1999 Mounty 5.0 aka My Great Bad Idea

[410Fortune]

Window vent kit

Shims in

Camber adjusted with magnet angle gauge lol
T bars cranked 2.5 full turns drivers 1.5 pass truck leveled at 36.75” to fender lip up front
265 tires 2” body lift. She rides so nice

Eventually she will get 17” wheels and 285 tires

 

[97Sandbox]

Heat lever and bend into an “s” shape to make that combo boot work

Sounds like a good opportunity for more torch and/or welding practice!

We have a couple of those here I’ll see if we can part with one (check my stash and ask stepson if he wants to get rid of one) he has some fx4 chrome setups too $$$$$

For years I collected every combo of boots I could find
Now my stepson does the same thing

Yeah, I was reading about those Fx4 setups, need to keep an eye out for those too. I've gotten much better about picking things up when I see them, even if I don't need them right away. I still kick myself for some things I've passed on in the past, but at the same time I've probably had more random purchases that later came in handy or are still on the shelf. Certain things aren't worth hoarding, but my local salvage yard only charges $3.30 for a shifter boot, so it's worth it to snag those.

 

[97Sandbox]

View attachment 445456
Window vent kit

View attachment 445457
Shims in

View attachment 445458
Camber adjusted with magnet angle gauge lol
T bars cranked 2.5 full turns drivers 1.5 pass truck leveled at 36.75” to fender lip up front
265 tires 2” body lift. She rides so nice

Eventually she will get 17” wheels and 285 tires

Hey! Who cut the back off my Mounty and put on an '01 Sport front end? Hahaha

 

[410Fortune]

Holy crap! I Totally posted that in the wrong thread!!

Been using forum from my phone it’s not working out so well hahahaha

 

[97Sandbox]

Didn't get much more torn apart tonight, my throttle body seems to be adhered to the intake elbow and the egr piping is not budging so far. While I was working, I noticed coolant started leaking when I leaned on the upper radiator hose. I then started tracing the drips. When I found the highest puddle, I gave a deliberate squeeze:


Looks like the timing cover gasket is completely blown out in one spot. A chunk of it (I think) was even laying in the area of the leak (in bucket below)

Good thing I was replacing that gasket anyway!

 

[97Sandbox]

Slow and steady is the name of the game. Learning my way around this 302 as it comes apart.

 

[97Sandbox]

I know I've read others mention it, but I have to say it again: the combined ac condenser/radiator on 5.0 trucks is a very annoying design. I'm glad the Mounty refrigerant was alret long gone because I didn't see any way to remove the radiator without removing the condenser. On the plus side, the radiator in the Mounty is already a thicker core! Can I replace the original condenser with one from a V6 model that bolts to the core support? I need to replace this condenser anyway.

Do the locking tabs on the injector connectors always break? Mine were so brittle all but one snapped with the lightest touch. I'll have to come up with something to keep them held in once I start reassembly.

Any tips on breaking the EGR tube loose at the exhaust manifold? Along with liberally applying penetrant, I tried a big wrench, then a bigger wrench, and finally a big wrench plus a hammer (or as I call it, the old fashioned impact wrench) and nothing budged. I guess tomorrow I'll bring out the torch...

 

[410Fortune]

Torch is only way, or induction. Heater, must break the bond that rust has formed otherwise it will never come loose

Once you have dealt with the v8 cooling stack for many years you get good at doing those three plastic clips.. the ac condenser can be left behind and the radiator removed but it is not easy!!!
I often use the v6 condenser with a v8 radiator you will have to get creative for the lower support of the condenser

Yes the later injector plugs always break. We simply run a small zip tie through the hole and around the body of the injector this way they will never come unplugged and I mean never

New egr tubes are avail and they are not too expensive they also have improved design no more “accordion” section

 

[CDW6212R]

The V6 condenser bracket is all you need to eliminate the awful V8 mounting design. Get the V6 bracket and then you stop attaching the radiator to the condenser. That's what others discovered 10-15 years ago, I keep forgetting to look for that bracket at a JY.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes and when the bracket is Mia because I tossed it out?? Then zip ties will get you through!!

