08 Ltd 4.6 Radiator leak/replacement questions (I've joined the club)...

[pjw73nh]

Greetings,

My 08 Ltd 4.6 radiator has had it. I am pretty sure the car was in an accident of some sort before I got it (with 60k) as there is some misalignment of some front end body parts.

I *think* it is the original rad as it is stamped 10-17-2007 on the mfr date code. That said, the car has 118k miles on it now. I have already replaced the "Y" connector to the rear heat. The car has been losing coolant for about 5 months. At first it was about a cup or so per oil change. Now it has progressed to the point of 2-3 OZ every time I park. More-so when the car is cold and sits for a weekend or so.

There is a crack in the upper tank, but not leaking. Only a matter of time I suppose. The lower tank where the cooling tubes go in is wet. There is coolant being pushed on to the engine when driving. There are white crusties on the radiator. I am pretty sure the rad has had it.

See pics here: https://goo.gl/photos/Aujg6wUs6UD1kdLh6

As a point of interest, I put a new condenser in about 4 years ago. I did NOT have to drain the cooling system or pull the radiator or fan to do it. I was able to finagle it out and in just by moving the rad back toward the fan..

I've done an extensive search here and also viewed FordMakuloco's fantastic videos on ford products on youtube. I still have a couple of questions.

1. Anyone have any recent comments on The Spectra Premium Radiator CU2952? It comes highly recommended by many, though a few have reported negative results. I wrote to the company today and they tell me they are made in China, and that Amazon is in fact, an authorized seller, and to their knowledge there are no knock offs being sold. Amazon has it for $140. RockAuto has the RAD38 OEM for $183 delivered.

2. Can I do this job without pulling the fan? There is a special 36 mm wrench for it, but I don't quite understand which way the nut should turn to remove the fan. In addition to wondering how to hold it from turning when wrenching it.

3. Adding transmission fluid is a royal PITA with this car. (6R60) transmission. It's sealed and has to be done from the bottom. Can I fill the ATF cooler tank after I install the rad and before I connect the lines. How much ATF is lost when replacing the rad?

4. If I can't get the old trans cooler lines off, will the existing fittings thread into the CU2952 ports? There is conflicting information about this referencing a 1.5 and 1.25 pitch thread issue..

Thanks in advance for any further tips, tricks suggestions you may have.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Read this post maybe.

As of now, the Spectra CU2816 I used is still good after 92k miles.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...t-a-radiator-for-2006-v8.378378/#post-3108474

 

[pjw73nh]

Read this post maybe.

As of now, the Spectra CU2816 I used is still good after 92k miles.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...t-a-radiator-for-2006-v8.378378/#post-3108474

Thanks for the reply. yeah, I read the post. Good info. Major difference is my 08 has/needs the CU 2952. 06s (and some 07s as far as i know) has/needs the CU2816.

 

[boominXplorer]

The only difference between the rads 06-07 and 08 and up is the size of the trans cooler inputs. They are a different diameter between the years.

 

[MNgopher]

Used a Spectra Premium in my '07 about 2 1/2 years ago and 30,000 miles ago. So far so good. I believe it was a 2952.

I did take the fan out. Borrowed the tool from the auto part store for free. I bought at the local parts store because A. I needed it and they had it in stock, and B. I didn't want any warranty hassles (been down that road before with internet ordered and delivered radiators in the Cherokee, so this was an easy choice for me (after dealing with two warranty failures).

I was unable to get the quick disconnects off (even with the proper tool), so I moved the entire fitting out of the old radiator to the new. The spectra premium handles that just fine and uses the stock thread pitch.

I lost so little ATF that I didn't worry about the refill (and had a pan drop for other reasons a few months later, but that's another story...)

The Ford Tech video pretty much covers it!

 

[pjw73nh]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate them.

UPDATE:
I tried unsuccessfully this weekend (not a "full-on" effort). to do the rad. I PBlasted the ATF fittings a few days earlier just in case. I ordered a CU2952 from Amazon, came in in two days. Damaged. Side bracket dented and two of the metal crimps to the plastic tank looked like they had "burned" through. I didn't want to take a chance. This was the rad recommended by FordTechMakuLoco in his vids. I VERY HIGHLY respect his opinions, and he makes GREAT vids. I returned it and ordered another one. The new one came in packaged WAY better that the first. The first was just an inner and outer box. The second was strapped up with styrofoam protection on the sides and tanks.

Before I started, I wanted to be sure I could get the most difficult parts done (fan and ATF fittings) before going full hog on it. I rented the fan wrenches and ATF disconnect tool from the local parts store. I tried for about 45 minutes to get the fan off. No dice. Even used an air hammer like the vid shows. NOTHING. Wouldn't budge. Gave up for the meantime. May attack it later this month when the Wx gets warmer. I can still use the car, just have to watch coolant level. Didn't even try to remove the ATF lines. Why bother at this point. I am hoping I can get the rad out without taking the fan off. If not, I may try removing the serp belt and removing the 4 fan pulley bolts and removing the fan, pulley and all.

