Okay let me find it and I will post it.


Is there a universal easy way to check for air leaks, can I squirt soapy water out of a squirt bottle over all the hose connections and motor connections and then run the motor to see if I get any bubbles? This is what we do to check for gas leaks around furnaces...

 

No because there is not any pressurized air in any of the hoses in question or from the intake manifolds.
They run under vacuum and not air pressure.
The only hoses that have air in them are the ones from the air pump going to the exhaust manifold & the catalytic converters by way of the diverter & dump valves.

 

Here is what I found:
Ford
VIN: 1FTHE24H3RH......
Engine 5800
8 Cylinder

 

E350 ECONOLINE

 

You have a 5.8L/351 engine.

 

The thermostat on that engine can be a little bit of a trick. There is a water bypass hose that is about 4" long and you have to fight with it going back on. Most of time I just cut the bypass hose in half to take the thermostat housing off. It has two blots holding it on. If the thermostat slips when you put the housing back on the housing can brake when you tighten the bolts.
Of course you must drain the radiator down be fore you start to change the thermostat.

The Book says:
Water Thermostat, V-8


Removal
1. Drain the radiator so that the coolant level is below the water thermostat.
2. Disconnect the bypass hoses at the water pump and intake manifold.
3. Remove the bypass tube.
4. Remove the water outlet housing attaching bolts.
5. Bend the upper radiator hose (8260) upward and remove the water thermostat and gasket.


Installation
1. Clean the water outlet housing gasket surfaces. Coat a new water outlet housing gasket with Perfect Seal Sealing Compound B5A-19554-A or D7AZ-19554-BA (ESR-M18P2-A or ESE-M4G115-A) or equivalent.
2. Position the water outlet housing gasket on the intake manifold opening.
3. Install the water thermostat in the intake manifold opening with the copper pellet or element toward the engine and the thermostat flange positioned in the recess. If the water thermostat is improperly installed, it will cause a retarded flow of coolant.
4. Position the water outlet housing against the intake manifold.
5. Install and tighten the attaching bolts. Refer to «Specifications» .
6. Install the water bypass line and tighten hose connections.
7. Fill and bleed the cooling system as described in this section.


WARNING:
DO NOT STAND IN LINE WITH OR NEAR RADIATOR FAN BLADE WHEN ENGINE IS RUNNING.



8. Operate the engine until normal operating temperature is reached; then check the coolant level and check for leaks.





/

 

Sorry I thinking of a 5.0L engine when I said cut the bypass hose. It is longer and turns 90* on a 5.8L so you would not have to cut the hose.

 

subford- is there a way that I can check for air leaks before I change the thermostat? thanks for the info. on the thermo stat change!

 

You can use a smoke generator but that cost $$$ if you do not make one yourself.
Some spray carb cleaner around the area where they think it may be leaking and look for a change in RPMs but I do not think that is very safe so I have never done it.

 

missing bolt-airbox is 1/4 opened


I opened the hood and cleaned up the motor and started looking around before I started doing anything. I took some pics of what I found!


I need a little help here-subford...A lot of things are disconnected

 

dissconnected

 

pics of motor

 

just laying in the motor not connected to anything




hose was just laying in the motor not connected to anything

 

disconnected wire just hanging

 

A/C Compressor clutch.