I went to unscrew the radiator drain plug but the head broke right off leaving the rest of it inside.
I drilled out a little bit of it so I could drain the coolant and bough a replacement plug but there are still pieces stuck inside and I cant get them out.
Should I just drill out the remaining pieces or is there a better way to get them out?
I broke my radiator drain plug got a replacement but how does the stock one come out? Is there a clip or something?
View 7 RepliesI have a 01 f150 4.2L and a while ago the ac compressor clutch broke. I didn't catch it in time and the stress it caused on the belt broke the power steering pump pulley. So I replaced the steering pump and pulley and the compressor the accumulator/dryer and the office tube put the 134a back in and everything worked fine. three months later ac stopped working. I figured the condenser was bad so i replaced it. Charged it up still no cold ac. so i thought maybe the manifold that goes on the compressor was clogged so i replaced it. While I did that i said to myself well i should tear out the dash and replace the evap as well. so just about everything has been replaced on the ac system.
Aside from the cycle switch and the high side switch witch from my test both seem to be working. now here is the thing. the tube witch holds the office gets ice cold then goes to the evap but the suction line coming from the evap doesn't get cold and the ac blows warm air. this very problem is what convinced me that the evap was clogged and needed to be changed witch is why i undertook the task of tearing the dash out. in all it took 14 hours to do the whole job. now for the pressures that i get from the ac manifold low side goes 40 down to 20 ..... this is normal. high side is a little high. I charge it to 125 still no cold air. so i dump a little more 134 in. at 90 degrees high side pressure should be around 200ish i get it there still no cold air. I have just about replaced everything i can think of.
My rear-end differential came apart and is not repairable. I have a 1997 F150, 2WD, 4.6L engine, 5 lug wheels. Which years have the same rear ends so I can scour the junk yards for a replacement?
View 4 RepliesI have a 1999 Ford E150 4.2l. My cylinder head temp sensor was dangling but still connected to the sensor... the connector was loosed from the filament but was still connected by exposed metal pins.
I figured I would replace it like i did to my ECT by the Water Pump. So I pulled the connector out and it started to leak...a little. and when I put the socket on it I instantly broke the sensor flush with the Cylinder Head.
I researched on here and found many people believe the CHT gives info to the Dashboard Gauge and the ECT is used by the ECU. I thought that was correct because I had ECT readings from my scantool...and my Dash Gauge never worked. When I found the dangling CHT I figured it was never working.
So I JB welded CHT hole. figuring i would fix it properly later. I replaced the ECT and expected everything to go back to normal.. No gauge reading on dash and a scan reading with no codes.
I want to replace the CHT sensor properly. Do I HAVE to remove the manifolds. Or do you think its safe to drain the coolant and drill it out. Its easy access. Im worried about all the tiny pieces getting into narrow passage ways.
I am almost 100% going to drill out. Manifold sounds like hell and its getting cold. What sensor controls what? Can I drill it out safely?
I have a 1997 4.2 and when i got it the big vacuum reservoir under the passenger fender had the lines broke off. Where these lines go or have a diagram...
View 1 RepliesMy truck broke down on the freeway last night. I heard a cracking noise (metal breaking) and it sounded like a backfire. The engine was running fine, good RPM's. I rev it up and the noise got worse, It sounds like a bad lawn mower or go cart. I was also smelling raw fuel.
Could I have broken a exhaust flange or the manifold? It sounds like the exhaust is bad and not burning the fuel.
There were no codes or a check engine light. I only went 1/2 mile after it broke down. I had to tow it to a local shop.
It's a 2003 4.6 with 205,000 miles.
My upper radiator outlet broke off when we were removing the upper hose(plastic tank) . is there any way to repair this ? I was laid off and cant afford a new radiator right now. but with it being the outlet I don't hold much hope...