My v6 condenser is zip tied at the bottom to the radiator
Note to self I need one of those brackets

 

[CDW6212R]

I recall working on my 99 SOHC truck without the front end, and loved that solid bracket, way before I ever had to R&R the V8 radiators. I'd like to collect a bunch of spare Explorer(and later Ranger or Sport Trac) parts for future project ideas. I just have to find time to go see if anything is still to be had these days.

 

[97Sandbox]

Thanks for the tips, guys! I'll play around with the clips on the condenser, but it'll be a matter of what I find in good shape at the JY to replace it. I like the idea of going V6 style, but at the same time, it isn't that often that I pull a radiator.

 

[CDW6212R]

Those clips are hell to engage into the V8 radiator. You will be cussing them in a couple of minutes, and 30 minutes later you'll swear to never do them again. I found a very long screwdriver was the biggest help, getting the two on the right hooked in at the same time was the hardest part.

 

[97Sandbox]

Once I look at it in the light of day, the condenser was pretty easy to disconnect from the radiator. I decided to verify that the prior owner's assessment of the condenser having a hole in it was true before looking for a replacement. Here's a simple test I devised:
Block off one port

Compressed air in the other

Nasty crap came spraying out -- bad condenser confimed

 

[97Sandbox]

I got back to work on the Mounty last night. After hitting it with the torch, the EGR pipe came off without much trouble. I'm very glad I happen to have a 27mm wrench, because it would be really hard to get much clearance for an adjustable wrench between the AC accumulator and right valve cover.

I also pulled the thermostat housing off on my way to the lower intake manifold. Looks like the prior owner never found the timing cover coolant leak and must've thought it was coming from the thermostat housing:

Clearly his solution was to keep taking it off and applying more RTV hahaha...I'll have some cleanup to do. I also noticed the casting mismatch inside the thermostat housing is awful -- do you guys ever port these to improve the flow through the 90 deg bend, or is it unnecessary?

I got the water pump off too. After reading horror stories on here, I was preparing for the worst. Turns out I didn't need to worry because whoever put this pump on must not have torqued anything! Two studs were already partially out, all the bolts broke free easily, and the middle/top two studs just took some careful rocking of the ratchet to break their rust bonds.

Next stop: power steering stuff. Then I can get to the timing cover and disassembly will be almost done. Cleaning things up will take a while before reassembly though -- this thing is very dirty/oily all over.

 

[410Fortune]

27mm for the egr tube?
That thermostat was barely able to work! Too much goo

So lucky the waterpump/ water jacket/ timing cover bolts came out. Make sure you chase all these threads

Keep up the good work!

 

[CDW6212R]

Well done on the WP bolts, that's a huge hurdle. The thermostat housing doesn't need to be "ported", it's much bigger than the other restrictions. Leaks a the TH are almost always from the installer not getting it on without it falling down between the TH and the intake. I use a gasket plus very little RTV to hold it in place, don't bolt it on for a couple of minutes and make sure the RTV is sticking well.

 

[97Sandbox]

27mm for the egr tube?

That's what the fitting on mine was. 1-1/16" would fit a little tighter, but I couldn't find one in my toolbox (I swear I had one before I moved though!).

That thermostat was barely able to work! Too much goo

Yeah, I'm surprised the truck was cooling itself just fine. The whole cooling system will get a good flush regardless.

So lucky the waterpump/ water jacket/ timing cover bolts came out. Make sure you chase all these threads

Will do. Hopefully the timing cover doesn't give me much more trouble than the water pump. Is pulling the crank pulley on the 5.0 essentially the same process as pulling it on a 4.0?

The thermostat housing doesn't need to be "ported", it's much bigger than the other restrictions. Leaks a the TH are almost always from the installer not getting it on without it falling down between the TH and the intake. I use a gasket plus very little RTV to hold it in place, don't bolt it on for a couple of minutes and make sure the RTV is sticking well.

Thanks for the input! Maybe I'll install the TH on the lower intake before I reinstall the lower intake, that way I can tilt the intake and use gravity to my advantage/avoid the thermostat slipping out.

 

[CDW6212R]

These 5.0's have metric bolt holes in the balancer, so be sure the removal kit has those bolts.

 

[97Sandbox]

Thanks! I believe my puller has both SAE and metric thread bolts, knowing the holes metric ought to save me some time fumbling around trying to figure out what threads in.