Radiator/Coolant System Woes - 1992 SHO - Please Help!

[SHO---]

Dear SHO Forum,

Was wondering if anyone could provide me with some URL links to a good "How to" article on replacing the Thermostat and Radiator in a clean way- like tell where the drain plugs, petcocks, etc are located if there are any.

There used to be a cool site called SHOTimes.com that had a lot of good "How to" articles and tips but the site is now gone- anybody know if anyone took it over/mirrored it elsewhere? Would love to have the updated link if so.

Here's what happened...

Was driving the SHO a few days ago and her temperature gauge started to rise above the "N" in NORMAL towards the red "Hot" spot up top- was at a busy intersection in the center lane so I couldn't pull her over...she then goes to touch the red and the motor starts to buckle and the check engine light clicks on- Oh shoot! I'm thinking about those aluminum heads so I immediately do what I can ASAP- I push the clutch in and hold it there- then turn the heater on- run it to 90 Degrees- the needle began to slowly drop down from the red and headed back towards the "N"- Check engine light turns off and the engine no longer buckles but returns to a smooth idle- Light turns green- Whooooooo, that was close. I roll down the hill to the nearest parking lot and pull under a shade tree- turn the motor off and raise the hood.

What I see...

Small dripping from underneath the front of the car on the passenger's side (USA). I crawled all over the place and couldn't see where in the heck it was coming from- the bottom radiator hose looked dry as a bone, etc. etc.

I nurse it home w/the heater roasting my toes (78 Degrees outside) and park it. Throw a newspaper underneath- let cool all the way down...

Pop radiator cap off and coolant is at full level in radiator. Coolant reservoir has a descent level likewise.

I decide to replace the original radiator cap (MotorCraft RS-80) with a new one (MotorCraft RS-90) since it looked kind of dry/pitted at the rubber seal. Idea was perhaps the cap was screwy and the thermostat failed or something and the cap never let off steam- what the hey, $7 bucks.

I then noticed that the coolant appeared to be coming from the white plastic coolant reservoir- so I pulled it, and yep- she was barely seeping from a spot that I had repaired (under emergency conditions) back in 1995! Pretty good "MacGyvering" I'd say...Ford has apparently discontinued the part- so I had to JB Weld her good this time using a small piece of screen as a "rebar" reinforcement. Crossed my fingers and dropped her back in the next day after she had fully cured.

Out for the test drive...

Temp needle starts to rise up into the middle of NORMAL and keeps heading towards the "N" at the top of NORMAL towards the red- turn the heater on full blast, find a spot to pull over- pop hood and now she's leaking more steadily than last time- I thought I had fixed the reservoir leak- what the? Lean down in front of passenger wheel and shine the flash light at the bottom of the coolant reservoir bottle- coolant dripping everywhere and down onto that rubber squeegee board air deflector spoiler thingy. Now I notice that I see coolant all around where the bottom radiator hose meets flush w/the radiator- I'm thinking is the hose clamp loose and she's spurting out from the sides where the hose is flush with the radiator- I notice that coolant is also visible almost all the way to the mid-point of the radiator on the black plastic side tank (passenger side of radiator). Could it be leaking from there? Heck, I felt like Curly in that 3 Stooges episode where they had to do that plumbing job and they had leaks all over the dang place!

I then placed my hand onto the top radiator hose and it was hot as blue blazes- then I placed my fingers on the bottom radiator hose (where I could squeeze to it) and it was COLD? Shouldn't that be hot I said to myself...

So here is where I'm at- I'm thinking it's either the thermostat or the water pump- but I can't rule out the water pump because I can't see down into the radiator very well w/the cap off due to the long neck design- it's not like my classics. So I'm thinking about just changing the thermostat in the cleanest/least splashy way possible first (saving the old coolant to reuse) and seeing if she'll run cool. If so, I'm hoping that my radiator leak- if there is one, will resolve itself at more normal operating temperatures- you know, a hairline leak or something. Or am I just being way too optimistic here- and need a new radiator?

You guys have seen this stuff before- she's got 93K miles on the clock, what is most likely the culprit?