View 3 RepliesJust like the title says oil In my rad! Anyway here's what I've seen....I noticed that I've been having to put oil in my truck more often than I need to. I thought maybe I was leaking somewhere but I wasn't. So then I thought I was burning it but no smoke. So then I was reading on this forum and someone mentioned oil in the rad. So I checked and it was pretty black in color so I figure that's what the problem is. My question is would it be a head gasket or intake? I also read a quote from Moto Mel on here that it could be some kind of adapter that is located on the lower left side of the motor that has o rings that can go bad and cause this?The milage on my truck is 145000 and running great (other than this). No overheating or anything.
View 5 RepliesIs it difficult to replace the lower radiator hose on a 5.4L? I'm mainly thinking about access to the connection at the water pump.
View 13 RepliesSo about 2 yes ago I had a cracked intake manifold and had it replaced..shortly after had low egr flow codes that had me replace every sensor involved on top and three that ford found for me. And fixed...my 01 f150 5.4 super crew has been my best friend last 165k of its 246. So it has a small leak in radiator. Didn't think that would do anything for a bit. Well after almost overheating a few times I pulled up to a job and water was pouring out the top back passenger side....blah blah blah saving 1400 this time I pulled everything to the head. Took off intake put back together torqued to 20lbs.
Still mix fires at low idle and low rpms.gets worse longer I sit at light have redone plugs switched coil pack at the misfire location..still missing. the round black sensor before the egr out of the intake has good vac in but limited to egr. Don't think this is right...has lean codes both banks....but I also had a PVC not in and the exhaust outflow sensor had a hose knocked off again...misfiring...checking hoses nothing obvious... Perhaps the spare coil is no good now....keep one two handy for wet locations... Did I not do intake right...and I did use rtv
I have a 2000 F150 with 5.4 L motor. The last two trips I have had the top radiator hose come off while under heavy load (pulling a long hill) after 5 hours of driving. So far I have flushed the radiator, checked the thermostat, and refilled with G05 Gold and distilled water 60/40 ratio. I do not hear any gurgling in the heater core. Heater seems to work great.
The stock temp gauge shows it right in the middle range between Hot and cold, right before it blows the hose off. I have replaced top and bottom hoses and put new stainless steel clamps at all end except the top, where I am using the OEM clamp that came with the truck. I thought about replacing the top clamp as well but did not want to blow out my radiator, if in fact it is developing high pressure.
Do these clamps get weak with time? Should I use a vacuum attachment on the fill/overflow tank to remove all air before refilling?
So the story goes like this, my teacher was trying to scrap a truck that he had sitting on his farm so i got it. I've been using it for a DD for the past year and a half and not I'm starting to do rust repair starting with rocker panels. But, what i was really wondering is how involved would it be to replace the radiator core support? Main reason being last time i was under the hood replacing the pass side valve cover gasket i hit it and knocked a hole right through it so yeah I'm thinking is about time to replace it.
View 1 RepliesI'm looking around for coil packs and came across these: Granatelli Pro Series Extreme Coil Packs.....
View 12 Repliesthis winter i have found that my truck's heater core isn't flowing, meaning i have hot on the upper hose and the lower is luke warm and there is no heat while running down the road. I have changed the t-stat and the heater core and radiator are new as of four years ago. last year i could roast a chicken with the heat. i also have no pressure in the radiator hose at all, engine runs at normal temp, no over heat situation and i don't smell any loss of antifreeze.
1999 f-150 4.6 150k
I just bought a used 2000 Ford F150 with the 4.6L V8 engine and I have a question about radiator fluid.
In the owner's manual it says that if the radiator fluid is green is should be changed every 30k miles, but if it is orange color it is only changed at 150k miles. I look at the radiator fluid and from outside the plastic case it is in it has a dark'ish orange/red look. When I shine a flashlight down the hole where you would add more fluid it looks orange/red, but also has a green tint when the flashlight shines directly onto the fluid.
How do I know which kind I have forsure? The truck was bought at a Ford dealer, but I never thought to look at it while I was there.=
Went to start my truck to leave work yesterday and blew the coil on #2. It's happened before and I can fix that. The other weird thing that happened was that the radiator leaked out some antifreeze. Not a lot, but a good 2 foot puddle. The reserve was still full and it leaked from the passenger side at the bottom (below the upper hose). Upper and lower hose show no sign of leakage. I suppose the drain is on the lower end of the passenger side of the radiator and it leaked from there. Would the compression from the engine cause that to happen? Or is it something more, dare I say, like the head gasket blew?
