Hello all, 2001 4.0L SOHC Explorer

[burgundy]

Hey all,

I own a 2001 Explorer Sport, got it used in 04 and for the most part have been happy with it, but the other day my check engine light came on, and stayed on. So, I drive into a oil change shop and the mechanic tells me that my radiator needs to be replaced. I asked if a simple flush would do the trick, and he said maybe, but he wanted 400 dollars to do it.

Basically I'm looking to do this myself and see if I can save some money, but I've never done it before. I've looked around at the stickys on the site but can't find anything specifically related to draining a radiator on a 01 Explorer. I can see underneath the radiator that there is a plastic shield that will need to be removed, I assume the drain valve is underneath that, but after that point, I'm not sure exactly how to proceed. If anyone can help me out, or point me to a link with a good guide for this I would greatly appreciate it.

Btw, the engine isn't overheating at all (yet), the gauge rests at about halfway between the C and the H on the gauge, leaning slightly more towards the C side.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! What was the code number? I have a thread called 10 steps to a clean cooling system that explains how to clean your cooling system. It's # 22 in my list of useful threads: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162848 I don't trust this mechanic, and wouldn't give him $400 to flush a radiator.

 

[burgundy]

Thank you for the quick response and the link, that looks like it has everything I need to know, but I do have one question about putting a flush tee on the heater core. Is that step essential to the process? Or could I follow the rest of the guide and flush it that way?

Also, if you were going to pay to have your cooling system flushed, how much would you pay? I'd think around 100 dollars personally. I was really surprised when that mechanic told me $400.

 

[burgundy]

Btw, do you maybe know where I could find a diagram of my specific engine with most of the major structures labeled? I'm not exactly sure where the heater core is at. The owner's manual only has a simple diagram that shows where things like the air filter, oil, and various fluids go.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome burgandy i got an 01 sport as well but mine is a 4x2

is urs 4x4 or 4x2 here r pics of my 01 sport but they r hella old.

www.cardomain.com/id/sams01xplrsprt

tell me what u think