So as mentioned in a previous thread I broke of the spigot for the coolant return line to the degas bottle.

How hard is a rad swap? I took a look and I doesn't seem hard. I already drained the coolant. Do I just have to disconnect the rad hoses and the metal lines going to the tranny rad?

I only saw two screws that hold the plastic shroud?

Any tips or special tools needed?

Thx for comments!

 

Way easier than it looks. The shroud comes right out the top, you don't have to mess with the fan, take off the plastic clips holding the cooling lies in and pull them out (I think, I couldn't get mine out, so I undid the nuts on the cooler).

 

Remove the fan shroud by disconnecting the two upper hoses and removing the two 8mm bolts that secure the shroud. Remove the four 8mm bolts that secure the rad to the rad support. Remove all the plastic pushpins that retain the site shield. Lift up site shield for access to the pushpins that secure the main battery positive cable. Tilt rad toward the front of the truck to give you the clearance needed to pull the shroud out. Disconnect the lower rad hose and the two transmission fluid cooler lines (on 2005 and up models, you'll need the line release tool). Once done, the rad simply lifts up and out with plenty of room to spare.

 

Awesome thanks for taking the time to write that up!
I'll give it a shot in Monday.

 

Well got the new rad and thermostat in. It was a little tighter than I expected, I think my Banks Intercooler is thicker than stock. But I was able to get it out.
Thanks for tips m_chan!

Problem is still there though. Still heats fine then gets cool, then goes hot again. Seems to get hot when putting a load on the engine. Cruising at a constant speed or coasting to a stop it seems to get cool. Cool when idling in park or at a stop.

Any thoughts why there's heat then not? Is it the headgaskets again? Maybe electronic?

m_chan:

I had the headgaskets done twice by my local dealership. Both times with ARP. First time was stock gaskets. Second was black onyx.

First time they charged me $6,000ish for the headgaskets, oil cooler etc.

Second time they charged me $3,000 for the same thing other than me providing the onyx gaskets. My service rep said he worked something out because it shouldn't have happened again.

Both times he said my heads were within spec. and tested ok.

Do you think that it is reasonable for me to be upset that they may have blown again? My diesel tech is a really nice guy and has talked with me about how the truck runs etc. He even helped me decide on what egr kits to get and most of my mods on the truck have been installed by him. (Mod friendly dealership). I'm just am confused how this can happen possibly a third time. I can't afford to keep paying $3-6,000 repairs every 8mths.

Should I buy new heads and have them milled to near perfect? Mine were checked both times and he said they were within spec. I asked him how he checked and he said with a machined straight edge.

Also, if I need to complain to the service rep or shop foreman about this and it's cost I don't want it to affect the tech's $$$.

Any thoughts you have are appreciated!

 

Also:

I drained out about 3.5 gallons of coolant so I replaced with 3 1/4 gallons, so as not to overfill. Went for a 50 mile test drive. Then stopped to check for leaks in rad hoses etc. Opened hood and there was coolant everywhere. I only stomped on it a couple times when it was warmed up (testing heat). Boost never got above 28 psi. I doubt I overfilled but I'll be checking it in the morning.

 

After reading the two threads you started, I can't help think your water pump is suspect. Have you checked for coolant flow to your degas bottle? Also, has your fan clutch been tested? I find it extremely odd that you would need to have your head gaskets replaced TWICE. SOMETHING just doesn't sound right. The symptoms you describe do seem to point to a third failure. I hesitate to say the "head gaskets" failed, because the gaskets themselves are quite robust. It's the head fasteners that tend to stretch and thus allow compression leaks into the cooling system to cause the elevated pressure you describe, under load. Nonetheless, I am very curious to hear the outcome of your situation. Do you run an aftermarket tuner that puts any additional stress on the engine? Sorry for more questions than answers.

 

No problem, I appreciate the comments. I'm a carpenter not a mechanic. It helps to have more knowledge when talking to the tech.

I'll re-check the coolant flow. It's really hard to see into the bottle but it seemed to flow but fluctuated in the amount, going from a little trickle to a good amount. Tomorrow I'll take the hose off and let it pour into a bucket to get a better idea.

The min. line is the new max line for coolant level. Is that when warm or cold? I park on a slight incline, front of truck down. So I always have to start it up and drive to a flat area first.

I run tunes from Innovative. I just had 190cc and the new Powermax installed. I don't really go hard on it. Mb a few times since the install in fall. I have studded winter tires so I don't drive hard. I use the SCT tunes. I tried the mild tow tune and the extreme street. Same symptoms. I don't have white smoke when driving. I do have some in morning when it starts up, but I assume that's expected with the cold weather.

Today coolant never went above 190 and 95% of the time the stayed at 187 ECT. Oil temp was 6-10º more. Wouldn't the coolant overheat if the pump or something was restricting flow? Not colder? Why does it heat up when under load? If it can heat up that means the heater core must be ok?

 

FIgured what the heck, no time like the present. So I put on my long undies and went outside to test flow. Lots of snow coming down!

Disconnected hose and no coolant came out right away. So I plugged the place where the hose connected with my finger thinking there needed to be pressure in the system?
After about 20 sec. the coolant started to steadily flow. It seemed to stop anytime I stopped plugging the hole.

So does that rule out the water pump? What's left lol

 

Update: ford says that my heater core is plugged? Parts of the heater core are cold when they should be warm.

I asked if this is what's causing the coolant puking. Service rep said mb. He also mentioned there is some pressure in the system. I asked, So I have a head gasket leak?

He said not sure they need to put in a new heater core to re-test..

Could a heater core cause the coolest puking? Or are they just chasing their tail avoiding the head gaskets. I told him I have done my homework and if it is the head gaskets for the third time I will be expecting compensation. And from all the info I have gathered here I expect certain things done before signing off on another gasket job by them.

 

Think about this.........

On the crewcab trucks there is a heater valve to completely shutoff the coolant flow to prevent stressing the AC system during the summer months. THAT'S a completely plugged heater core and it won't cause puking. They are chasing their tail here. I'm starting to suspect your tech's abilities.

FWIW--IF your heater core is plugged then for the sake of your comfort it probably needs replaced, but that's the ONLY reason. If you have no trouble with cab heat then it's completely up to you. Also, you'll always have pressure in the system--16psi is the cap rating. There is a method for pressure testing the system for blown headgaskets. The TSB has been posted several times (09-08-03)

 

Yea I have the tsb printed up and will be going over it with them to see what was tested.

I didn't think it made sense. But I need some other opinions before taking it up with them. Thanks for comments. I'll post what happens.

 

Yes I suspect a waterpump or housing also. Did you purge all the air from your system? Wish I had seen this post earlier because there is an easy fix for that broken fitting.

 

Doesn't the system self purge?

How do you purge the system?

Would not purging the system cause pressure to puke coolant?

 

As many times as I've had my system open or empty I've never purged it. The degas bottle should take care of that. My experience with pukage is that it's either caused by a bad oil/egr cooler flash boiling the coolant, headgaskets, or an over full bottle.