If you all yell RADIATOR!!! Then which brand should I go with- I've had some in the past not fit worth a darn on other cars- so I'm trusting your judgment here to:

Radiators:

-Autozone Spectra Premium $98
-Advance Ready Rad Plus $100
-O'Reilly's Murray $100
-CarQuest RaidyAir? $102
-Pro Auto Parts Global $135
-Any Others You Recommend

(All of the above have those low quality black plastic side tanks)

I was going to replace the hoses with Gates but is there another/better brand that you would recommend?


Thanks,

 

[SHO---]

Oh yeah, in case anybody asks- the electric radiator fan was always blowing when I had the hood popped looking about- I've heard that it's a 2-speed fan so I'm not sure which speed it was actually on- but it was definitely ON and blowing.

 

[kevinspann]

All the rads are pretty much the same...I used a Napa radiator which I think is the same as the Spectra premium. Installation is straight forward on an mtx car.

I would also replace the thermostat since it is inexpensive, and easy to do when doing a radiator.


How often do you drive the car? It seems like coolant isn't flowing through the radiator.
Has the water pump ever been done?

 

[rubydist]

my experience is that almost always if the engine gets hot, the thermostat is toast. it needs to be replaced along with the seal.

the radiators tend to leak at the seal around the end tanks, so that is first spot to suspect. new radiators are not that expensive, so I would get a new one rather than a jy one.

the drain is on the drivers side, on the rear of the radiator tank. if you jack up the car a little, you can put a gallon container under there to catch the stuff. even after you drain it, you will get coolant coming out when you remove the bottom radiator hose, so have a catch tray under that.

remove the ccrm, the crash sensor, the cooling fan, the radiator hoses, and the 2 brackets that locate the top of the radiator. remove radiator from top. as easy as that!

 

[Racer X]

'92 has a single speed fan.

Get a thermostat with a jiggle valve, make sure the valve is at the top when the thermostat is installed.

On the radiator, don't waste your time on anything else other than an all aluminum radiator from Genesis Auto Parts. The plastic end tank replacements all leak after a couple of years.

 

[SHO---]

Thanks for the advice- was still wondering though:

-Any "How To" Article URL Links?

-Is there a coolant drain plug for the block? Was going to try changing only the thermostat first- will there be tons of coolant leaking out everywhere if I just pull off the thermostat housing cap Sometimes it's not so bad- but on some cars it just flows and flows! Trying to do the cleanest/dryist thermostat change I can.

-I bought a CarQuest Brand thermostat and seal before I read this...Part# 32009 It's made in the USA, 195 Degrees- but no "jiggle valve" like others I've seen before- is there any particular way this puppy fits? What's the disadvantage of not having the "jiggle valve?" Does the MotorCraft have the jv?

Thanks,

 

[Racer X]

No jiggle valve = air pockets galore.

Drain valves are on the radiator at the bottom of the driver's side tank, and at the bottom of the engine block front and rear, if I recall. Pulling the thermostat housing without draining first will create a huge mess.

 

[rubydist]

if you drain out what will drain from the radiator, you will not have a mess when you change the thermostat.

I have used both types of thermostats, and while the jiggle valve is easier to bleed air from system, the ones without will work fine - you just need to watch the overflow tank for several days to keep coolant in there as it gets pulled into the system as the air goes out. use the one you already own.

 

[SHO---]

@RubyDist,

Thanks, I'm glad to hear I can simply drain the radiator at the petcock and reuse the coolant- and not have to worry about the block- also good to know that my new thermostat should work just fine. Plan to tackle her tomorrow (day off).

Oh yeah, Genesis Auto Part's all aluminum radiator is Made in CHINA so if I do in fact need a radiator too, then I'm going w/the CarQuest USA made one w/plastic tanks.

