2006 explorer radiator

[beaudarvil]

Technical Service Bulletin 09-8-1 / Coolant Leak - Radiator built on or before 8/8/06

TSB 09-8-1

05/04/09

4.0L COOLANT LEAK - RADIATOR - BUILT ON OR
BEFORE 8/8/2006

FORD:
2006 Explorer
2007 Explorer Sport Trac

MERCURY:
2006 Mountaineer

ISSUE
Some 2006 Explorer, Mountaineer and 2007 Explorer Sport Trac vehicles built on or before 8/8/2006 and equipped with a 4.0L engine may experience coolant leaking from the radiator.

ACTION
Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Replace the radiator with the updated radiator following Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-03.


NOTE

NOTE :A REVISED FAN STRATEGY IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR THESE APPLICATIONS

2. Reprogram the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to the latest calibration using IDS release 58.2 and higher. This new calibration is not included in the VCM 2008.11 Calibration files may also be obtained at the website.








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

090801A 2007 Explorer Sport Trac 1.8 Hrs.
4.0L: Replace The
Radiator; Reprogram The
PCM (Do Not Use With
12650D, 8005A, 8600A,
8616A)

090801A 2006 Explorer, 1.9 Hrs.
Mountaineer 4.0L: Replace
The Radiator; Reprogram
The PCM (Do Not Use
With 12650D, 8005A,
8600A, 8616A)

DEALER CODING
CONDITION
BASIC PART NO. CODE
8005 01

 

[lilrod1276]

running hot

radiator puking up coolant mean its the head gasket or can it be something else to.

 

[Hardline]

radiator puking up coolant mean its the head gasket or can it be something else to.

Could very well be something else. Mine never ran hot just always puked at the cap and the thermostat housing. Then would pop the radiator after a while. I have not lost a drop since they made the repairs at the dealership a couple months ago. We are keeping our fingers crossed. JJ

 

[GB]

Add me to the list. My car has 31,000 miles and I'm 5 months out of warranty. Brought my car to the dealer today and was told I had a core failure in my radiator. Service manager told me that in many instances the radiators he sees are damaged because they hang low and are hit which cracks them. However, in my case, this did not occur and I instead clearly have a defective radiator.

They offered me $200 off a $965 repair job, to which I told them thanks, but no thanks. We'll take to a local mechanic for $600.

I did call Ford and got the run around. There stand is this is what warranties are for. I'm so pissed I'm ready to jump threw the phone and strangle someone. How is putting a part that fails after 3.5 years and 31k miles ok? How is this acceptable behavior? We spent $28,000 on this vehicle that has a major system failure after such a short period of time. The fact that Ford doesn't recognize this issue is unconscionable.

There are reasons the radiator and muffler shops of my youth are no longer around. They don't fail anymore. To have this happen is ridiculous and to have Ford not recognize this as an issue is bad business.

I will NEVER buy another Ford again, the one we have will never be serviced by a Ford dealer, and I will CONSTANTLY & CONSISTENTLY tell people to buy other brands.

 

[Ford81]

Add me to the list. My car has 31,000 miles and I'm 5 months out of warranty. Brought my car to the dealer today and was told I had a core failure in my radiator. Service manager told me that in many instances the radiators he sees are damaged because they hang low and are hit which cracks them. However, in my case, this did not occur and I instead clearly have a defective radiator.

They offered me $200 off a $965 repair job, to which I told them thanks, but no thanks. We'll take to a local mechanic for $600.

I did call Ford and got the run around. There stand is this is what warranties are for. I'm so pissed I'm ready to jump threw the phone and strangle someone. How is putting a part that fails after 3.5 years and 31k miles ok? How is this acceptable behavior? We spent $28,000 on this vehicle that has a major system failure after such a short period of time. The fact that Ford doesn't recognize this issue is unconscionable.

There are reasons the radiator and muffler shops of my youth are no longer around. They don't fail anymore. To have this happen is ridiculous and to have Ford not recognize this as an issue is bad business.

