4.0 SOHC Metal Thermostat Housing Comparison

[Paul Fithian]

And different versions if you have one or two sensors.

 

[donalds]

I did not "touch up" the Simmons housing and have no leaks.

I am so happy for you ""

 

[donalds]

So I ordered one the 2 piece one

Installed it didn't use the thermostat China crap or the lower housing bolts that came with it had no markings so I reused the ford ones
I rtv d the lower housing together let it sit for a day I also used a felpro lower gasket and upper
Installed it today

We shall see if it leaks

People told me the top would not fit so I had to try all I had to do was rotate the hose I little bit fit great

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UPDATE......
Just about a year later and no leaks no problems so happy my broke Ass didn't spend the extra money on the sa part I'm lucky

 

[CDW6212R]

UPDATE......
Just about a year later and no leaks no problems so happy my broke Ass didn't spend the extra money on the sa part I'm lucky

Very good. Do you need a spare, I'm about to swap out my original assembly, after installing the new metal one. I was fortunate that my old sensors never leaked, and I didn't have to disturb them to get at the tensioner etc. That was a fragile design, a large portion of them have begun to leak by now.

 

[Megablue999]

UPDATE JAN 1, 2021: Aluminum Motorcraft T-stat housing has been on my 2008 XLT Ironman for over 1.5 yrs now & 15k+ miles, not one single drop of anti-freeze has leaked or been added to my cooling system since new housing was put on w/new t-stat & fresh coolant in summer 2019

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Just thought I'd chime in with my experience in the Ford 4.0 aluminum thermostat housing... for anyone contemplating the aluminum housing swap & what make/version to go with, there's more the 2 options available. I just replaced my thermostat housing assembly for the 3rd time this past weekend, used the aluminum Motorcraft RT-1220 / AL2Z-8575-B on my 2008 XLT 4.0 Ironman edition.

After much research fall 2018 & reading all the pros & cons of the Simmons/Austekk models, price, etc I found that there was a Motorcraft version, although discontinued & still available from Ford dealers online & via eBay. The cost varies ($95-$120) more then the Austekk, but is less then the Simmons, plus it comes with a new $22 Motorcraft screw-in temperature sensor, new bolts, new gaskets, all you need is to re-use or new thermostat. I'm quite happy with it so far, obviously it's something that Ford never should have made nylon/plastic to begin with. Replaced the original Motorcraft housing @ 79k miles, made a mistake & bought a Dorman replacement that started leaking in under 2k miles, replaced that with a Motorcraft OEM and that lasted about 30k miles b4 leaks @ the temperature sensor would not stop no matter the sensor, the o-ring, the thread tape... guessing the hole was just warped enough that nothing was going to work.

So now @ 112k miles hopefully this aluminum housing is the last one I need to replace. Reading the QC issues & comments about the other 2 brands being marketed lead me to the Motorcraft RT-1220. Couldn't find anything negative about it online anywhere, so figured had to be the better of the 3 options. Fit & finish was top-notch, no worries about gasket falling out of the bottom when installing, just clean all surfaces good. Only minor issue I had was getting system to "burp" air out, ran heat full blast for 10 mins, not quite hot. Started cold next morning, ran fan high & max heat defrost for 10 mins, felt the hot-hot heat about 3 mins into that cycle. Added a few more ounces of coolant, lightly rinsed off top of engine block & intake. So far no more smell of hot radiator fluid on my intake. Will post an update if the Motorcraft thermostat housing decides to leak down the road...

 

[4pointslow]

Thanks for posting about the Motorcraft Aluminum housing and for posting the Part Number.

 

[koda2000]

The only problem with the Motorcraft t-stat housing may be that the piece the upper rad hose goes on may not be the right angle for all sohc's. I believe the Motorcraft unit was designed for the Mustang. it may work with some year sohc's in some model Expl's, but not all. That's one reason I like the Simmons housing, as it's available with several different angled top pieces.

 

[floridacatfan]

This is an excellent reference thread - I considered the al one but the angle the top housing came of at was not right - I ended up with the 2001 and up lower housing and a 1998 top half that I actually had to remove some material from the old surface to get it to sit on the motorcraft lower housing - it’s been outstanding for at least 60 k miles - I think if I did it again I’d try to rearrange the top hoses

 

[donalds]

I was re gaping my spark plugs to .035 and changing my t stat to a superstat
I just installed it with a Felpro o ring and no leaks still

So happy I found this thread

 

[4pointslow]

I wanted to add some information to this thread.
Quite a long time ago I replaced the plastic thermostat on my 1998 4 door Explorer(Bone stock) with a dorman plastic one.
About 5 months later it started leaking, the day before a series of 2 foot snow storms.
I was quite unhappy as the truck was down and I was not about to work on it in the snow.
Fortunately I have multiple vehicles so I had the luxury of driving a different one until the snow cleared.

So after waiting a couple months I was finally able to replace it but wouldn't use another aftermarket one.
I purchased a plastic Motorcraft housing and decided to install a 180 degree thermostat instead of the factory 195 degree one.
It has been years and no leaks. I have had a water pump shaft break and the fan hit the radiator (both leaked) but still no leaks from the housing.
One other thing I did was put Ultra Copper RTV between the upper and lower housing where the o-ring goes (with the o-ring).
Of course I also put the same RTV on the bottom where it attaches to the block.

