Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Coolant Drain

Hi,
I just replaced the coolant on my 98 Zetec. Spent almost an hour trying to get the xxxx little plastic drain plug out. Ford couldn't have made it any more difficult if they had tried. It's apparently designed for a very large screwdriver bit. But you have no room to get one on it. I finally grabbed it with a small pair of slip joint pliers and twisted it loose fearful that I would twist it off. It didn't turn very freely. Is there an aftermarket drain plug of some sort to replace the original plug to make this process easier?
Thanks,
Bill

Don't use the drain plug

There's a rubber hose on the pass. side at the bottom of
the rad. going backwards connected to a metal pipe by a
clamp. I drain it there, much more convenient than that
stupid plug.

T.

Remove the engine from the car. You will then have adequate room to reach the drain plug.

Sorry for my sarcasm. I agree with you, it's a poorly designed system. I finally got mine removed by using a big screwdriver, but it was a hassle.

The first car I ever owned was a 57 Chevy. There was enough room under the hood of that car to put a human body in front of the engine, and still close the hood. Now I can't even put my hand under the hood. On the bright side, the '57 got about 10 mpgs, and had a top speed of about 70 mph, even with a 283 V-8. I guess it's a tradeoff.

I tried every screwdriver I own and either the blade was too small or the driver was too long. I made a little progress with an offset screwdriver but finally gave up on that too. Next time I'll try the hose connection Tiv suggested. Or I may try making an offset with an extra wide blade. Maybe something that fits onto a 1/4" ratchet handle.
Thanks,
Bill

god i hate that thing. i ended up using a swiss army knife blade to turn the biatch.,..not cool...took me like 3 hours to change a damn block heater/freeze plug.

Install a coolant fush kit and you'll never have worry about it again.
Takes 15 minutes to completely drain, backflush, and refill my coolant & swap in a new T-stat.

I've never had a big problem with the coolant drain plug, it got even easier to get to when the a/c compressor disappeared.

I put one of those on my Ranger and like it a lot. On the Ranger, the fitting for the garden hose goes in one of the heater hoses. Real easy to get to. I looked around a bit for similar hoses on the Contour and couldn't see anything obvious. Where does the fitting go? Do you buy a dedicated or universal kit.

I still like to drain the system before I flush and dispose of as much of the coolant as I can in a good landfill or recycler. So, I will still need to use the drain plug or loosen the lower hose.
Bill

Does oil eat through plastic? I put my oil in milk jugs but it always ends up on my shed floor after a few months,,, too lazy to get it to the parts store.

I put my used oil into a nice 5 gal can I found years ago. When it gets full I take it to someplace like Jiffy Lube and dump it into their waste tanks. Some parts stores like Auto Zone also take waste oil. I understand some places are now taking waste coolant. Haven't found one locally though. I think the plastic milk jugs are just thin and flimsy and easily cracked.
Bill