4.0 SOHC plastic thermostat housing

[refluga]

1) The metal retaining clips look exactly like the "profile" of a Guiness beer glass...visualize the beer mug on it's side and that's what they look like.
Like this: http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j110/Beethovenv/Beethoven9/Beer-Guiness-WithHeadinGlass-1.jpg

2) To remove the metal sleeves - I did mine exactly like the previous poster. I removed the upper housing metal sleeves and used a small socket the same size as the outer diameter of the metal sleeves....then just align the socket on the sleeve and tap on the socket gently (so you don't crack anything) with a hammer so and they will come out. Doesn't require much force for them to come out.

 

[rcanthony]

The list

ford part # / description / (motocraft #)

4L5Z-8592-AA -- upper thermostat housing (RH165)
2L5Z-8592-BB -- lower thermostat housing (RH144)
1L2Z-8255-AA -- lower housing thermostat seal (RG614)
W702837-S300 -- thermostat seal (aka large o-ring)
2L2Z 8575 AA -- thermostat (RT1167)
3F1Z-10884-AA -- thermostat sensor (SW5491 or SW6146)
3L8Z-12A648-BA -- thermostat sensor (DY1004)
W706800-S303 -- retainer clips for sensors (I ordered 4)
W500015-S437 -- bolts for housing upper (I ordered 6)
W702527-S437 -- bolts for housing lower (I ordered 6)

I ordered the kit from www.fordpartswebsite.com
this was the only joint that seemed to have all the peices from one location...
I ordered extra bolts and clips because I ALWAYS lose or break these types of parts...

you probably DON'T need all of the parts as this will build one new complete assembly off the modern ranger/sporttrac pattern... you may have salvageable components, or do the early upper housing, late lower mix like the original poster mentions

(note the thermostat has to be entered into fordpartswebsite as the motocraft #)

cheerio

 

[zabba501]

This thread saved me a "head gasket bill"....the lower housing is junk and mine was leaking through a bolt hole down the right side head. Thank you all.

 

[PAPARAZZI]

PROBLEM SOLVED,,,

PICTURES AN PART #'S

http://bengrosser.com/howto/fordthermostat/

 

[bbqross74]

thermostat housing upgrade

Just ordered all the parts from rock auto. Had to go to the dealer for the clips for temp probes. Checked out local parts stores but could not beat the price on-line. Thanks for the information everyone has posted. Will get the parts in this week and will take pictures of install and hopefully post so everyone who is interested can see how it went.

 

[bikerboy29680]

I am changing out the leaking thermostat housing on my 1998 Explorer SOHC and plan on replacing the upper housing as well. The dealership quoted me the part number F17Z-8594-A of the upper housing at $98.33. Can any one verify that this is the correct part and where I can find it cheaper. RockAuto doesn't show this number. Thanks.

 

[bbqross74]

Did some research through CSK auto parts (kragen parts store) and rock auto and found the numbers they show are the same. I was unable to get anything to match with the factory part number that the dealer gave to bikerboy. From what the picture shows it looks the same as the origional one I just reused on my 1997 explorer 4.0l sohc eng. With the research I have done on this website and reading previous replies from other enthusiasts I removed bushing from new lower housing and reused my old upper housing without taking bushing out of old upper housing. Hope this helps.

 

[BK_89iX]

I swapped out the t-stat in my '97 SOHC yesterday. My upper cover had a chunk out of the beveled surface that contacts the t-stat o-ring, presumably from the warranty timing chain cassette work years ago. The top of the t-stat can easily catch on that plastic ridge upon removal if you're not careful. Called around and got the $99 price for the upper, but nothing in stock locally. Decided to reuse the cover it and it's working fine so far.

However, my upper cover had no protruding metal bushings. Neither did the lower. I'd like to keep a good one on hand for "just in case" sake, but now I'm confused about the correct part. Am I interpreting the descriptions correctly that either the upper or lower part will have protruding metal bushings?

BK

 

[bbqross74]

Just an update from my thermostate housing upgrade. Got all the parts I needed from rock auto. It took about 4 days to get. All the parts matched the numbers I had ordered. Read all the postings from other explorer anthusiasts on how to change out the thermostate housing. Found out that when removing the hosesfrom the housing that the housing had become brittle from age. Some of the necks on the housing had brocken off inside the hoses. I had to remove the pieces which took a little more time. Ounce the upper housing was removed I could see that the temp probe bases were leaking and were loose in the lower housing. The lower housing has three tabs that help to line the housing up with the intake manifold when removing the lower housing one of the tabs had broken off I had to fish the piece out from the manifold. The installation went pretty well with the information I had found from this forum. Sorry I did not get a chance to take pictures for everyone to see. Thanks to everyone for the information it really helped with my project.

 

[bbqross74]

The upper housing or cover did not have any protruding bushings but the new lower housing that I purchased did. The guide bushing from the new lower housing would not go into the reused upper housing. From previous messages from other enthusiasts the choices were to either remove bushing inserts from upper housing or remove the new guide bushing from the new housing. Hope this helps

 

[BK_89iX]

The upper housing or cover did not have any protruding bushings but the new lower housing that I purchased did. The guide bushing from the new lower housing would not go into the reused upper housing. From previous messages from other enthusiasts the choices were to either remove bushing inserts from upper housing or remove the new guide bushing from the new housing. Hope this helps

Got it - thanks.

BK

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes, sorry it's the lower housing that is the problem, that part has the sensors in it. The upper is fine to keep if it's not hurt from removing the hose. Regards,

 

[BubbaFL]

Sensor part numbers

I just finished this project - it took a few hours to find the right sensors.

