del vehículo o áreas húmedas en mangueras y conexiones. Repara cualquier fuga que encuentres. Examina el radiador y el sistema de enfriamiento: Inspecciona el radiador en busca de daños u obstrucciones. Asegúrate de que las aletas del radiador estén limpias y libres de escombros. Revisa la tapa del radiador en busca de señales de desgaste o daño. Además, examina las mangueras y conexiones en busca de fugas u obstrucciones. Prueba el ventilador del radiador: Arranca el motor y déjalo en marcha lenta. Observa si el ventilador del radiador se activa cuando el motor alcanza la temperatura de funcionamiento. Si el ventilador no se enciende, puede haber un problema con el motor del ventilador, el relé o el sensor de temperatura. Verifica el termostato: Un termostato defectuoso puede causar sobrecalentamiento. Considera reemplazarlo si es necesario. Inspecciona la bomba de agua: La bomba de agua circula el refrigerante por todo el motor. Busca signos de fugas o movimiento en la polea de la bomba. Si hay problemas, es posible que debas reemplazar la bomba de agua. Verifica el estado del refrigerante: Si el refrigerante no se ha reemplazado durante mucho tiempo, puede perder su efectividad. Considera purgar el sistema de enfriamiento y reemplazar el refrigerante. Revisa el sistema de enfriamiento del motor en busca de bolsas de aire: Las bolsas de aire pueden dificultar la circulación adecuada del refrigerante y causar sobrecalentamiento. Sigue las instrucciones del fabricante para purgar el sistema de enfriamiento. Considera la tapa del radiador: Una tapa del radiador defectuosa puede causar pérdida de refrigerante y sobrecalentamiento. Inspecciona la tapa y reemplázala si es necesario. Si no estás seguro de realizar estos pasos por ti mismo, se recomienda consultar a un mecánico profesional que pueda diagnosticar y resolver el problema de sobrecalentamiento en tu Ford F150.

[@Mendofishing559]

I have a 98 my oil light comes on and and coolant gauge goes to high but then it later goes back to normal I changed out thermostat but same result

[@chriss4365]

Check for milky looking oil and do not drive if the oil is milky, you have water in the oil. You probably just have some air in the system.

[@johncrouch1070]

There is also a temperature sensor on your engine right behind your alternator that looks like a spark plug… when they go bad it will also trigger the hot engine gage to go to the high position… it’s a pretty cheap part and easy to replace… hope this helps you out my brother…

[@Trevor-ju6uw]

Bad cluster

[@Mendofishing559]

@@chriss4365 I checked the oil no water mixed….coolant reservoir isn’t bubbling but my oil cap does have a milky residue I changed all the sensors thermostat and water pump it drives fine but I noticed it has a hard time starting up as well pro-long crank after 3 times it starts up low compression I’m thinking

[@Mendofishing559]

Probably a bad head gasket???

[@zacherylevelle5611]

Do you not need to drain the coolant?

[@chriss4365]

No.

[@theAxehound]

Same problem yesterday. Did this solve your problem?

[@chriss4365]

Yes it did, no overheating since. If there is a video I could make about the truck let me know.

[@theAxehound]

@@chriss4365, thanks! I'll throw you a sub and take you up on that some time! I love my 10th Gens. I did this job yesterday. The jury is still out, it hasn't overheated again (yet), but the heater still doesn't work and it still bogs-down at startup (but I just give it a tad of gas when cranking). Probably need to change the heater-coil under the firewall and do a good coolant flush (probably should have done that before the t-stat), though I don't really need a heater in S. Louisiana! I'm starting to worry that my cats might be crumbling and blocking the exhaust. Thanks, cheers

[@chriss4365]

@@theAxehound how many miles on the truck? My heater core was disconnected when I bought the truck in 2015 I guess it was leaking. It only bogs at startup? Might be the idle air control valve.

[@theAxehound]

@@chriss4365, "idle air control valve" hughh, that's new to me, I'll have to search that. Its a '99 4.2L with a quarter million miles (original engine and trans). The heater def. worked when I bought her. Its not worth fixing the heater core, but should I bypass it? Is it bad to not bypass it if its not working? Heating is useless down here and its a work truck, so mostly only drive her in the day. Cheers

[@theAxehound]

@@chriss4365, I did notice that the "Service Engine Soon" light hasn't come back on (for the first time ever) lol.

[@seanc6468]

Mine wouldn't get up to normal temp. But could heat the interior. But i started hearing bubbling from the engine. So I bought a thermostat because i figured it had to be the problem.

[@chriss4365]

Probably stuck open. Let us know what happens.

[@theAxehound]

Did it work?

[@luisponce1472]

Did it Work?

[@chriss4365]

@@luisponce1472 Who are you asking?

[@luisponce1472]

Sean

[@BabyJesus420]

dont use that to knock it off , use a dead blow hammer

[@samuelbuell5423]

Damn must be nice to have a vertical radiator. Mine is horizontal and I'm finding it to be a BITCH to deal with.

[@chriss4365]

I thought they were all the same?

[@samuelbuell5423]

@@chriss4365 Nope not mine. 1999 f150 XL 4.2 engine. The thermostat housing is LITERALLY sideways. BUT with all that said, your video still helped me. It was just a pain in my ass because I had to hold it there and that didn't work. So I used gasket maker on the tube, put on the gasket, and used more gasket maker on the other side of the gasket and the thermostat to ensure it was nice and puttied on. Wiggled it in carefully, as it was a wet seal, and fought as hard as i could to maneuver it in there. No leaks! Then i found out the pin hole was supposed to be in the 12 o clock position and I just left it alone. So far no issues other than shooting up high in temps the first time I drove it for 3 miles. Turned it off, burped it a little, no problems since (yet). Only 1 day in so far, I had to give it 24 hours for the gasket maker to set before adding in coolant.

[@samuelbuell5423]

@@chriss4365 I also noticed your gasket was a nice rubber gasket. The one I purchased from Autozone was more of a paper machete gasket and it could have ripped very easily, which is why I used gasket maker. Because I had a bad feeling that piece of paper wasn't going to make it by itself. I read a comment someone else said you forgot gasket maker, but they weren't considering other factors such as you had a nice, fitted silicone gasket.

[@chriss4365]

@samuelbuell5423 Yeah, it came with a rubber gasket, so adding more to it is pointless.

[@Mygames627]

18 ft. Lbs

[@tombabcock4967]

beat it with a hammer mechanic? Just get a bigger hammer? No thanks