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I had a mechanic install the IPR coolant filter when he replaced the egr and oil cooler. He used teflon paste on the ball valves. I think the solution should be straight forward.
Here is the leak:
It's leaking where the ball valves connect to the aluminum filter housing.
The install was clean. We decided against IPRs manifold on the oil cooler housing as the Ford Master Tech said it's a bypass filter if you don't use IPRs remote mounted oil cooler.
I suggested that we go to the heater hose that I previously cut for the Sinister cooler and connect inline rather than bypass. Easier and cleaner! The manifold is another $85. I spent about $5 in hose clamps and another $5 for 2 barbed brass hose connectors on Amazon. The MasterTech rotated the heater hose 180 degrees and routed the hoses down to the frame. He used an existing stud and hole to mount the filter housing. No drilling! Sweet.
I told the mechanic that I will go back to IPR for leaking issue.
looks like a male barbed fitting into the female ball valve also is leaking. It is a simple solution, but you'll have to drain down some coolant, take the valves/fittings/hoses apart. Put Multiple wraps of Teflon tape so that when it is tight, the fittings are not bottomed out.
Teflon paste hasn't worked for me all that well either. My coolant filter leaked in the same spot and I ended up putting more Teflon tape on that I thought it initially needed, and tightening it quite a bit more too.
From the photo it looks like the ball valve shoulder is against the filter base. Ball valve and the hole in the filter base are tapered (pipe threaded), or should be, to seal the connection. I had a filter base where the holes for the fittings were tapped too deep or the wrong tap was used. The Ball valve would bottom out on the filter base before the threads would tighten. No amount of teflon tape would seal it.
Even though you won't be seeing very high psi, I kinda agree with Ing. You might try the Teflon tape for starters and if that doesn't seal, you might need a different valve.
Remember that those brass threads must be a harder compound then the aluminum so too much torque isn't a good thing.
I have Fumoto valves on block. Easy to drain. I wil use Teflon tape.
Yup -- I had those put on when my flush was done too, so it made it very convenient to drain from there and even got a touch of sand out when I did the drain-down from the driver's side block valve. Hope the extra tape works for you...
I contacted IPR via text over the weekend. IPR responded quickly. However, the information provided from the forum was more detailed than IPR's text response. He said to use "thread sealant or teflon tape". I was thinking that it's probably something with the threads or filter housing.
After spending so much time on the forums, I expected more detailed help and concern as a coolant leak could be catastrophic. On another forum, IPR is held in high esteem as Vince is super helpful.
Probably being too hard on the guy as he always answers emails, texts, and phone calls. Maybe I am the annoying one. LOL!
After putting on 5,000 miles and contacting IPR multiple times, the ball valves are still leaking. It self sealed for while. Seems to leak more in cool weather. Vince has been helpful with ideas on how to stop it from leaking. I told him that his supplier of ball valves is the problem. The leak is coming from the nipple rather from the valve. I took the nipple apart when I was in Minnesota and put a triple layer of teflon tape and it's still leaking.
I will contact IPR and give them another shot at sending me out a new set of ball valves. I sent the entire unit back to them once and they bench tested it and said it was leak tight. I don't think the bench test is the same a real world driving when the temperature of the coolant goes up to 230 degrees and then down to the 50's at night. I think if FICM repair were the ones building this unit, the solution would quick. Ed seems like the type of guy that would fly out at his own expense to fix something that was his company's fault. Just an opinion. I could have bought the unit from him-next time I will when I drop money on a high dollar item.
Sorry to hear you are having trouble, Mark. Thanks for the kudos! We do what we can. Vince is indeed a good guy. Overwhelmed like many of us in this space, but a good guy.
Have you thought about just hopping over to the local home improvement center and picking up new ball valves? Those shouldn't be special or anything. I tend to agree with you - manufacturing issue.
Sorry to hear you are having trouble, Mark. Thanks for the kudos! We do what we can. Vince is indeed a good guy. Overwhelmed like many of us in this space, but a good guy.
Have you thought about just hopping over to the local home improvement center and picking up new ball valves? Those shouldn't be special or anything. I tend to agree with you - manufacturing issue.
Let us know what happens!
I am meeting up with a plumber friend tonight and I am confident he will have a good solution.
Yahiko posted below your post and suggested to use Go/No Go gauges
and check the tapped holes to see if they were tapped too far.
From the photo it looks like the ball valve shoulder is against the filter base. Ball valve and the hole in the filter base are tapered (pipe threaded), or should be, to seal the connection. I had a filter base where the holes for the fittings were tapped too deep or the wrong tap was used. The Ball valve would bottom out on the filter base before the threads would tighten. No amount of teflon tape would seal it.
I am glad that I read your post again.
Seems like there could be an issue with the filter base and as you said, no amount of teflon tape will stop the leak.
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