Well I thought I was going to be one of the lucky few who had a 6.4 that hadn't needed a Rad - till now that is....

Developed a leak on the Pass side near the top this morning while out running errands. Came out of Southern States to a "rad pee-puddle" under the front.

Guess I'll be rad shopping this afternoon. Luckily it wasn't bad enough that we couldn't get home but I'd bet we lost a couple of gals while only covering 9-10miles. Degas bottle is empty.

Anybody have a favorite aftermarket rad to recommend? Doubt I'd have much luck with Ford - is it even worth trying @ 72K on the ODO?

Since the Rad's coming out - anything else preventative that should be done at the same time?

 

I don't think there's a favorite, just not a Ford unit. You can always try getting it covered under Warranty. Call customer service, they may cover it depending on your "score" with Ford.

 

Hmmm gotcha beat so far...knock on wood. I am at 75k on the orginal.

vista pro makes one.

Also might want to upgrade at least your upper hose to the two o-ring style.

 

I'll try the calling the 800# route 1st - Called a couple of places (Oreillys & Advance) neither had one which isn't surprising. Both can get it in a day ~ $250.

Waiting to here back from a local rad shop that I have dealt with before - he may have something to offer that'd be better than aftermarket but it'll be pricey.

 

What's strange about it is - "it just happened" - not a slow leak that gradually got worse but just sprung a leak after driving to the feed store sitting in the parking lot.

Just a theory - need to look @ the rad cap specs - wonder if ford elected to run a higher pressure on this cooling system than on the 6.0/7.3 and wondering what relief press the Navistar trucks w/ the same eng are running.

 

Sounds like it ***** the bed real hard and fast, I'd be changing the T-stats before installing another rad.

 

<a href="%3Ciframe%20width=" 420"="" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xM38rFuI_YE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">"><a href="%3Ciframe%20width=" 420"="" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xM38rFuI_YE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xM38rFuI_YE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe> coolant cap

 

Replace thermostats and also add the upgraded upper rad hose if you don't have it.

 

If you are in your 5 year 100,000 mile warranty its covered under drivetrain. If your over your 5 years then its not. I had mine blow two days ago for the second time and went into the dealer to have it fixed this morning under warranty. Unfortunately my aftermarket warranty (none of them cover this btw) will not cover the radiator and its in writing. I was outside of the 5 year portion of my factory warranty so I'm doing it myself but I just went with the Ford one because I need it fixed by tomorrow. This is my second one to blow. First blew at 14000. I have 79,000 now. I was told by the ford dealer that they changed manufacturers for the radiator but not the design. Hoses need to be changed if you have the old design because the old hoses will leak because they moved the inlet and outlet tubes I guess. Change the thermostats too but those are cheap.

 

Spoke with Ford yesterday - they'll warranty it but it'll only be covered for a year since it comes under the dealer replacement parts warranty not the factory warranty. Dealer can't get me in till 13 - does not have a rad in stock but said they can get one in a day or two. Bigger issue is they say it'll take 2-3 days to do it & they can't get me an appt till 2nd week of Jan. This is the dealer I got it from so they said even if ford denied the warranty they'd cover it. (they are also mod "friendly" which helps)

We've bought all of our trucks (14 - mostly 7.3's - we passed on the 6.0) for our farm from them. Guess loyalty counts for something - $0 for this repair according to the service mgr.

He mentioned something about an upgraded radiator - anybody got details?

 

I call BS on the ford warranty. there is a TSB about this....

This article supersedes TSB 11-1-7 to update the Issue Statement, Service Procedure, Part List and Service Labor Time Standards.

ISSUE:
Some F-Super Duty vehicles equipped with a 6.4L engine may exhibit an external coolant leak from the radiator. Slow leaks at cooling system hoses/connections can lead to low coolant levels. Excessive hot and cold cycling associated with low coolant levels can cause stress within the radiator tubes, possibly resulting in cracks in the tubes.

ACTION:
Follow service procedure steps to repair this concern.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

Thermostat inspection is no longer required because IDS release 71.04 and later added a cooling system monitor.

Inspect for the cooling system venturi tee being installed and verify proper orientation. Refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-03, Degas Bottle - 6.4L Diesel.
Degas bottle port inspection and repair:
Dual-port design requires the degas bottle to be replaced with the single-port design and a new degas bottle cap. (Figure 1) Proceed to Step 3.


