2006 explorer radiator

[bpd67]

Just had mine crack today on my 06 Limited with 29K miles. This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. I have a call in to my Ford rep, that I've dealt with before on unrelated issues. It's pretty sad when you buy a new car and you have no faith in it after the warranty expires.

 

[bpd67]

Does anyone know what the part number for the newer design is? They claim they put the new one on, but the part number is 6L2Z-8005-AA, I saw someone saying they had an AB. I'm guessing this one is going to do it again and this time it'll be out of pocket.

 

[98explorerltd]

Does anyone know what the part number for the newer design is? They claim they put the new one on, but the part number is 6L2Z-8005-AA, I saw someone saying they had an AB. I'm guessing this one is going to do it again and this time it'll be out of pocket.

Your 06... is it a V6 or V8?

 

[bpd67]

V6

 

[Hardline]

I think I have all of yall beat. Bought my wife the 06EB in Aug and noticed the slight leak the day after we got it home. Changed it out in Oct. with a new radiator from a company called 1-800-radiator. They said that Ford was having some troubles but that theirs was a better unit and that I would be ok with it. Just noticed today that it is leaking again. This is not good. I do not have time for this. JJ

 

[scottone928]

Well you can count me in on the radiator problem. Went out yesterday to discover my wifes 2006 Mountaineer V6 has that same problem. Of course our Mount has 39K on it and the dealer wants $800.00 to replace. Ford told me to haggle with the service manager and he went as low as $500.00. What a piece of crap radiator to die at 39k. I emailed a strongly worded letter to Ford about the problem. I will have a new one in Monday and I will install it myself. I will not buy another Ford ever. Customer support is terrible. Is there a step by step pdf file or something on how to replace the radiator?

 

[dangou]

Radiator Problem on 2006 Ford Explorer XLT V6

I've been having the same problem as others and didn't have a clue what it was. I read all five pages of posts on this site and followed what someone tried, they stated that they were going to buy some Bars Leak and more coolent if needed. I did this tonight and wow, it worked. Amazing. I had the same leak from the bottom of the rad (not sure where it originates).

I'll describe the problem from my point of view so hopefully it can help others.
1. Winter hit us here in Victoria BC, it was -5 at worst and suddenly my ex temperature gauge hit the roof, within 5 seconds. I immediately thought computer fault or frozen something or... The temp light came on and I quickly pulled over, this took all of 15 - 30 seconds. Before finally pulling over the temp gauge magically went back to normal. I thought this was impossible seeing as heating up that much would cause something obvious. After popping the hood I didn't smell or see a anything that would indicate it was overheating. I chalked this up to fluke and carried on.

2. About 3 - 5 days later I heard the fan start really loud after driving for about 5 minutes tops. Touching the accelerator caused the fan to sound like a loud hair dryer. Temperature gauge hit the roof after that and immediately went back to normal. I thought geeez, what the heck is going on here. I carried on and drove to work.

3. To sum up every day after this it started to happen more and more often, to the point that the loud fan was on for at least 5 minutes of my 30 minute commute. I was chocked. Finally I noticed a leak when I was fueling up, had a quick look in the rad and it was near empty. So it became quite obvious there was a rad leak.

4. I researched this a couple times, heard about people trying thermostats, temperature sensors, fan clutch (all for the loud fan sound and temperature problem). Finally I researched again this evening and found this forum and lots of great ideas and upset people. I hit the local Canadian Tire, got some Bar's leak and coolant and waiting for everything to cool down. Finally I put in the Bar's leak (based on the instructions in the bottle) and filled er up with coolant and took it for a spin. The loud fan thing happened within 5 minutes of the drive then never repeated again during my 30 - 45 minute test drive.

I'm hoping this worked out fine (and stays that way).

We should really get together and do something about Ford's service, I don't feel comfortable at all about purchasing a vehicle (I'm a blue oval guy) that will have rad failure by 60,000km. That's a joke.

Any ideas how we proceed and get Ford to admit their mistakes and fix our trucks up for free?

Hope this helps someone else.


Dan

 

[merchjo]

Has anyone had this happen on a 07 or 08?

