Coolant leak l/s front 4.0 SOHC.

[Mike65]

OK so I did search for my problem before posting & the consensus is that the plastic thermostat housing is the culprit. I came home from work today (yes I work retail & had to work today) & saw a large wet spot running out from behind the drivers side front tire on from my wife's 99 Explorer Sport w/4.0 SOHC. I popped the hood & do not see anything wet up top, crawled under the truck & the l/s (drivers side) frame cross member & the steering rack are wet from what I think is coolant & as I lay under the truck I can see it drip from somewhere. It smells sweet & is slimy like oil but not the color of oil. The truck was not driven since yesterday afternoon & it was not leaking when I left for work this morning. From what I can see the water pump, lower radiator hose & the side of the engine block look dry. I am thinking I will have to remove the p/s pump & or the alternator to get a better look to try to find the leak since there is not much room to see much of anything, but what I can see looks dry. ?????????

 

[Mike65]

:Update: well since it was after work & I was hot & tired I rushed to judgement on the 99 Sport, it was not a coolant leak, it was a p/s leak. This morning after a good nights sleep I took another look at the Sport & found a pin hole in the short p/s line that runs from the steering rack to the p/s cooler. I removed the cooler & cut the metal part of the line before the pin hole & used a short section of trans cooler hose to run from the metal p/s line to the p/s cooler. I was originally going to replace the short p/s hose but you can not get a wrench in by the steering rack or get any of the lines that go into the steering rack loose to be able to loosen the line that was leaking, so I just did a driveway fix. The repaired line looks just like what a replacement line would have looked like. Here is what the replacement line from Rockauto would look like.
More Information for GATES 352150

 

[koda2000]

I just did this job recently. To get the fittings off the rack you need a metric tubing crowsfoot set. Still not an easy job, but doable. Below is the set I bought.
https://www.amazon.com/Sunex-9710M-...+9710M&qid=1558567222&s=amazon-devices&sr=8-1

 

[Mike65]

Thanks for the tool info Koda2000. I will have to check to see if I have any, if not I will have to buy them.

 

[koda2000]

Thanks for the tool info Koda2000. I will have to check to see if I have any, if not I will have to buy them.

Yeah, I've been wrenching on cars/trucks for more years than I care to count and have a lot of tools, but there was no way to remove my leaky high pressure hose from the rack w/out that tool.