I will NEVER buy another Ford again, the one we have will never be serviced by a Ford dealer, and I will CONSTANTLY & CONSISTENTLY tell people to buy other brands.

My apologies for your Ford....I know how frustrating it is (I replaced my radiator a few months ago too). It cost me $300 to replace (I did it myself) and yes, it was a pain the butt....but I'll tell you something: Fords ROCK!

Here's why:

1. Ford is a true American Company. I buy American and will always do.
2. Ford was the only company that truly survived the recession without depending on us to take pull them out.
3. Every car maker have their issues. Just a few days ago we heard about Toyota recalling over 4.6 million cars...
4. The Ford Explorer is an amazing line of cars and extremely confortable to be in.

I know is frustrating, but hang in there. I love my Ford and will always tell people that Ford is great.

Those are my two cents...

 

[TLEE]

Does anyone have a pic of what the 2006 radiator looks like... I just ordered a Valeo Radiator from partstrain.com and I may have to return it.. My mechanic says its not the correct part. It doesn't have a cap at the top of it.. Should it?

I read a few posts back that someone bought one from radiatorbarn.com.. Unfortunately radiatorbarn doesn't have a pic of what they're radiators look like. So i'm not sure if I have the right part or not

 

[jamieD]

Has anyone had better luck with any one or the other aftermarket radiator than the new 6L2Z-8005-AD Radiator from Ford?

 

[Dave A]

I've joined the radiator club.
2006 Ex 4.0 42500 miles. Noticed a few drips a couple of weeks ago. Getting about a 12 inch spot after parking it now. Ordered a new radiator from radiator.com . Visteon radiator for $212 delivered and radiator.com lifetime warranty.

I had this one installed in November along with the pcm reprogram. Knock on wood it's holding up yet.
www.radiator.com

 

[sinkheat]

Ok here is the latest update on my 06. I talked to the dealer yesterday. They said that they did have an updated radiator that was released on April 9th 09. Part# 6L2Z 8005 AD. After I explained all the heck I had been through with the radiators in this rig and that I was about to get rid of it and the other 8 Fords that we own he asked how exactly I could condemn Fords and their products after I have had failed repairs using aftermarket parts on it. That did seem to make a bit of sense to me so I dropped the truck off to them this morning. They installed the new updated radiator,cap, thermostat and thermostat housing. He said that this would def. fix my problems and that I would have no more problems from here on out. Which I hope is the case because my wife really like this truck and I do not want to get rid of all my Fords. I will keep you updated on how it goes. Oh and make sure you are sitting down when you get the price of the new updated radiator. It is a bit of sticker shock! JJ

At 45k my beloved 'Exploder' just joined the radiator club. Exact symptoms as all the rest, leaked from the drivers side plastic tank.

Given the above info I checked and Ford installed this same radiator Part# 6L2Z 8005 AD.

HAS ANYONE INSTALLED THIS RADIATOR AND HAD IT FAIL? This is critical, knowing whether I will again have to face this repair bill, or sell it early. Please respond if you have, it would help the rest of us knowing if Ford REALLY fixed the problem.

 

[midiout]

Im on my fourth one - all were replaced by the dealer. I never asked for the part number. FORD only billed my warranty company for one time along with plastic thermo housing. I can see where it is starting to leak from the bottom of the hose attached to the plastic housing again. Debating about selling/trading it in. The last time the rear driver's window motor failed, the services would not honor the warranty. The dealer recommended this warranty, so next time I'm afraid of the outcome.

 

[sinkheat]

Im on my fourth one - all were replaced by the dealer. I never asked for the part number. FORD only billed my warranty company for one time along with plastic thermo housing. I can see where it is starting to leak from the bottom of the hose attached to the plastic housing again. Debating about selling/trading it in. The last time the rear driver's window motor failed, the services would not honor the warranty. The dealer recommended this warranty, so next time I'm afraid of the outcome.

