2006 explorer radiator

[copmobile]

I bought my 06 XLS in Feb. this year, I havent noticed any leaks from the radiator. Granted, I see the pattern here, that being the original radiators tend to fail around the 40k-70k mile mark.

Mine has 102k on the clock right now so I am hoping the issue has already come and gone with mine...either that or it was one of the few that got the problem fixed before it hit the road.

 

[aaronajb1981]

Or it was manufactured later in 06. its the early ones that are having the problems.

 

[copmobile]

Yeah, it is hard to tell though. My rig served as a fleet vehicle for a company I forget the name of, but according to all the old service records that were in the glove box when I got it, it has been well taken care of. I need to do some maintainance and change the belt out before winter comes, I hear a tiny bit of chirping/squeeking when the motor is running. That could just be a pulley needing tightening though.

 

[rmurray]

Sign me up! Radiator leaking at 48k miles. Want to get a truck, so I'll probably use the stop leak and trade it in (if anyone will take it). Have an '06 XLT. Not sure if its related, but I've always had a problem with a girgling sound coming out of the passenger side dashboard. Dealer could never diagnose the problem. Now, the radiator is leaking and I am not going to pay $500+ to replace it. I think I'll stall and see if Ford is going to offer a recall at some point, but hopefully by then, it will be someone elses problem.

 

[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.
Ford customer service doesn't want to help out the Ex owners. No after warranty money available either.
Definitely filing a report with http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Any lawyers out there willing to start a class action suite?

 

[dothedeww]

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.
Ford customer service doesn't want to help out the Ex owners. No after warranty money available either.
Definitely filing a report with http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Any lawyers out there willing to start a class action suite?

if you find anyone who will start a class action im in!

 

[aaronajb1981]

Like I stated before talk to the dealership ford has an "AWA" (after warranty assistance) program. It works on a pro-rated system. My radiator went bad at like 44xxx or something in 2 years form purchase date (bought new). I had to only pay 20% of the cost, ford picked up the rest of it. A dealership will not always flat out tell customers about this program because if they dont use it the shop can make more on their hourly charge rate.

 

[Ford81]

Radiator

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.
Ford customer service doesn't want to help out the Ex owners. No after warranty money available either.
Definitely filing a report with http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Any lawyers out there willing to start a class action suite?

If you find a lawyer, I'm also in! I replaced my radiator a few weeks ago. I ordered mine form Radiatorbarn.com. The radiator was an identical version of the Ford one, but I paid $160.00.

Replacing the radiator was no easy task. Those darn side brackets gave me hell! I wish Ford could grant me some personal time with the designer of those brackets! So far so good (knock on wood). The real test will be when I drive 1,600 miles in a few days.

I wish you luck with your radiator. Other than this radiator crap, I love my ford!

 

[Dave A]

Like I stated before talk to the dealership ford has an "AWA" (after warranty assistance) program. It works on a pro-rated system. My radiator went bad at like 44xxx or something in 2 years form purchase date (bought new). I had to only pay 20% of the cost, ford picked up the rest of it. A dealership will not always flat out tell customers about this program because if they dont use it the shop can make more on their hourly charge rate.

I asked about the AWA assistance and from what I was told the AWA money is given to the dealership on a quarterly basis. Before the economy took a dump they used to get $10k a quarter. Now they only get $2000 and it doesn't go very far. If they've used it up your SOL.

 

[dothedeww]

If you find a lawyer, I'm also in! I replaced my radiator a few weeks ago. I ordered mine form Radiatorbarn.com. The radiator was an identical version of the Ford one, but I paid $160.00.

Replacing the radiator was no easy task. Those darn side brackets gave me hell! I wish Ford could grant me some personal time with the designer of those brackets! So far so good (knock on wood). The real test will be when I drive 1,600 miles in a few days.

I wish you luck with your radiator. Other than this radiator crap, I love my ford!

haha them side brackets are a pain. haha took me an hour to figure out how to get them out...then losing the tranny fluid pissed me off...

 

[jsingh]

Hey guys,

Thank you for participating in the forum. Reading the entire thing has been a lot of help. I do have a few questions. Here is my story:

I have a 2006 Ford Explorer XLS V6. I bought it less a year ago with 22k miles. As most of the people in the forum, my car began by overheating sporadically just recently. So I found the leaks and I attempted to fix it by adding "Bar's Stop Leak." After a few days, I noticed things got better. I drained, flushed, and added brand new coolant to the Radiator. Now, I notice the leaks better (although there is no proof of it on the floor). Below are my images:

I also noticed some coolant fluid on the lower hose...I just couldn't find the point of origin.

I'm at the point that I know I have to change the radiator. Here are a few questions:

1.Ford wants $530.00 for a brand new Radiator. Are the Ford radiators worth it? Or should I go with an aftermarket?