Now my 1998 2 door (race truck), and 2004 Explorer (supercharged also) have aluminum housings from Simons but had to use the 1998 upper housing(plastic) due to no available ones with the right angle in aluminum at the time. The 1998 setup has been on there for years and never had a problem with it. It has a 174 degree thermostat.
The 2004 has only been on for a couple of years. 195 degree thermostat.

My 2001 Ranger has the Simons Autosports upper and lower aluminum housing and no leaks, even after overheating it due to a blown hose. 180 degree thermostat.

Just wanted to share all this info as it was on my mind.

 

[koda2000]

Someone here (I think on the Sport Trac sub-forum) determined the the plastic OE Motorcraft t-stat housings sometimes had issues (leaks) because he figured out the that on new one he had purchased the two pieces of plastic had been manufactured at different times and that plastic parts manufactured at different times tended to fail where they were glued/sonic- welled together. IDK how he knows this, but IIRC he's an aircraft technician and picked up this knowledge of this from somewhere.

For anyone thinking that going Ford OE is a good choice for this particular part, think again. Your first one failed, why would you have better results with another plastic part? As I said earlier, Simmons now offers multiple tops with various angles. If I ever manage to get my Job 2 '01 Sport Trac back together it will be getting the Simmons housing.

 

[Havfun]

I put in the Simmons housing in my 2010 Explorer EB earlier this year. It probably has about 7k or 8k miles on it. No problems so far.

 

[J_C]

AFAIK, every 2nd gen plastic one (made by anyone) is sonic welded together because it can't be cast as one piece.

Personally, I wouldn't want to get some junk that only lasts 3 years, but if I've gotten 22 years out of the original on my '98, even half that out of a replacement might be as long as I need to get out of it.

 

[icthusrulz]

Original OEM housing in my ‘02 ST had multiple leaks in it so I installed the Simmons one piece aluminum housing earlier this year. Looked like a real quality piece when I inspected it before I install and it has worked like a champ so far. Glad I went with it.

 

[vaiksuotis]

Which Simmons parts will work for a 2002 2 door Explorer Sport?

 

[koda2000]

Which Simmons parts will work for a 2002 2 door Explorer Sport?

Contact Simmons. They have multiple outlet neck designs and 2 different style housings (one with two sensors and one with 1 sensor) they know which will work best with which model. Alternately they have an on-line catalog with pictures and descriptions of varies related items.

CONTACT US EMAIL : SIMMONSAUTOSPORTZ.COM
PHONE: 901-299-2077

 

[Jonathon Allsep]

I obtained 2 thermostat housings for my 2001 Ranger.
The original is plastic and not leaking yet but you know how that goes on the 4.0 SOHC.

The first one is from Simmons Autosports.
I have used theirs before and its a great part, way better than the original plastic one from Ford.
Here are some pictures of it.

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Upper Thermostat Housing

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Gaskets and Seals

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I'm wanting to upgrade to the metal thermostat housing as I've replaced the plastic one twice already and its leaking again the only thing I'm having trouble with is the metal one uses a clip in sensor and I can only find the threaded could you send me a link to the clip in sensors for it please? I'm assuming the reason I cant find them is that I'm looking for sensors for a 1998 and the sensors that I need to get probably are not originally for a 1998. Mine has the 2 sensor style.

 

[koda2000]

I'm wanting to upgrade to the metal thermostat housing as I've replaced the plastic one twice already and its leaking again the only thing I'm having trouble with is the metal one uses a clip in sensor and I can only find the threaded could you send me a link to the clip in sensors for it please? I'm assuming the reason I cant find them is that I'm looking for sensors for a 1998 and the sensors that I need to get probably are not originally for a 1998. Mine has the 2 sensor style.

Simmons may be able to supply them separately (IDK) but look on RockAuto under a 2002 Explorer for SOHC. They sell the coolant sender and the coolant sensor at various price points. Note that the clips to hold them in place are sold separately. Tip: Put a little Vaseline on the O-rings before inserting them into the t-stat housing.

Link:
2002 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC 4.0L V6 Cooling System Parts | RockAuto

You can get a 5% discount from RA using their discount code in the "how did you hear about us?" box at checkout. Current discount code = 117773113110568785

 

[Jonathon Allsep]

I looked up the sensors for an 02 and I had actually found them before when I was trying to find it but the connecter doesn't look like it will line up, one of the ridges? the part that slides in the grooves on the plug is offset on the ones for the 98 and centered on the 02. I dont suppose you would know of any ideas to work around that, I really dont want to put another plastic one in.

 

[koda2000]

I looked up the sensors for an 02 and I had actually found them before when I was trying to find it but the connecter doesn't look like it will line up, one of the ridges? the part that slides in the grooves on the plug is offset on the ones for the 98 and centered on the 02. I dont suppose you would know of any ideas to work around that, I really dont want to put another plastic one in.

RA also sells electrical connectors if that's your only issue.