Looking to identify all the ports on radiator for a 1997 F150 inline 6.
I noticed steam from coolant leaking on to engine and found a port on the
radiator where it was leaking. Heater core and overflow are connected. This
truck is a standard transmission and I am wondering if the empty port could be
for transmission (which should be capped on a standard??) or possibly oil
coolant??
this is the port in question
I capped it with duct tape and drove 10 miles home without noticing any issue or coolant loss..???
That port is Not for the transmission. It might be for cars that have a coolant reservoir.
This truck does have what I am assuming is a "reservoir" the hose above the open port runs to a separate plastic tank with two containers; 1. coolant 2. windshield fluid. Forgive me if I am asking dumb questions. my mechanical experience is with high speed packaging lines and I am often lost when working on vehicles. Mahalos for any help!!
Duct tape is not gonna cut it! Fix it right or you may end up on the side of the road with a fried engine. There is a difference between a overflow tank and a coolant reservoir. The hose at the radiator cap probably goes to a overflow tank.
thank you! I am certainly going to fix it correctly and the duct tape was just to get me home. I wanted to be sure that the port should be capped and that there wasn't a hose or connection that should be there. Looking through the engine i can't find anything that seems to be disconnected and all fluid levels appear normal. Ive got a few more hours before parts stores close and would love to get a proper cap if that is what is appropriate.
Good luck!
is there a place I can find an exploded diagram for the radiator showing connections? I want to be sure before I drive the vehicle any real distance.
Since you have a manual transmission there should be two connections, the top and bottom radiator hoses. The overflow you can see in your photo. This is not complicated.
Thank you again. I was unclear as to whether there was a possibility of it being connected to another part of the vehicle or any detail I may have missed. The clamp that was on the port had a torn piece of hose under it (which may have been a makeshift cap that failed.) I prefer making dumb or repetitive questions over dumb actions. The amount of steam that poured out this morning had me worried