I used:

Motorcraft SW-6146 is the "temp sender"
Autozone / Duralast SW2301 "temp sensor" , equivalent of Motorcraft DY1004

The sensor for the computer, and sender for the dashboard gauge, are not interchangable - they are keyed differently:

The Duralast part is on the right and feeds the computer. The Motorcraft part is on the left and feeds the gauge.

 

[rokr1292]

Just looking at that picture of the sensor retainer clips, I'm thinking when I replace my thermostat (I'm just going to replace it all when I get paid) I might use some safety wire instead of those clips, just run it through in a "U" shape and twist the ends snug. I don't know, id just feel more comfortable with that than messing with paperclips

Ignore me, just clicked that that pic wasn't of the right clip.

 

[06ExplorerLTV6]

2006 Ford Explorer LT V6 Coolant Leak Around Thermostat Lower Housing

It was great to see this older post on lower thermostat housing leaks. My situation is kind of perplexing to me... I took off the lower them housing, with the upper still attached and did not break off the tabs that align with the outlet... check for cracks, holes and the like to find nothing... then reinstalled it again and started the engine... and it continues to leak (pressurized streams) from what looks to be from right under the outlet (front and back sides) directly under where the lower housing bolts down too... could there be small leaks from underneath the bolt holes?

 

[jkfoote]

Successful repair

Over the weekend I successfully replaced the lower thermostat housing. Here are my notes.

First:
A. Fantastic writeups and part numbers made this possible. Wow. Thanks.
B. What a PITA.
C. This job flirted with the limits of my mechanical ability - I was in the deep end of the pool without a lifeguard! But maybe my limits are now expanded. And like felling trees, surviving it is a rush.

Everything basically went as described in the write ups with the following exceptions:

1. I had the same problem with the outboard temp sensor as described by this post: Temperature sending unit will not unscrew.

The problem turned out to be the plastic tabs holding the internal brass nut (inside the housing) failed so the sensor just spun in place. The solution was more disassembly to allow removing the housing with the sensor still attached.

2. The interference from the routing of the camshaft position sensor cable directly over the top of the thermostat housing was a pain. In the end I removed the radiator fan and shroud plus the passenger front wheel to get access, then removed the idler pully so I could see that the cable was secured by two nylon press rivets. If I'd known that going in I could have just disconnected the camshaft position sensor then tugged hard on the wire at the nylon rivets to get it loose.

3. I have a vague recollection of seeing a mention of the heater hose problem. But I can't find it now so here it is again: The new lower thermostat housing's heater hose connector doesn't end up in exactly the same position as the original after reinstall. Fortunately the heater hose connection at the other end has an unusually long nipple, so just loosening the hose sliding it slightly inboard allowed everything to reconnect without leaks. If I had it to do over I'd replace this hose at the same time and cut the new hose slightly longer.

4. Definitely replace the bypass hose while you're there - you really don't want to do this again anytime soon.

5. Try not to drop sockets. It took me about 40 minutes to find the socket that fell off while reinstalling the throttle body. Sigh.

So with interruptions and the rental of the fan clutch tool the whole job took me about 7 hours. But then I'm old and feeble and my eyesight, manual dexterity and mental acuity are going to hell so it'll take you alot less time.

Bottom line: it worked perfectly, my leak is gone and I saved a pile of dough. Thanks again for all the great writeups.

 

[swshawaii]

NAPA and Dorman aftermarket sensor clips. (W706800S303)

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...erature-Sensor-Clip/_/R-NDP7305034_0437476037

http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-67898-800-019.aspx?origin=keyword

 

[SonicBlue302]

Hello. I recently changed my whole tstat assembly as well as it was leaking and would just like to add a few extra pointers with hopes of helping anybody doing this job in the future. My truck has a build date of 9/00' and came with the PUSH-IN style sensors and I opted for using the SCREW-IN type ones thinking theyd be more secure and less prone to leaking. At the end of the day I ended up breaking off the threaded part on the ECT sensor that came with my aftermarket housing as I was tightening it and ended up having to purchase a new ect sensor from Advance AP. The issue i'm having now is that the temp gauge sits 1/2 way all the time n goes up from there when the car reaches normal temp and sits around 3/4 of the way which left me feeling uncomfortable since I do a lot if driving. I am going to purchase another lower with the PUSH-IN style sensors and reuse my factory ones which were working fine since apparently the BWD ECT sensor purchased from Advance AP has a different voltage/resistance value, etc.

 

[SonicBlue302]

Also, I have read on other posts that people have issues sometimes when changing or looking for O-rings on these sensors. I would like to add that you can also reuse your original O-rings if they're not destroyed and just put a good coat of #2 Permatex Non-hardening sealant on the orings and the housing to prevent leaks. You can also use Permatex on the new orings as well for extra peace of mind. Just my .02 and hope this helps someone in the future. I myself used Permatex on the o-ring that goes between the tstat housing and the engine block, tstat and upper hose cover, as well as where the hoses slip in since I've had leaks in the past from coolant hoses not sealing well especially on German vehicles which use clip-style locking pins instead of screw-on hose clamps. I also used a small amount of Anti-seize on hardware used to secure the tstat housing as they tend to seize up if you have a coolant leak since iron corrodes. Hope this helps someone else tackling this job in the near future.

 

[pinkic81]

Hello, I have an issue with the housing thermostat, the first one (original ) it has a huge leak so I replaced, but over of a year the new starting with a small leak and big leak, so I decide to buy a new one from different vendor but now started the leak again! so now I don't know where can I buy it from or where should I buy.... any body can help me.

Thanks in advance.