Thanks for the very sad update. When was the last time the Ford 'Joke of a Radiator' was replaced?

 

[Inoc]

Just got my Explorer back after having radiator replaced under extended warranty ( ESP ). This is the first car I've ever owned that I got the extended warranty for and boy am I glad I got it! I paid approx $1,000 for it and have had the transmission repaired and now the radiator replaced. Sad. ESP expires next year....'11 explorer?

 

[bandar]

same problem to me i have 06 explorer v6 XLS before 10 months ago i changed my radiator (450$) it was (80000 KM) and now (115000 KM) i have a problem again but the problem is with trans. cooler and the oil mixed with water i went to the dealership they said you need to change the complete radiator because it's one part what i know the old models before 06 i think you can change only trans. cooler but 06 and above i don't know.

anyway i already change it last week (530$) this is very bad most of cars trans. cooler is changeable but here they said no.

my radiator already new just 10 moths ago installed if the radiator status is good why we need to change it ? just a Marketing !!

Thanks

 

[Hardline]

Just figured I would post an update. So far so good now that I had Ford do it all. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this new updated radiator did the trick. My wife loves her Ford and we would like to keep it. JJ

 

[midiout]

My water pump was leaking from the weep hole, so went to a local shop. They had to chisel off the therm-clutch fan assembly due to the dealer using an air chisel to "tighten" the assembly to the water pump. This part cost $311.00 along with two hours labor. The warranty company did pay the dealer to replace the radiator last April. The fan never went on/off in the car- and the mechanic thinks that when they used the air chisel to "bend" the threads, they could have ripped/bent the seal in the water pump. The inside of the old water pump was clear, so no rust !!!!! Whenever we drove on the expressway, the inside heat was too hot, but at the stop light, it would become cool. What do you guys think ?

 

[seannydeez]

Same issue with mine. I originally was just doing a routine check of fluids and noticed the coolant tank was empty, yet I never saw a leak so I filled it. I checked it again a few weeks later and it was still fine. About a month after that I was sitting in a parking lot when I noticed my heat started blowing cold and the temp guage was climbing. I checked the coolant and it was bone dry. I filled it and the next day it was bone dry again yet I never came across any puddles. Dealer said it was leaking from the radiator at a seam in the lower left corner and it would need to be replaced. Thank god it was under warranty because it cost $1500 even though parts were like $400.

I also had the shift problem and just received a letter from ford saying if I paid for it I can be reimbursed so you should look into that

 

[Explore06]

NO!!!! There is a warranty in place for this reason! If no warranty and this is the only way to get it done and not have to be completely out the money, then yes!

 

[2006RadiatorScam]

Getting ready to put the fourth radiator into my 2006 Eddie Bauer. Truck has 70,000 miles now, first failure at 48,000. Like everyone else, Ford has refused to help in any way with this problem.

Discovered the TSB from 4/2009 this week and I am going to take to dealer to have the reprogramming done.

Does anyone believe that the reprogramming, along with the new design of the radiator, fix the problem?

 

[Surbiton]

So as a newbie to this forum who found out yesterday that his 2006 Explorer 4.0ltr V6 XLT with 36,959 miles has to have a new radiator, along with everyone else in this thread, has anyone got any good advice how to proceed.

I have taken issue with the Dealer who supplied the vehicle and who has serviced it and also made an online complaint to Ford - whatever that is worth. Was the Class Action idea successful? I am interested how other people have got on in negotiations over this substantial replacement component ie have they been successful in getting reimbursed or have they had to eat the cost

 

[Dave A]

I had this one installed in November along with the pcm reprogram. Knock on wood it's holding up yet.
www.radiator.com

The radiator I had bought from Radiator.com was a Visteon.

Through a lot of *****ing and complaining I was able to get my dealer to agree to install it if I supplied the part.

Make the point with your dealer that this is a known problem. That Ford has issued TSB's for this issue, and its unheard of that a nearly new vehicle should need a radiator. Get them to reflash the ECM as well per the TSB for that.