This is a long rant, so please bear with me, but, you know, when you buy a used vehicle, you inherite the problems the previous owner may or may not have known about. In the case of Eddie, our 1997 4wd Eddie Bauer edition, my above comment is in relation to water leaks.
I knew when we bought the truck it had previous issues with overheating because it had that smell of burnt antifreeze. I mentioned that to our sales lady and she said the previous owner didn't mention anything about. Of course not. Why would they? "Oh, its a great truck. I just need something more economical/newer/family oriented." Why would there be mention of problems?
Anyway, I have tons of mechanical experience,from working on my own vehicles since I was knee high to a short grass hopper (bicycles, lawnmowers, cars, atv's...), to working on aircraft for 12 years in the Air Force, to working as an automotive technician when I rotated back to civilian life. I have a shop FULL of tools, I have internet access AND a Haynes manual for the truck. I can fix it. Incidentally, I have a Haynes or a Chiltons manual for every vehicle I have ever owned all the way back to the '74 Pinto I had when I first started driving. Also have books for the vehicles I had when I was stationed in England , so if anyone needs mechanical advice on a late '70's Rover SDI or a Morris Maxi or Allegra, I have books. You can't have the books, but I will take a pic of the text and send it to you.
So back to the water leaks...I have a cooling system pressure tester, so I purchased the correct adapter from Amazon and pressurized the system and found the water pump leaking. As I mentioned previously, I have experience and tools. I can fix this. I purchased a pump and waited for cooler weather. That was four months ago and I do live in Texas.
With all the rain we have had these past few days, the temperature has been down and last weekend I did in fact get around to changing the pump...after cursing whatever knuckle dragging gorilla that last tightened the fan clutch. Even with the correct rental tool from NAPA, it was not a very pleasant experience and took entirely too long. Why Ford adopted the screw-on clutch, I will never know. The four bolts on the pulley would have worked just as they have for a hundred years. I swapped my F150 pulley bolts for studs, adopting a smart idea from Chevy.
With the water pump leak finally fixed, I thought my water leak problems were over. I filled the system with water (something told me...) and pressurized the system, only to find another leak. WTF came to my mind. I packed up my tools and headed inside.
I ordered a radiator from my local NAPA and picked it up this morning. I hadn't actually SEEN the leak yet, but from where I saw water dripping down in front of the engine, I knew it had to bet the radiator.
I dismantled down to where I felt I could find the leak and pressurized the system again. The leak was at the top right corner where the cooling tubes meet the tank. I shot a short video I hope I can attach to this post.
Changing the radiator on this truck comes with its own problem in the form of the lower radiator hose and the POS "push and twist" connector at the radiator. Ford only used this connection for a couple years and went back to a regular clamp. I found a video of it this morning on YouTube. Again, WTF came to mind. Lucky for me, that particular connection on Eddie has been modified with an adaptor. It is a ring with four fingers which slides over the
o-rings on the lower hose nipple on the radiator, allowing me to slide the hose on and clamp it on old style. I worked the adapter off the old radiator, cleaned it up with WD40 and 300 grit sand paper and snapped it back in place on the new radiator using a short piece of 2 inch black pipe to gently tamp it down and seat it.
Seeing the end of my labors, I press on and install the new radiator. With everything finally reassembled I fill the system (with water again, just because), attach my handy-dandy pressure tester, and I find another stinking leak. WTF?
This one is in the area of the heater hoses at the back right corner of the engine bay behind the main power buss. I heard the hiss of air escaping, but i didn't see a leak. I tell you, its enough to make someone use foul language. I packed up my tools again and called it a day.
I will, in the near future, tear into it and change those hoses. It will need to be done soon as winter is coming and my Wife does not drive vehicles without heat.
And this is her truck.
EDIT: I found another video on YouTube concerning the lower hos connection and I know realize that what I thought was an adapter ia actually part of the hose assembly. It is the metal piece that locks in to keep the hose in place. On my truck, the outer collar was removed and a worm drive clamp was installed.
I knew when we bought the truck it had previous issues with overheating because it had that smell of burnt antifreeze. I mentioned that to our sales lady and she said the previous owner didn't mention anything about. Of course not. Why would they? "Oh, its a great truck. I just need something more economical/newer/family oriented." Why would there be mention of problems?
Anyway, I have tons of mechanical experience,from working on my own vehicles since I was knee high to a short grass hopper (bicycles, lawnmowers, cars, atv's...), to working on aircraft for 12 years in the Air Force, to working as an automotive technician when I rotated back to civilian life. I have a shop FULL of tools, I have internet access AND a Haynes manual for the truck. I can fix it. Incidentally, I have a Haynes or a Chiltons manual for every vehicle I have ever owned all the way back to the '74 Pinto I had when I first started driving. Also have books for the vehicles I had when I was stationed in England , so if anyone needs mechanical advice on a late '70's Rover SDI or a Morris Maxi or Allegra, I have books. You can't have the books, but I will take a pic of the text and send it to you.
So back to the water leaks...I have a cooling system pressure tester, so I purchased the correct adapter from Amazon and pressurized the system and found the water pump leaking. As I mentioned previously, I have experience and tools. I can fix this. I purchased a pump and waited for cooler weather. That was four months ago and I do live in Texas.
With all the rain we have had these past few days, the temperature has been down and last weekend I did in fact get around to changing the pump...after cursing whatever knuckle dragging gorilla that last tightened the fan clutch. Even with the correct rental tool from NAPA, it was not a very pleasant experience and took entirely too long. Why Ford adopted the screw-on clutch, I will never know. The four bolts on the pulley would have worked just as they have for a hundred years. I swapped my F150 pulley bolts for studs, adopting a smart idea from Chevy.
With the water pump leak finally fixed, I thought my water leak problems were over. I filled the system with water (something told me...) and pressurized the system, only to find another leak. WTF came to my mind. I packed up my tools and headed inside.
I ordered a radiator from my local NAPA and picked it up this morning. I hadn't actually SEEN the leak yet, but from where I saw water dripping down in front of the engine, I knew it had to bet the radiator.
I dismantled down to where I felt I could find the leak and pressurized the system again. The leak was at the top right corner where the cooling tubes meet the tank. I shot a short video I hope I can attach to this post.
Changing the radiator on this truck comes with its own problem in the form of the lower radiator hose and the POS "push and twist" connector at the radiator. Ford only used this connection for a couple years and went back to a regular clamp. I found a video of it this morning on YouTube. Again, WTF came to mind. Lucky for me, that particular connection on Eddie has been modified with an adaptor. It is a ring with four fingers which slides over the
o-rings on the lower hose nipple on the radiator, allowing me to slide the hose on and clamp it on old style. I worked the adapter off the old radiator, cleaned it up with WD40 and 300 grit sand paper and snapped it back in place on the new radiator using a short piece of 2 inch black pipe to gently tamp it down and seat it.
Seeing the end of my labors, I press on and install the new radiator. With everything finally reassembled I fill the system (with water again, just because), attach my handy-dandy pressure tester, and I find another stinking leak. WTF?
This one is in the area of the heater hoses at the back right corner of the engine bay behind the main power buss. I heard the hiss of air escaping, but i didn't see a leak. I tell you, its enough to make someone use foul language. I packed up my tools again and called it a day.
I will, in the near future, tear into it and change those hoses. It will need to be done soon as winter is coming and my Wife does not drive vehicles without heat.
And this is her truck.
EDIT: I found another video on YouTube concerning the lower hos connection and I know realize that what I thought was an adapter ia actually part of the hose assembly. It is the metal piece that locks in to keep the hose in place. On my truck, the outer collar was removed and a worm drive clamp was installed.
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