'97 Mountaineer pulley failure related questions

[CDW6212R]

I know I'll figure this out as I get into it, but are those tangs/hooks/clips the only support for the condenser? I'm trying to think through mods to make this easier if I have to remove & replace the radiator again in the future. This Mountaineer is in above average condition with a small spot of rust at the top of one wheelwell, and surface rust on the front bumper. Has 161,000 miles. It had 133,000 when we bought it 8 yrs ago next month, and the previous owner was a mechanic who applied some sort of homemade rustproofing. Although it is my son's, it's registered in my name and when he decides to get something else, I plan to keep it barring an accident or some catastrophic failure.

Yes, those plastic pieces are all that hold the condenser in place. The V6 bracket will mount to either condenser, so that you don't have to change. I think the others who did that upgrade used a V6 radiator, but it also likely had the half thickness core. So I think the V8 radiator is probably best to use, as it does mount forward more than the V6 unit. I could have done that myself in 2006 if I had heard of it, I liked that V6 bracket when I was rebuilding my 99 SOHC truck. But I don't have the V6 bracket yet to do it, that's another item I need to put on my list.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I got the radiator out without much trouble thanks to everyone's help here in this thread, and the excellent info in this thread Removing radiator from condensor on a 5.0?. I did it WITHOUT removing the fan.

As I was looking things over before actually pulling the radiator and saw the pulley on the tensioner sat a little out of alignment with the other pulleys. I ordered a pulley to pick up at Advance, then took the old one off and realized I'd ordered the wrong pulley. The top idler pulley and the tensioner are NOT the same. The smooth idler is 90mm and the tensioner is 100mm. Only Dayco provides the measurements on Advance's site. Fortunately they had the correct one in stock. The old one was definitely needing replaced as I can feel a rough spot when turning it on my finger. The new pulley rides at the same angle as the old one, so the mounting surface must not be square. But it caught my attention and prompted me to change the pulley like you guys suggested. The top idler pulley isn't that old, so we should be good for a while.

After I got the pulley changed and the belt back on, I started to reinstall the radiator and ran into more problems than I had getting it off. I was getting the radiator and condenser lined up horizontally, but the condenser was a little bit low and the condenser and radiator were too far apart. I tried and tried to lift the condenser another 1/8th inch or so, but it just wouldn't go. Finally realized there was a plastic air deflector attached to the driver's side of the plastic on the condenser that was hanging up. By that time, it was an hour and a half past suppertime, dark, and the batteries in the flashlight were getting weak. I had a light hanging under the hood too, but needed the flashlight to shine down the side. And it was raining a little. Back at it tomorrow.

As I was proofreading this post, I realized I need to pull the radiator back out and put the shroud back over the fan. I should know that when I have problems with something going back together, that's often God's way of telling me I overlooked something that needed to be done first!

 

[allmyEXes]

Great! I didn't have the patience to do it that way. I had the fan blade removed in 5 minutes with my special wrench that I purchased 3 years ago for another Ex. Then the shroud...

Here are some V-6 condenser brackets on E-bay. Maybe a more knowledgeable forum member will verify.
condenser bracket 1 Edited Sunday a.m.
condenser brackets 2

 

[CDW6212R]

I'm not sure what the top mounts look like. The large bottom one is the main one but yes there's something at the top to hold it too. I'll look at my 99 and check if it's very visible to see those.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I got it back together. Had so much fun I'm going to do it again next week. I had things pretty well lined up, but needed help holding things in alignment and sliding them together. BTW, there's an air deflector attached to the bottom of the condenser on both sides that limit upward travel of the condenser. They just snap on and off. My daughter and her boyfriend were here at the right time and he helped me get it together. Once we got it lined up, it slid together very easily. Started bolting everything up and discovered the passenger side of the new radiator didn't have either tab to attach the condenser to the radiator. I had already seen the bottom slot the clip goes into wasn't there. No biggie. I used plumber's strap to attach the condenser to the upper bolt that attaches the radiator to the truck, and zip ties to hold the bottom in place.
Got the transmission lines connected and started filling the radiator only to find the brand new radiator is cracked just above the driver's side mount. It looks like just a minor surface scratch - until I filled the radiator that far. So I'll be doing this again next week - after a trip to the salvage yard Monday to check into the V6 conversion.

The new radiator is an FVP brand ordered through Rock Auto. Besides having the wrong tank on the passenger side with no provisions to attach the condenser, both mounts were a little wonky. One or both are visibly twisted, and the radiator doesn't sit level, with the passenger side a little higher than it should be. Even without the crack, I've got a good case for a refund, but I don't know how they'll handle it.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

In regard to not removing the fan, the shroud is more of a problem than the fan. The radiator didn't get within 1/4" of the fan, but the bottom of the shroud kept moving toward the radiator and snagging things. Coulda/shoulda tied it out of the way.

 

[CDW6212R]

I hate that for you to have to do it again. It's not fun at all, jamb the radiator down to the frame as far as it will go, while lifting the condenser to line it up with the clips etc. Hopefully R.A. will give you proper customer service.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Rock Auto issued a return label, no problem. Their policy is to examine the item and make a decision on a refund within 3 days after they receive the part. I took the radiator directly to the FedEx shipping office to limit who would handle it. It's only about 5 miles from my house. Dropped it off around 2:30 Tuesday, and it was at Rock Auto's facility 3 1/2 hrs up the interstate before noon Wed. Refund was issued Friday.

After replacing the faulty radiator with a new V6 radiator, I'm pretty sure the passenger side tank was meant for a V6 radiator. The write-up on using the V6 condenser brackets and radiator can be found here - How to: - Remove and Replace your 2nd gen 1996 - 2001 Explorer V8 Radiator (with pics). I will update that thread later. In the meantime, I'll just say if I was to do it again, I'd use a V8 radiator with the V6 condenser brackets instead of the V6 radiator. There are some issues to work around using the V6 radiator with the 5.0. Using the V8 radiator with the V6 condenser brackets would just require spacers, probably just a couple of thick washers, between the radiator and radiator support/header panel to prevent the radiator from contacting the V6 condenser bracket on the driver's side.

 

[CDW6212R]

Congrats on RA taking care of you quickly. Plus thanks for the hands on opinion of the radiators and the condenser brackets.