The cooling system in your Ford Taurus is integral to it working correctly. If there's a leaky or faulty coolant recovery tank, the lost coolant can cause the engine to overheat and eventually fail. Replacing this auto part isn't a quick endeavor, but if you can follow directions and don't mind getting dirty, you can complete it.
Place a bucket underneath the radiator and directly below the drain plug of the Ford Taurus. Then, open the drain plug to allow the coolant to empty into the bucket. You can replace the coolant recovery tank without draining the radiator, but it makes more of a mess. It's also more dangerous, as the coolant is toxic to people and pets.
Locate the plastic container near the radiator, which is the coolant recovery tank. Next, take a socket wrench and remove the three nuts holding the tank in place. One of the nuts may be tough to access. Unscrewing this bolt may require a socket wrench extension.
Use hose clamp pliers to remove the hoses that connect to the coolant recovery tank. You can use regular pliers, but it's much easier with hose clamp pliers. Be careful, because there could still be some coolant left in hoses. Also, make sure you keep the hose openings as clean as possible when removing the tank.
Put the new coolant recovery tank in the same place as the previous tank. Next, attach the coolant hoses and use the hose clamp pliers to secure them to the new coolant recovery tank.
Secure the new tank to the Ford Taurus by reattaching the nuts. The tank should slide right over the screws and the nuts should slide down on the screws. After using the socket wrench on the nuts, be sure they're on tight and check the hose connections.
Close the radiator drain. Then, fill the radiator with fresh coolant. Start the engine of the Ford Taurus and allow it to run for about 15 or 20 minutes. If there aren't any leaks, close the hood and clean up any mess.
