3" body lift problem
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Cary
3" body lift problem
Talk about annoying issues...
I finally had time to change out the alternator in the Bronco yesterday - took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. So I crank it, and up starts this awful noise that's been bothering me since I bought the thing. For over two years, I thought this noise was my fan hitting the fan shroud b/c of the body lift.
I was half right.
Because of the body lift (there when I bought it), my upper radiator hose is not in the right place. It's now routed under the opening of the fan shroud (if that makes sense) and is getting hit by the top of the cooling fan. It only seems to hit the hose when the engine is cold, or when I nail the brakes. I guess as it heats up, the hose moves out of the way just enough to clear the fan. I even bought a new fan shroud a few weeks ago to try and re-hang it.
Over time, this has worn quite a groove in to the bottom of the hose. I can't believe it has not popped yet! That's the same one that's been on there for over two years.
I'm thinking about using some large zip-ties to hold the hose out of the way enough to clear the fan.
Has anyone else had this issue?
I finally had time to change out the alternator in the Bronco yesterday - took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. So I crank it, and up starts this awful noise that's been bothering me since I bought the thing. For over two years, I thought this noise was my fan hitting the fan shroud b/c of the body lift.
I was half right.
Because of the body lift (there when I bought it), my upper radiator hose is not in the right place. It's now routed under the opening of the fan shroud (if that makes sense) and is getting hit by the top of the cooling fan. It only seems to hit the hose when the engine is cold, or when I nail the brakes. I guess as it heats up, the hose moves out of the way just enough to clear the fan. I even bought a new fan shroud a few weeks ago to try and re-hang it.
Over time, this has worn quite a groove in to the bottom of the hose. I can't believe it has not popped yet! That's the same one that's been on there for over two years.
I'm thinking about using some large zip-ties to hold the hose out of the way enough to clear the fan.
Has anyone else had this issue?
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
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go to a local mechanic shop and buy a longer piece of radiator hose...this hose will go the usual route the stock one did before the lift but will eb long enough to make it... a new hose should fix your problem...
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Austin
You shouldn't have to do that if it was installed correct...body lift kits come with radiator drop brackets...the radiator should of stayed in the stock location...i just helped a buddy install a body lift on his jeep this weekend and we put the little brackets on and it left the radiator in the stock location to make this not a problem...you could get creative and make the little brackets...just takes some strips of metal about 3 inches long and put a hole in one end and the other hole about 3 inches apart and bolt 1 end to the old hole and connect the others to the radiator holes...thats how his were with the kit...
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Cary
This set-up has not seemed right to me front the start. I thought there should have been some sort of lowering stuff to make it sit right.
The PO split the bottom of the fan shroud and rigged something up to pull it apart so as to clear the fan. I never would have to thought to look at that before I bought it - everything up top looked good.
The PO split the bottom of the fan shroud and rigged something up to pull it apart so as to clear the fan. I never would have to thought to look at that before I bought it - everything up top looked good.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Newport News, VA
I recently installed a 3" body lift and have no problems with the radiator hoses. the Performance Acc's body lift does not come with radiator relocating hardware. Not sure why they re-routed the upper hose. Try routing in above the shroud when you replace it. It should fit fine. Good luck!
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 476
Likes: 5
From: Delaware
My 90 Bronco came with a 3" lift kit when I bought it and the radiator was in the stock location on the body so it's 3" too high. I simply used a wire tie to hold the upper radiator hose up to the two air intake hoses to keep it away from the fan. I added a flex fan for the increased cooling as there wasn't any bottom half to the fan shroud. If I have any other cooling problems in the future I'm just going to electric fan(s) that will eliminate any cooling or fan clearance problems.