Figure 1 - Article 11-6-6


Single-port design requires inspection of the degas bottle cap sealing surface for nicks and/or cracks. If present, replace the degas bottle and degas bottle cap. Proceed to Step 3.
Coolant leak inspection and repair:
Visually inspect all cooling system hoses/connections for evidence of coolant loss such as white coolant residue (dried coolant) or liquid coolant and repair as necessary. (Figure 2)


Figure 2 - Article 11-6-6


If a leak is found at a radiator hose O-ring seal, the radiator hose should be replaced. The upper and lower radiator hoses have been updated with a dual O-ring seal design for improved sealing.
Replace the radiator. Refer to WSM, Section 303-03.
Be sure to remove the engine coolant block plugs from both sides of the engine to drain the coolant from the engine block.
Fill the cooling system with a 50/50 mixture of distilled water and new Motorcraft® Premium Gold Engine Coolant. Do not reuse coolant that was drained from the cooling system.
Utilize the Rotunda Heavy Duty Airlift II radiator refiller tool (UVU550500INT) or equivalent when filling the cooling system. Filling without use of the Heavy Duty Airlift II radiator refiller tool may leave excessive air in the system

PART NUMBER PART NAME
8C3Z-8009-B Radiator
9C3Z-8A080-AA Degas bottle
9C3Z-8101-B Cap- Degas bottle
AC3Z-8260-A Upper Radiator hose
AC3Z-8286-A Lower radiator hose
8C3Z-8B379-B Venturi Tee
VC-7-B Motorcraft® Premium Gold Engine Coolant


WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage
IMPORTANT: Warranty coverage limits/policies are not altered by a TSB. Warranty coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part.

OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME
110606A 2008-2010 F-Super Duty 6.4L: Inspect The Cooling System, Correct Or Install Venturi Tee, Replace The Radiator, Includes Time To Drain And Fill The Cooling System (Do Not Use With Any Other Labor Operations) 2.8 Hrs.
110606B 2008-2010 F-Super Duty 6.4L: Inspect The Cooling System, Correct Or Install The Venturi Tee, Replace The Degas Bottle And Cap If Necessary, Replace The Radiator, Includes Time To Drain And Fill The Cooling System (Do Not Use With Any Other Labor Operations) 3.2 Hrs.
110606C 2008-2010 F-Super Duty 6.4L: Inspect The Cooling System, Correct Or Install Venturi Tee, Replace The Upper And Lower Radiator Hoses, Replace The Radiator, Includes Time To Drain And Fill The Cooling System (Do Not Use With Any Other Labor Operations) 2.9 Hrs.
110606D 2008-2010 F-Super Duty 6.4L: Inspect The Cooling System, Correct Or Install The Venturi Tee, Replace The Degas Bottle And Cap If Necessary, Replace The Upper And Lower Radiator Hoses, Replace The Radiator, Includes Time To Drain And Fill The Cooling System (Do Not Use With Any Other Labor Operations) 3.3 Hrs.
MT110606 For Any Additional Cooling System Repairs Use SLTS Operations If Available Or Actual Time Actual Time

DEALER CODING
BASIC PART NO. CONDITION CODE
8009 (Operations A or B) 42
8590 (Operations C or D) 42

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: The information in Technical Service Bulletins is intended for use by trained, professional technicians with the knowledge, tools, and equipment to do the job properly and safely. It informs these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or provides information that could assist in proper vehicle service. The procedures should not be performed by "do-it-yourselfers". Do not assume that a condition described affects your car or truck. Contact a Ford or Lincoln dealership to determine whether the Bulletin applies to your vehicle. Warranty Policy and Extended Service Plan documentation determine Warranty and/or Extended Service Plan coverage unless stated otherwise in the TSB article. The information in this Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) was current at the time of printing. Ford Motor Company reserves the right to supercede this information with updates

 

I'm just repeating what the dealer told me - they stated one yr warranty. (which is typical for dealer performed work not performed under mfg's recall/warranty) My bet is they ran it past the Ford regional rep and he said NOT COVERED under warranty due to mods. (DPF delete etc.) Don't know for sure but given what I know about the dealer they are probably footing the bill %100 as a "good faith" gesture to keep us as customers. They know our 7.3's won't last forever and want the replacement business.

If I had a completely 100% bone stock truck I'd probably have more room to push but not with the setup I have.

 

Took my truck(08 250 FX4, 6/07 build) in last week for a CEL. EGR sensor was bad. Also had a coolant leak. Radiator ended up being cracked. I asked the service writer about the TSBs regarding the radiator issues and he said the radiator just cracked, no other symptoms, i.e. hose orings or thermostat. OK, well F-me. 1850.00 later I'm on my way. Well yesterday CEL comes on again, they tell me the thermostats are bad. No charge, gee thanks guys.
Am I nuts or do you think maybe the bad stat maybe caused the radiator leak? Service guy claims ignorance of any connection. Where do I go from here? This is BS in my estimation. Maybe I'm wrong, and it's a coincidence?
I would love to know what some of the techs on here think

 

thermostats were the problem. Time to contact ford customer service. Have your invoice info at the ready. As for re-imbursment from ford.

 

Will end up with a ford replacement rad + new hoses & stat - dealer parts but the dealer won't be doing the work. A local shop that specializes in rad repairs can get me in tomorrow & it'll be done by monday evening. The Dealer recommended them and I've heard good things about 'em. I know at least one guy in their shop used to work as a mech @ the dealer.

I just can't have the truck out of service that long. Dealer couldn't get me in till late next week and said it'd take 3-4 days min.