Thanks for all the help,

 

[SHO---]

@Kevinspann

I drive the car about once or twice a week. No, the water pump has never been replaced/rebuilt. In case it's the pump- which I should know tomorrow, which would you recommend:

Water Pumps:

-Autozone DuraLast $150, or rebuilt ValueCraft $60
-Advance Remanufactured DriveWorks $64
-O'Reilly's MasterPro $197, or reman MasterPro $50
-CarQuest AirTex? $160, or reman CarQuest $75
-Pro Auto Parts Global $220
-Ford Dealer MotorCraft $351
-Any Others You Recommend

Thanks,

 

[Racer X]

@RubyDist,

Thanks, I'm glad to hear I can simply drain the radiator at the petcock and reuse the coolant- and not have to worry about the block- also good to know that my new thermostat should work just fine. Plan to tackle her tomorrow (day off).

Oh yeah, Genesis Auto Part's all aluminum radiator is Made in CHINA so if I do in fact need a radiator too, then I'm going w/the CarQuest USA made one w/plastic tanks.

Thanks for all the help,

That's great and all, but my USA made Modine was making a mess of my garage floor in less than 2 years, not to mention it wasn't exactly cheap. All the plastic tank aftermarket radiators for the Taurus leak, no matter where they're made.

The all aluminum radiators don't leak, period.

It's your money, and maybe one day an American company will start making all aluminum radiators for the Taurus (lol), but until then the made in China all aluminum version is the best option for the Taurus, SHO or otherwise, for performance (save for a dual core high capacity version) and longevity.

 

[SHO---]

Ran into a snag and need the forum's help...

I was changing the 2 coolant hoses that run from the pipe to the heater core (located up against the firewall)- anyway, when I pulled the hose off of the left most (facing the front of the car) heater core spout I noticed that I had accidentally "crimped" the aluminum heater core spout w/my channel locks I suppose- thought I was far enough away from the end

Anyway, what I'm dealing with is a "football" shaped aluminum pipe instead of a perfect circular shape like it's supposed to be. It's obvious that if I decide to just leave it alone, and tighten the heck out of the new hose- she's going to leak under pressure.

I basically either need to know how to:

A. Return the "football" shaped heater core's aluminum pipe back into a perfect circle. If I go this route, what type of tool do I need to go get/borrow- what's it called? The Outside Diameter of the pipe is about 17mm so I guess the correct ID should be about 14mm or so- Is there a type of tool where I could insert it into the squished hole of the pipe, turn a bolt on the end, and the outer skirt of that bolt would expand- thus expanding out the inside diameter of the soft aluminum? I need basically an "expansion bolt" that will stay fixed via a wrench or something while I tighten the bolt to expand it's outer skirt or whatever- does anyone follow me on this?

B. What high temp adhesive glue/sealant to use to squirt like crazy up into the new hose before I tighten the heck out of it- JB Weld? Will ultra-black high temp RTV rubber sealant withstand the heat and anti-freeze- and if so, will it ALSO withstand the high pressure? Basically, If you tell me to go this route- what's the ultimate "Gooook" to squirt up in there?

Geeez- there's no way I'm changing that heater core- NO WAY! Oh yeah, for the guys that say "just bypass the heater core" I can't- I need my heater.

Again thanks for all of your help thus far,

 

[rubydist]

get a short, fat punch and slip it into the tube as you crimp the "wide" part of the flattened tube with a pliers. it does not need to be perfectly round, it needs to be round enough that the hose clamp will apply pressure all the way around.

 

[zoomlater]

shotimes archive

If you haven't found the link to the shotime archives (the site doesn't seem to be active anymore), there is a recent thread discussing this site, but someone found an archive site link to it

http://web.archive.org/web/20050205043125/http://www.shotimes.com/php-bin/

 

[SHO---]

I'll try the "Punch" trick but I've decided to also glue her up good in addition as an insurance policy- any ideas on what type of sealant to use? See option "B" in my post above.

Oh yeah- the Punch trick won't really help that "man's wedding ring" lip/band thingy around the end of the pipe- isn't that important for a good seal? Also, what type/style of hose clamp do you recommend using for an "ultra-grip" clamp job?

Thanks,

 

[SHOZ123]

I'd just slightly squeeze the tube with the channel locks.

Here's the SHOtimes stuff courtesy of Jon Heese.

V6 WikiSHO