Leaking coolant from line connected to oil filter housing - repaired

[broncojunkie]

Ok, so I thought I would share my experience with you all. I saw another thread on this a while back, but now I can't seem to find it. Anyway, I hope the pics will help a little if any of you come across this problem.

The leak I had was coming from the "Engine Oil Cooler Inlet Tube". Part# 6N867 according to http://www.fordparts.com. It carries coolant (not oil) to the filter. The local parts stores could not find this in their system, so I ended up getting it at the local dealer for $52.00.

This hose is a steel tube with a bracket attached, and a section of rubber hose on each end. The steel section of this line lays against the upper portion of the passenger side motor mount, which is where mine was rusted.

One end attaches to the oil filter housing as shown in this pic. Note:the hose I'm replacing is the one you see on the bottom.

I found the easiest way to access the hose clamp on the oil filter housing was through the passenger wheel well, after removing the wheel and a section of the inner fender. It also made it easy to remove the bolt that holds the bracket to the side of the motor.

You can see the bracket/bolt clearly in this pic:

By far, the hardest part of this job was disconnecting the hose clamp on the side of the water pump. Ironically, this was the easiest part to see and reach, but getting it off proved to be a chore. I removed the upper fan shroud and removed the small bolts on the fan. This allowed me to tilt the fan blades far enough away to get a long pair of needle nose pliers on the clamp. In retrospect, I believe I could have removed this clamp by taking off the upper shroud and using angled needle nose pliers. When I reattached this end, I used a traditional hose clamp, with the screw/hex head.

Reassembly was pretty straight forward. The only problem I encountered was getting the new hose back into position. I was able to lie under the front bumper area and feed it up through the area along the motor mount. It tooks some manouvering, but it will go in. Just take your time and try not to force it. You will run the risk of bending the mounting bracket.

Hope this helps, if any of you have this issue!

 

[Geeshik]

Nice writeup. Just a little note: A spring clamp tool (sort of a pliers attatched to a cable attatched to a large special sliding jaw end) makes handling the modern spring clamps much easier. I got one through sears for like $40 and it saved many pinched fingers in pliers and because its on a cable, it can fit almost anywhere. Before that I used a needle nose with a 45 or 90 degree bent jaw or a needle nose vise grip, but a guy can only handle so many blood blisters. If you like to wrench as a hobby, or do it pro, this tool is just about a must have for do-it-yourselfers on modern cars. Use one once and you'll know why. : )