View 7 RepliesI have an 03 f150 supercrew that had a 4.6L. I am installing a 3.9 Cummins diesel. I will have a separately mounted transmission cooler. I'm using the stock radiator as these engines run cool. It has a transmission cooler built into it. If i just leave the fitting loose, will it cause me any problems. It is a plastic can on each end and i suppose it to have contact with the radiator passages.
View 7 RepliesI have a 2002 F150 which has a small leak somewhere in the radiator system. I am looking to see if recommended using one of the Bar Leaks products for fixing cooling system leaks. I guess it is an aluminum based product the adheres to the inner services of the cooling system and can stop leaks.
View 6 RepliesI have a 2002 saturn l series and we rebuilt the radiator because it had oil in it and know the car wont start but, their is no water in the oil, is it possible that the oil cooler broke.
View 3 RepliesThe problem is my new-to-me 97 Ford F150 5.4L SOHC engine, auto transmission, is overheating after driving it for a short while. Seems to be fine at idle. I have read previous posts with the exact same issue, but the consistency seems to be all over the map from burping the system, head gasket, thermostat, and possibly a plugged radiator.
Backstory:200,000+ miles.
Truck sat for 6 months after previous owner broke the shift cable.
Truck was in a front end collision. Frame looks bent underneath the engine.
Previous owner had overheating problem. He said he changed the heater core. Looks like brand new coolant in the system so story probably checks out. Desperately needs an oil change. Very black oil.
Previous owner thought the system needed a burping. So I'm largely assuming the problem started after the heater core change, or he misdiagnosed an overheating problem and thought the heater core could cause it. I have found a radiator cap and thermostat in the truck which seems to indicate he tried many things to fix the overheating and was unsuccessful. Engine looks pretty clean for the miles.
Symptoms/Backyard Tests :
Blows cold air with heat on highest level and on defrost.
Blender door fuse intact.
Doesn't overheat at idle.
Ran the truck for 15 mins with the coolant bottle fill cap off on level ground to try to burp it after draining some coolant and checking the thermostat orientation. Coolant level increased in the bottle. Large air bubbles came out. (Another session before this one, I ran it for 30 minutes with no coolant cap, and eventually coolant overflowed the fill bottle. Normal or no?)
Seems to overheat after the thermostat opens. After doing the 15 minute warm up/burp, I took it for a test drive. I drove it about 20 blocks with the temperature gauge on the dash reading the same as the warmed-up idle temperature. Got to the 20th block and the gauge immediately spiked to overheat with the oil pressure dash light coming on. I could be mistaken as the oil pressure light almost looks exactly like the overheat dash light. But I'm pretty sure the temperature icon was on the right side of the oil can icon and not the left.
After the above drive: Upper rad hose too hot to touch.
After the above drive: Lower rad hose medium warm. Could hold on to it if I felt like it.
After the above drive: Upper part of rad pretty hot. Not Insta-burn but hot. Tempature decreases to warm to cool as you go lower down the rad.
After the above drive: Both heater core hoses going to the cab luke warm.
Coolant looks brand new.
Radiator looks slightly bowed. Probably from the accident? Otherwise looks clean and minimal bent fins.
Drained some coolant and pulled the upper rad hose to see if the thermostat was upside down. Looks installed correctly.
No signs of weep hole leaks from the water pump.
Fan seems solid. Has maybe 1-2mm of play in the bearings.
Something that looked like steam from the muffler at startup, that disappeared after getting closer to a normal range warm engine.
I have driven crap cars for many years and I've never seen a plugged radiator which makes me skeptical of it being that. All the radiators I have changed were because they were eventually leaking from cracks in the radiator.
I would also be interested in doing an informal poll if you have read this far and have had this era of F150 that overheated. Have you ever repaired the head gasket? And/or have you ever changed the radiator?