4.6L radiator/trans cooler/Condensor set up is WHACKED!

[2002GreyHD150]

Preface: I restore muscle cars and street rods for a living... I have been turning wrenches for over 35 years, since my pre-teens. I am a die-hard Ford man, always will be..

I will take pics tomorrow and post them in my new build log. I am doing a full engine swap/build and have NEVER fought removing a radiator for over an hour!

What back-ass-wards, mentally "gifted" Engineer came up with the mounting arrangement for the 4.6L 02-04 2v cooling package? Mother Earth its stupid!

There is a central "support" which the A/C condensor slips into in front, then the trans cooler is bolted to the left/right supports... BUT the radiator is boltd from the INSIDE of the left/right supports with the threads going toward the engine.. so they are totally trapped. It requires methodically breaking down the contraption one bolt and one side at a time to get to the next bolt... SOOOO stupid...

A simple flip of the caged/u-nuts so that the radiator bolts from the engine side forward then the shroud bolts next engine-forward would be So much more logical and serviceable.

I plan to re-engineer mine when I put it all back together. NEVER again will I fight a stupid radiator for an hour+ just to remove it...

Rob

 

[esclamada]

I feel your pain..

I was doing my oil change one day and my neighbor was wondering why it's taking me so long to remove the oil filter. When I'm done I showed him that maintenance or accessibility wasn't in the frame set of Ford engineers. He then showed me how easy it is on Toyota Sequia (also a V8) I was amazed on how clean the engine bay and accessible the plugs are. It was designed in such a way that dirt or fluids will not get stuck on the valve headers or intake manifold and the spark plugs are easily accessible without removing things on top of it. Worst he showed me how to access the oil filter and you don't have to be down under ! You could just reach in under the hood.

I think the decline of good engineering design here in the big 3 automakers is that the engineers were replaced with bean counters trying to make a quick profit. Look at how shops are happy with the 3rd gen transmissions (they are a piece of sh%#@!t) Real engineers don't design that way unless they were told to that those transmissions should explode around 80k.

GM also didn't forget the outcome of Aztek, it's a classic case of when the bean counters take over the design. Funny some Americans still bought them.

My current car is an import (japanese) after owning Ford,Chrysler and GM cars. I have enough of them.



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[2002GreyHD150]

overall servicing the Monty has been cheesy easy... yeah its easy to spill oil with the funky 30* oil fill elbow.. but otherwise its fine.. the lil oil filter "ramp" is a nuisance.. but livable..

I've never understood anything GM did... Killing Pontiac, a co-worker drives an Aztek, the Citation/Cimeron debacle... every interior since 1975 has 19 different shades of color in the plastic... seat position... I'm a Ford guy... Mazda a close 2nd.

Rob

 

[esclamada]

I agree servicing the mounty/explorer has not been bad, it's just that Ford could have done better compared to other better cars. I changed oil and belts on my camry and it was relatively easy (and not messy)

You're co-worker might have been those lucky ones that got paid to drive those Azteks, if he paid for it then I wouldn't comment on it..


http://hooniverse.com/2010/04/15/the-top-ten-reasons-why-pontiac-failed-part-3/

I was surprised that with the size of the upper management in GM, that product came out of production approval.


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