To answer a few issues I have found on the internet forums that were unclear, I directly emailed Spectra Premium about this specific rad.. They were very responsive. I throw these out there only for informational purposes. I suspect these are "current" answers, and that older points may have been different at that time. The answers I received were:

1. They are made in China and is a two-row rad.
2. Amazon is an authorized distributor.
3. They know of no counterfeits being produced or sold.
4. The rad is supplied with two types of fittings. One set installed (they called them "short") and the other set separate and with thread sealant and O-rings already applied. (They called these "long"). When asked if the length was the only difference, they said "yes" and that it would be very clear as to which set to use. (???)
5. They emphatically said that the Ford OEM ATF line threads on my 2008 4.6 WOULD NOT fit their radiator and said DO NOT try and use them.
6. They said the only difference in the fittings is the length. (I am not sure I like this answer).

Hope this helps someone.

Any comments or suggestions welcome.

 

[Dora2007]

My only comment is I’d recommend searching Amazon for ‘other sellers’ and get OEM Ford radiator from a Ford dealer. Many for dealers are selling ‘older stock’ on Amazon. Mine was Ford OEM correct part number for $228. To me not worth the risk of aftermarket. BTW, also bought OEM Ford COP coils from a Ford dealer through Amazon. Both were much less than local dealer.

 

[pjw73nh]

Hi Dora, Thanks for the reply. I was going to look for a Ford OEM, but several people have said that the "new old stock" rads are the source of the issue. I know my/the 08 4.6L engines are designed to run at a higher pressure than the most of the others. It may be generational, I am not sure. But I do know that the 08 4.6L are definitely running at 20-22 psi. The issue (so the story goes) is that the original Ford rads for these engines were originally designed for 16 psi or so, but they didn't beef up the design of the rad for these higher pressure engines.. So they hold for a while, but eventually give out. I don't know if the current OEM rad is redesigned, but I do know it's rather expensive. I've got 118k on the car now, if I get another 40-50k out of the Spectra Premium radiator, I'm ok with that. I will probably have a different vehicle by then regardless.

As for the COPs. Yes I bought a set of 8 (ACCEL) for $200 and did them all when I did the spark plugs. Yes, I was VERY worried about doing the plugs at almost 90k. It took a painstakingly long effort to do them but I didn't break a single one. I put the newer, redesigned Ford plugs in that have a different shaped ground shield. Haven't had a single misfire in almost 30k.

 

[Dora2007]

It may be a loosing proposition no matter what one does. When I bought the Dora, the (Dodge) dealer had replaced the radiator to prep for sale. I though Whoo-hoo, I got the (known) radiator problem fixed by the dealer! Well, 2 years later, I got seepage. Tracked down the numbers on the dealer replaced item and it was a cheap Taiwan radiator. Gee, go figure.

So, there I was, replacing it anyway. I don’t think ANY source is going to last another 100k, so it’s a C-shoot anyway. I was bothered about the complexity of the job - as compared to older vehicle radiator jobs - but now that I’ve done it, if I have to do it again some miles down the road, it won’t be such a bother.

 

[USMCBuckWild]

I replaced my radiator without removing the fan. It was an enromous pain in the ass, but it is possible. It took me about 8 hours altogether. I also could not get the trans cooler lines apart. I simply unscrewed them and threaded the original ones in. Even with them unthreaded from the old radiator I was unable to seperate them. I tried 3 different fuel line/trans line coupler tools including a Snap-On set and no luck.

Gooooooooood luck!

 

[pjw73nh]

USMCBuck and all the rest. Thanks for the replies. I had the job done/did it today with a mechanic/friend. His main business is auto repair.

I am SO glad I didn't take this on myself. The fan nut took two of us to break free (using pneumatic hammer/Lisle tool). But the absolute worst was getting the ATF lines out. Out of a 3+ hour job (on a full lift with all tools available), about 1.75 hrs was spent getting the fittings off the lines without damaging the lines.

We too broke a few of the tools made for pulling the fittings. The new rad had different threads so we couldnt just thread the old ones back in. As a last ditch effort, we took out a dremel tool and very carefully cut them off. After seeing their construction, and how they had "sealed" themselves to the lines, there was no way at all any of hte tools mentioned would have worked.

I can't figure out how to post pics here, so try this link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zwtz8wcgwkzkndr/AACo-7fJxTIPbp7Flm9rOhSma?dl=0

Thanks again.

 

[edwx]

What did you (anyone) use to plug the trans lines while you were doing the swap?

 

[pjw73nh]

EDWX, We didn't plug the lines. Only a few ounces came out of the lines. The rest was in the tank in the old radiator. It took a full quart to top it off when we were done. And checking/adding ATF to these beasts is a real PITA!!!!.

 

[Dora2007]

What did you (anyone) use to plug the trans lines while you were doing the swap?

http://www.dormanproducts.com/itemdetail.aspx?ProductID=216&SEName=02255