What is the purpose of the metal hose? It goes from the driver side of the radiator to that T by the alternator.

 

Sorry, missed the 460 part before. On your truck it looks like it could be eliminated completely. On our 5.0 and 5.8 it goes to the throttle body to prevent icing. Yours just looks like a closed loop with no purpose. Is that the original engine and radiator?

 

Yep, original engine and radiator and I think the hoses are original. Truck only has 73k miles but sat unused for years. Been replacing all the major "wear" items the last few months before they break.

 

Well, from your pic, its useless unless I'm missing something, I'd eliminate it.

 

The Ford Engineers must have put it there for a reason. They would not spend all the money to produce these parts and pay for people on the lines to manufacture it and then install it on the assembly line.

 

For many years, trucks used bulk 5/8" & 3/4" heater hose that used clamps to retain it.

Beginning in the 1980's, FoMoCo introduced heater hoses that have metal ends swagged onto them. What auto parts store has any? Back then...none, today I dunno.

80%+ of automakers profit comes from the sales of parts, if parts don't fail, no profit for automakers.

If the parts are available at auto parts stores, no profit for automakers.

And btw: In addition to stocking bulk heater hose, dealers now had to stock dozens of these new hoses...which were installed on all FoMoCo vehicles, not just trucks. T'was a PITA!

I recall a customer had an Aerostar, needed one a these hoses. It was on national back order (D99), no one had any including FoMoCo...estimated time of arrival, 2 months.

So we used a 5/8" nipple, spliced it into the hose...away he went, happy as a clam.

 

So I CAN get rid of the metal hose that goes to the radiator? And just plug where the metal hose goes into the radiator? And then just run a normal heater core hose?

 

If the rubber portion is bad, you can splice in a metal or plastic nipple with the apropos amount of 5/8" or 3/4" hose.

But if the swagged ends are bad (usually they aren't...but sometimes they become disconnected from the rubber portion), you're stuck. Have to replace the entire hose.

 

The metal hose is rusted and the rubber looks old and tired. So the metal hose needs to stay? If so that's OK, I can bend and flare a new metal hose and replace the rubber hoses with the solutions the other guys posted about.

 

The way I look at this problemo is: Post 13 = I found the Ford part number (E9TZ-18472-A) for the one hose you were unable to, verified that the other hose (F2TZ-8555-C) was correct.

I then found both of these hoses NOS, so it's up to you whether you want to buy them or not.

If there's enough of the rubber hose remaining that is swagged to the metal ends, you can just splice in new hose using a nipple and the apropos amount of bulk heater hose.

 

I sent a parts request to the Ford dealer in KS from your earlier post, if they dont't have them I will make my own hoses.

 

I know what you mean as far as being "RIGHT". Look at the pic though. That hose goes from a heater hose back to the radiator neck. It serves no purpose on this truck, unlike the ones on the 5.0 and 5.8. That's why I changed it to this routing. Eliminated that long nuisance and took advantage of the newer design. Yours though does absolutely nothing.

 

The metal hose didn't make sense to me either!! Just wanted to make sure before I replaced these hoses!!

 

I understand. Every time I see stuff like that on these trucks it makes me wonder what the Hell these engineers were thinking. I then remember something my grandfather always said, "Take an idiot and educate him and all you have is an educated idiot." Always makes me smile and be thankful for sites like this where lots of wisdom can come together in one place.

 

LOL! you and your grandfather are correct!!

I hope I can cap off that hose location on the radiator with no problems, lots of heat and pressure.