 

[davidhadd]

Same radiator issues - 2006 Explorer Eddie Bauer V6

I have the same issue with '06 Eddie Bauer Explorer. Took it to the dealer and they initially said it was a hose clamp. They tightened it up and said I was good to go. It continued to leak however, so I returned it and now they are telling me it is a cracked radiator. I have contacted Ford, but they were no help. Looks like a little over $600 bucks for the dealership to replace it. The problem was first noticed with 37,800 miles on the vehicle ... 1,800 miles out of warranty. I have filed a complaint with Office of Defects Investigation at the NHTSA (link) ... there were several complaints about this on there already. It would really be nice if ford would just admit they have a problem with these radiators and cover them outside of the warranty. A radiator shouldn't go out at 37,800 miles.

-Brandon

I have a 2006 Ed Bauer Ex and am on my 4th!!! radiator. The last radiator came with a note stating that the warranty is limited to 3 months due to a design flaw that Ford will not recognize. The first radiator was replaced by Discount Tire (complete auto repair shop not just the tire shop) at 37000 miles. The dealer said they would not cover it because it was 1000 miles out of warranty which is why I brought it to Dis Tire. What a complete waste of time and money. I currently have 85000 miles on it but this has been happening since it had 37000 miles on it. There is clearly a design flaw that Ford does not want to admit to. Nothing anybody can do except complain...but again....a waste of time because they don't listen. I had one radiator replaced in 2007, another in the summer of 2008 and now one in Feb 2009. Guess I can count on a new radiator every year or less!!! And the american manufacturers wonder why they are in such financial trouble? This is certainly enough for me to never buy another Ford product. And not because it required a repair or two. Cars are machines and will break and will need to be repaired. I will never buy another Ford because of the way they have handled this issue. There is clearly something wrong, Ford won't admit it and the dealership claims they have never had a complaint like this in the past. I am willing to pay for repairs when they are legit failures due to normal wear....not design flaws.

 

[midiout]

This would be a great story for 20/20 or Dateline. I'm on my 3rd radiator with 48,000 miles. Now I notice liquid around the plastic upper hose thermoplastic housing which the delaer says is residue.

 

[midiout]

Well, since my last post, yesterday morning there was a puddle of water under my radiator. It was 2 degrees out side, so when I came home after 4 PM, it was still there. I looked at my coolant level -down. I added 1/4 gallon of anitfreeze, called the dealer. I took the vehicle to the dealer this morning, he knew me. He said the warranty company I purchased was bought out by another company. I called him at 4 PM, said the radiator was leaking, so this will be my fourth radiator in 2 1/2 years. He could not telll me if I needed to pay the $100 deductible. The dealer called back, said the bill was $54.37 for the fuel filter change I requested. The radiator was lasr replaced April 2008, so I assume these only last 9-11 months. Four in this amount of time is silly for $32,000 SUV. No wonder why Ford is hurting. (Don't mention Ford to my wife)

 

[cjones101812]

my wife's ex with 30k on it hasn't had that problem yet but i'll probably contact Ron Davis Rad when it does and have them build one for it.

i run and know many people who run and swear by there radiators.

 

[midiout]

I picked up the SUV - nothing on the bill/reciept regarding the radiator. My wife got made at me about the proof of radiator replacment. Must be the secret warranty maybe they have ? The hose from the radiator cap to the overflow is leaking at the rad. cap. What size hose should I get ? The seal/rubber is stretched out from the constant removal of the rad.

 

[davidhadd]

Update regading my radiator issues

I brought my '06 Ex Eddie Bauer back to the dealer that I bought it from after I had my 4th radiator installed. They said they couldn't find anything wrong with the vehicle. They said it was in factory condition with no damage or abnormalities of any kind. The service department was really not helpful and I felt I was not really getting the kind of service I should be getting considering all of the radiator issues. I spoke to the sales manager and he recommended that I log my complaint with Ford directly...which I did. Ford told me that they were not mechanics and that I should bring it to a dealer. I explained that I had already done this and they told me that there was nothing they could do for me. I contacted my dealer again and they gave me the number of Ralph Perez who is some sort of customer service agent with Ford. I called him directly.....4 separate times and even though his voice mail message indicates that he will return all message within 24 hours I have still not received his call back.