2. If you recommend an aftermarket radiator, based on your experiences (I know some of you have changed the radiator more than once), which aftermarket radiator is best and where can I purchase it?

3. Does any of you know why the radiators fail so much? Is it the Radiator itself, or the system? Where else can I look to avoid / prevent another Radiator mishap?

I really appreciate your input and all your help!

Cheers!

Rod

I also have the same "rad" problem, mine is leaking from the driver side in the exact same place as the picture above.

I replaced the radiator last week with new OEM radiator, everything has been fine for the past 3 days, then today I noticed the leak has continued in the same place.

I've determined that this plastic part is actually and allignment dowel which holds the radiator in place in the carriage and serves no function to the radiator, why is it leaking from this postion? Could it be because its a weak spot in the design? ? Can I do anything to prevent this leak? It's starting to really piss me off.

 

[TowingExplorer]

Unless you pull the radiator, how can you tell it's actually leaking from the alignment dowel? All you know for certain is that it is leaking and that it is coming through that hole... two separate things.

Perhaps it's leaking on the front of the core by the end cap and trickling down to the first point of exit from the bay, being the dowel holes.

 

[jsingh]

Sorry thats what I meant it is leaking through the dowel hole and it seems to be trickling down somewhere from the top.

There is also a second puddle spot n the ground but not as large as the leak coming thourgh the dowel, I can't determine where its coming from but there is some coolant fluid on the lower hose just like the picture above.

Any ideas, the radiator was replaced 6 days ago, I'm starting to believe that its not the rad at fault its something else? "Ford81" we both appear to have the same problem, what was the end result, did you ever get the bottom of the leak, no pun intended.

 

[TowingExplorer]

Okay, I may have mis-read it before. Just wanted to make sure we all understood the issue.

I would suggest, as I think I did before, that the leak is probably coming from where the end tank attaches to the core. How to find this out?.. I guess you could pull the radiator and see if there are any signs of dried coolant in the area.

 

[Dave A]

I ended buying my radiator from radiators.com . It's identified as a Visteon aftermarket radiator for a cost of $225.
In haggling with the dealer I was able to get them to install the radiator for free.
So far so good.

I'm not sure if anyone has posted this here but there is a TSB 09-8-1 for our radiators on 2006 Explorer/Mountaineer and 2007 Sport Trac.
For the repair they recommend in addition to replacing the radiator that the PCM be re-programmed. Show your dealer this TSB and insist they do this reprogramming for free even if your out of warranty.
TSB 09-8-1

 

[jsingh]

I also purchased the Visteon radiator, I had the PCM reflash done today...playing the waiting game to see if that solves the ongoing leak b/c the new radiator on its own hasnt done the trick.

 

[Ford81]

Sorry thats what I meant it is leaking through the dowel hole and it seems to be trickling down somewhere from the top.

There is also a second puddle spot n the ground but not as large as the leak coming thourgh the dowel, I can't determine where its coming from but there is some coolant fluid on the lower hose just like the picture above.

Any ideas, the radiator was replaced 6 days ago, I'm starting to believe that its not the rad at fault its something else? "Ford81" we both appear to have the same problem, what was the end result, did you ever get the bottom of the leak, no pun intended.

jsingh,

Since my replacement, I have not had any leaks (knock on wood). If I were you, I would make sure your hoses are tight. That was one thing that I did not do correctly and found out a few days after. Now, it may also have been that the new radiator that you purchased suffered some damage during shipping/transport. A new radiator should not have any leaks within days of having been replaced.

Re-flashing/updating the PCM definitely helps the leak issue as it re calibrates the entire system. (Ford engineers made some pretty dumb math with early 06 Explorers). After this experience, I check my radiator almost weekly now. And with winter upon us, I could not imagine changing the radiator again! So let's hope this one lasts a long time!

Cheers!

 

[TowingExplorer]

Re-flashing/updating the PCM definitely helps the leak issue as it re calibrates the entire system. (Ford engineers made some pretty dumb math with early 06 Explorers).

Does anyone know what this recalibration actually calibrates? Is the thermostat or water pump somehow computer controlled? All I can think of controlled by the PCM is fan turn on/off conditions.

 

[Ford81]

Talking about overheating... I just got back from towing my ford!! The hose that goes from the engine to the thermostat just broke! My system lost presure, and plenty of coolant! Its a small hose, but i can see how its going to be a mission to replace it. Anybody has any tips? I guess i didnt knock on wood hard enough!

 

[Ford81]

Update on broken Hose

Hey guys,
So this morning I opened the hood of my car found the problem hose. Take a look:

I found this hose not to be the easiest thing to take out as it's so cramped. I'll update more as I go along.

Cheers!