Radiator blew
The upper plastic tank of my original radiator split and leaked a gallon or so of coolant. Replaced radiator with a new one quickly and am thinking of replacing hoses/ water pump next before I'm stranded again.
Did a search for water pump and didnt find any issues with same in this forum. Wondering if I should even bother as hoses are pliable and pump appears to be fine...........Any one else had issues with water pump and or hoses? (lower hose looks like an octopus, by the way!)
Are there any other obscure coolant hoses on the V-10? (van has rear heat and those were replaced by previous owner.)
Also, does anyone here just replace their idler/tensioner pulleys' bearings with a common 3203 bearing????
The bearings only cost about $5 or so and if you look around you can find them for under $2!
John
I am particular about preventative maintenance i.e. flushing the cooling system every 2-3 years, etc, and keeping thorough records on what has been done and when.On the other hand I've had to put two pumps in my little lady's 93 T-Bird. Due to the age of your E350 I'd go with replacing hoses, even the heater core hoses. Rubber, plastic etc, breaks down over time. Another set of hoses that are often overlooked and very important is the front brake line hoses. They can look fine on the outside but the inside can and does breakdown and can cause calipers to stick or not back off the rotor completely.
As for your pulleys, I don't know if you can actually separate the pulley from the bearing if that's what you're asking!?! I just bought the whole assembly for my Ranger but don't remember part #'s.
The tensier pulley is plastic and the pulley is molded right over the bearing so that is a throwawy item. The bearing can be replaced on the idler pulley as it is a standard bearing. If you are careful you can also remove the bearing seal and grease it. (has to have seals not metal shields) I've replaced and regreased several idler pulley bearings already on other vehicles.
Water pumps? Nothing to report - if it's not weeping at the breather hole, and when you have the belt off, do this: Spin the water pump pulley. As it comes to a stop, it should go back and forth a little bit just as it comes to a stop. This means the water seal is still good and the bearing is smooth. In other words, push the pulley in one direction slowly, as you let go, it should rebound slightly, maybe a millimeter or two. Also, check the bearing for slop in and out.
Reason for upper; it takes the most pressure and heat.
Modine has all but shutdown their local plant, My radiator came from Napa and it was
made in China!
Old one split longitudinally at the top of the tank, right down the middle about 6-8 "
John





Sucks that you had to pay Napa prices for a chinesse radiator.