I contacted four attorneys regarding this to see if I am covered by the Illinois Lemon law and because of the milage on the vehicle, I do not qualify. They said that I can hire an attorney but the amount of money it will cost me in the end doesn't make it a sound investment.....chances of winning are nil due to the fact that the warranty has expired.

If anybody has any ideas or anybody knows of an attorney who would be willing to take this as a class action I am willing to help/participate. There is clearly a design flaw that causes these radiators to fail prematurely. It is really frustrating. It is not as much the money that it costs every year to fix the problem, it is the fact that the radiator fails with no warning. I drive a lot and no longer have confidence in the vehicle. Please contact me at d.haddon@mchsi.com with your story and if you have any ideas. I think the only way to win this is to fight together rather than fight on our own. Look forward to hearing from anybody/everybody!

I have a 2006 Ed Bauer Ex and am on my 4th!!! radiator. The last radiator came with a note stating that the warranty is limited to 3 months due to a design flaw that Ford will not recognize. The first radiator was replaced by Discount Tire (complete auto repair shop not just the tire shop) at 37000 miles. The dealer said they would not cover it because it was 1000 miles out of warranty which is why I brought it to Dis Tire. What a complete waste of time and money. I currently have 85000 miles on it but this has been happening since it had 37000 miles on it. There is clearly a design flaw that Ford does not want to admit to. Nothing anybody can do except complain...but again....a waste of time because they don't listen. I had one radiator replaced in 2007, another in the summer of 2008 and now one in Feb 2009. Guess I can count on a new radiator every year or less!!! And the american manufacturers wonder why they are in such financial trouble? This is certainly enough for me to never buy another Ford product. And not because it required a repair or two. Cars are machines and will break and will need to be repaired. I will never buy another Ford because of the way they have handled this issue. There is clearly something wrong, Ford won't admit it and the dealership claims they have never had a complaint like this in the past. I am willing to pay for repairs when they are legit failures due to normal wear....not design flaws.

 

[Hardline]

Just a little update and a small time line of events I went through. After I bought the new radiator everything was ok until January. So I got about 4 months out of the after market radiator. When I noticed it leaking I went down and bought a cap and worm hose clamps for the upper hose. It was leaking slightly at the thermostat housing and I thought it might have been leaking from the upper radiator connection also. Still leaked. I pulled the radiator out Saturday and brought it back to the place I purchased it from. They inspected it and showed me that both of the header panels had been bowed out from excessive pressure and that it should not be covered under warranty but that they still would. I told them that I had already replaced the cap in January but that was not until the new radiator had already started leaking. As I put the radiator back in Saturday I also went ahead and put in a new thermostat. We will see if this helps anything. Both of my radiators started leaking at the first row on the drivers side. Had to remove the fan shroud and look with a mirror and flash light to really see where it was coming from.I will keep checking in with updates. JJ

 

[beekaybee555]

ford radiators

I replace 4 radiators on the same ford explorer in a 6 month period....after replacing 3 radiators, i decided to let the dealer try...they said...cap, thermostat, fan switch, flush and so on...the usual hit and miss approach the dealer likes to throw at a problem.....then finally after blowing ANOTHER radiator, they said water pump...
I changed the pump and I noticed coolant skyrocketed hot but heater wasn't really blowing HOT HOT air..it was warm then cool intermittently...i took it around the block to see if any air could be purged out but then the red temp light came on and i brought it back to the shop....I went to check the fluid level at the rad. cap ... the coolant went out the resevoir tank and spewed out like a whale's blowhole.....I felt the upper hose and it was rock hard and blazing hot...the heater hose to the heater core was just as HOT....BUT!!!!!!, the hose coming out of the heater core was ice cold..........I think I found the Ford radiator problem........heater core not allowing circulation, creating EXCESSIVE radiator pressure and BLOWING out the seams on the past 5 radiators in my vehicle I am working on....i will confirm this suspicion atr work and follow up later...i surely hope it is the problem because after changing 5 radiators, thermostat, water pump, coolant etc, it is starting to drive me insane...as it is the customer too....

