Gen 1 V8 Plastic Cooling Parts Shopping List

[theophile]

2002 3.9L sport. Had the dreaded "no heat" problem, and today on the way home from work noticed the temp gauge pass briefly above the halfway mark. Found this:



So clearly it's time to bite the bullet and replace all the plastic cooling parts. I already have the Jag aluminum tstat housing, so fortunately I don't have to buy that. But for everything else, here's the shopping list I've put together. If there's anything I've missed, or if anything is wrong (or you know where I can get a better price), please let me know.

Google Sheets: Cooling Parts Shopping List

Thanks all!

 

[Driggy]

For the degas bottle i used dorman 603-207 for about $60. I've had in the car 8 months no problem yet.

 

[joegr]

For the degas bottle i used dorman 603-207 for about $60. I've had in the car 8 months no problem yet.

You are in the minority. Most have had problems with the Dorman bottle in six months or less.

 

[02LincLS]

Yeah, don't skimp on the degas tank. I had good luck with a dorman many many years ago; it lasted 3 years. The next one I had to put back in because I was in a pinch lasted less than 1 year. Many other people had much less success than my hit and miss experience.

 

[Driggy]

I was planning on flipping the ls but my wife wanted to keep it.

 

[grizzlyls]

Rock Auto is real easy to snab a 5% discount code off the web, plus they send them to you all the time if you have bought before. Dont forget shipping cost, the whole lot from rock auto for example would reduce cost. Amazon ships free of course, but you have to watch out for taxes. Amazon discount til end of December is 5% if you use discover as well.

I got real lucky pulled a new outlet tube off at the junkyard for six bucks. Still had the OEM xw4z sticker on it with very little dirt on it. Guess they didnt solve the break down issue with that fix lol.

 

[theophile]

I ended up ordering everything but the outlet tube from Rockauto. Everything should arrive tomorrow.

I spent most of today removing things. The degas bottle was no fun due to that hose clamp near the firewall. But nothing prepared me for the suck-fest that was trying to remove the oil cooler hoses. They must have been installed with some kind of glue because even after I had gotten the hose clamp off, the hoses refused to come off the nipples even when I managed to get both hands on the hose and put me weight into it. And now my arms make me look like a junkie due to all the cuts from that damn fan shroud.

Anyhow, everything's out except the tstat housing. I got one of those brake wrenches but still couldn't get in there. So tomorrow I'll be looking for a swivel head ratcheting wrench or an offset wrench or something of that nature.

 

[joegr]

...But nothing prepared me for the suck-fest that was trying to remove the oil cooler hoses. They must have been installed with some kind of glue because even after I had gotten the hose clamp off, the hoses refused to come off the nipples even when I managed to get both hands on the hose and put me weight into it. ...

You are not alone. I feel your pain (at least I did when I did this with both of mine). Even with hose pliers, I ended up cutting at least a couple of them off. You just have to be super careful not to cut deep enough to gouge the metal tubes.

 

[theophile]

Parts should come in today. Until then, I have a couple questions and would be interested in your thoughts:

1. I've noticed some general "grime" in the engine bay, which is of course to be expected to some extent. But there does appear to be a concentration of it on and near the oil fill tube:

(Note the Accel COPs, running like champs!) Is this normal, or should I be concerned about this?

2. The round seal around one of the windshield wipers is shot:

My plan is to brush the old seal off, clean the surface well, and use some generic weather seal that you can get in a roll at home improvement stores, the kind with the peel-off back. Anyone see a problem with this approach or have a better idea?

3. This boot for the other windshield wiper looks like it may not be as effective as intended:

So far I haven't been able to find a part number for this. Does anyone know if it can be purchased? Or is this not something to be worried about?

4. This coolant hose makes me nervous:

It looks like there was once a hose clamp on there, and the part of the hose that is attached to the metal elbow is much, much thinner than the hose attached to the other end of the elbow. This hose has been this way since I got the car and hasn't been a problem so far, but it looks like the sort of thing that could suddenly become a major problem. I've looked at a lot of diagrams of the cooling hoses lately but haven't seen this hose identified on a parts list. Anyone know what it's called or what the part number is?