 

[cjones101812]

if the heater isn't working then you should check the heater control valve and the vacuum connection to it.

unfortunately, coolant only flows through the heater core when the heater is on.

also, the radiator cap should keep the pressure low enough so the rad seams won't split.

make sure you bled the system correctly for 4.6L

Cooling System: Service and Repair
Cooling System Draining, Filling and Bleeding

Filling and Bleeding without RADKITPLUS
CAUTION: Engine coolant provides freeze protection, boil protection, cooling efficiency and corrosion protection to the engine and cooling components. In order to obtain these protections, the engine coolant must be maintained at the correct concentration and fluid level. When adding engine coolant, use a 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and engine coolant.

To maintain the integrity of the coolant and the cooling system:
^ Add Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant VC-7-A (in California, Oregon and New Mexico VC-7-B in Canada CVC-7-A) or equivalent meeting Ford specification WSS-M97B51-A1 (yellow color). Always fill the cooling system with the same type of coolant that was drained from the system. Do not mix coolant types.
^ The addition of Cooling System Stop Leak Pellets VC-6 darkens Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant from yellow to golden tan.
^ Do not add orange-colored Motorcraft Specialty Orange Engine Coolant VC-2 or equivalent meeting Ford specification WSS-M97B44-D.
Mixing coolants may degrade the coolant's corrosion protection.
^ Do not add alcohol, methanol or brine, or any engine coolants mixed with alcohol or methanol antifreeze. These can cause engine damage from overheating or freezing.
^ Do not mix with recycled coolant unless it meets the requirements of Ford specification WSS-M97B51-A1 Not all coolant recycling processes meet these Ford specifications. Use of such a coolants may harm the engine and cooling system components.

CAUTION: Turn the radiator cap clockwise until it stops (approximately 135 degrees). Failure to tighten the radiator cap may result in engine damage.

1. Fill the radiator through the radiator filler neck until the coolant level is at the bottom of the filler neck.
2. Install the radiator cap.
3. Fill the coolant expansion tank until the coolant reaches the COLD FILL mark.
4. Select the maximum heater temperature and blower motor speed settings. Position the control to discharge air from the A/C vents to the instrument panel.
5. CAUTION: If the air discharge remains cool and the engine coolant temperature gauge does not move, the engine coolant level is low in the engine and must be filled. Stop the engine, allow it to cool and fill the cooling system.
Run the engine until it reaches operating temperature.
6. Turn the engine off and allow the engine to cool.
7. Add more coolant mixture to the coolant expansion tank until the coolant level is at the COLD FILL mark.
8. Start the engine and allow it to idle. While the engine is idling, feel for hot air from the A/C vents. ^ Hot air should discharge from the A/C vents. The engine coolant temperature gauge should maintain a stabilized reading in the middle of the NORMAL range and the upper radiator hose should feel hot to the touch.
9. Check the engine coolant level in the coolant expansion tank and fill it as necessary.
10. Repeat previous 5 steps as necessary.

 

[beekaybee555]

I ended up taking the in-line valve out of the lower heater hose to the water pump and seemingly all my prblems are solved...somebody must have played with the valve a long time ago and didn't install it properly...the vacuum operated valve was stuck in the closed position thus preventing water from leaving the heater core and building up excessive pressure in the system....I by-passed the valve with a hose connector and tested the system...the driver told me he never felt warmer heat since he had the vehicle.....we will keep an eye on this ....

 

[jlamb30]

Having my radiator replaced today under the extended warranty along with the driver seat track.

It's been leaking for a few months, just been keeping the reservoir topped off.

The svc mgr seemed to be aware that it is a common problem, and said the updated radiator would be put in.

Of course, they had to order the rad and seat track, but overall, a painless experience at the dealer so far.

 

[tennessee98]

I have a 06 Explorer XLT 4.0 V6. I bought it in October 2008 with 39,000 miles on it. It currently has 45,000 miles on it. A couple of months after buying, I checked all the fluid leves and noticed that the coolant was almost empty. I have kept my eye on it ever since and had to top it off 2 different times. I bought the 100,000 mile extended warranty, so the radiator is covered. I'm going to take it in this week.

However, what worries me is hearing other 06 Explorer owners having the same problem...some having to go back and get it fixed a 2nd, 3rd and even a 4th time. I will take mine in and see what they say. I have a $100 deductable and that is all I am willing to pay. I don't want any extra costs for "finding" where the coolant is leaking from.

I love my Explorer...but after reading about the constant problems of the radiators in the 06's, I am so tempted to wash my hands with it and trade it in.