Thanks!

 

[joegr]

1. Normal if you don't clean it off every now and then.
2. You really need to fix it one way or another. I think the repair seal from Ford is $5 or so. 5W4Z-54021A46-A
3. Less important, but I'd fix it. Looks like its part of a $400 assembly. Maybe calk or some weatherstrip gasket from Lowes/Home Depot?
4. I haven't seen a pipe/hose there before. Maybe someone did some "creative" heater replumbing? All the heater lines should be metal front to back, with short hoses on each end to make the connections to the DCCV and the heater cores. The three run down low on the passenger side.

 

[theophile]

1. Normal if you don't clean it off every now and then.
2. You really need to fix it one way or another. I think the repair seal from Ford is $5 or so. 5W4Z-54021A46-A
3. Less important, but I'd fix it. Looks like its part of a $400 assembly. Maybe calk or some weatherstrip gasket from Lowes/Home Depot?
4. I haven't seen a pipe/hose there before. Maybe someone did some "creative" heater replumbing? All the heater lines should be metal front to back, with short hoses on each end to make the connections to the DCCV and the heater cores. The three run down low on the passenger side.

Thanks Joe!

Regarding #4, I think that metal elbow is the same one seen here:

That photo is from this thread. And looking at that picture, I'm actually a little relieved because it looks similar to mine: no hose clamp and thinner rubber on that end where the hose attached to the elbow. Still, it looks odd.

 

[grizzlyls]

Joe, that is factory, mine looks the same way. It is XW4Z-18472-AA which connects to the XW4Z-18472-GA. Mine is actually spritzing a small amount of coolant from that ugly joint, so my mech is going to replace it. Of Course it is discontinued by Ford. Gates sells 19807 for it, the only mfg I found, but DOES NOT include the metal portion. I hope it is not important. I imagine my mech is going to have to use one of the aluminum joiners.

Joe if you have any comment about that section now that you know the factory source numbers, would love to know more.

That joint in the 2nd picture looks far better designed/made. Dont know why if they improved the 2002 year you would have an ugly one like mine.

 

[cammerfe]

Hey Joe---

I just re-read this thread one more time, and was once again struck with the extent to which you are the pre-eminent go-to source around here.

This is just a way of saying 'THANKS' for your efforts.

KS

 

[theophile]

I just got everything finished and buttoned back up. Double and triple checked all the connections, bolts, clamps, etc. to make sure everything is tight and where it's supposed to be. Then I followed (to the letter) the coolant fill procedure in the tech articles section. Everything went fine, except when I got to the step where you set the heater to MAX and maintain the engine at 2000 RPM until the air gets hot, it seemed to take longer than 5 minutes before the air got even warm.

Then the next step is to return to idle and verify that the air is still hot. But when I returned to idle, the air got much cooler. This makes me nervous because this was the symptom that I was having to begin with--no heat except on the interstate at 2000+ RPM.

After this, with the engine still running, I checked to make sure the coolant level in the degas bottle was still at cold max, and I cracked open the air bleeder valve momentarily to let out any trapped air that might have been left (only coolant came out, no fizz or splatter).

FWIW, I put in about 1.5 gallons total of 50/50 coolant, which (I think) is about how much I put in last year after I drained the radiator to replace the DCCV.

Any suggestions?

 

[theophile]

here's some data from the scan tool if it helps any. This is with the engine at operating temp, the heater set to 80 degrees, and after driving around for 10 or 15 minutes.

 

[joegr]

...This makes me nervous because this was the symptom that I was having to begin with--no heat except on the interstate at 2000+ RPM...

Aux pump.

 

[theophile]

You know, I feel like an idiot for asking that question. I originally decided it was the aux pump because of the no heat at idle issue, but after reading the most recent no heat threads all directed at the plastic parts, that's when I checked the hoses and found signs of leaking from the plastic. So I concluded that was the problem. After doing all that and still having no heat at idle, I don't know why I didn't think about the aux pump again.

Anyway, looks like I'll get more practice with the drain/fill/bleed procedure.

Has anyone tried an aftermarket aux pump? The Gates 41528E seems to be a fit and can be had for under $100.