Coolant By-Pass Kit

[jtbel]

Does anyone know where to get one of these, or how to make one? My truck runs great, except when I turn on the fan (hot or cold), it makes the thumping noises. From the research i've done, the thumping noise is caused from steam formation in the cooling system. The fix for this problem is supposedly a coolant by-pass kit which reduces the steam formation with increased coolant flow. I have not seen what they look like, or what it attaches to. If somebody knows, maybe I can make my own kit. Thanks

 

[gribly]

Uhh, your logic is flawed. I don't know where you got your info, but NEVER get info from there again. You do NOT need to add any junk onto your cooling system to decrease steam, if it's pumping steam, it's probably because there is no coolant in it! Anyways, you do not have to worry about any of that, as your cooling system has nothing to do with what is wrong. NOTHING. How your heating system works, is a bit of the coolant is piped into a small radiator in your dash. When the air for your vents flows through this radiator, it is heated so that you can stay warm in the winter. There is a blower fan located in your dash that pushes all this air, a mouse probably tried to nest there or something, and there is now crap in your blower motor. Take the motor out and clean the fan.

 

[jtbel]

A little more respect is in order here. If you can't reply to someone's quest for help in a respectful manner, then you should'nt reply at all. Obviously, you (gribly) did not understand my question. I never said that I had a heating problem, and I did'nt mean the thumping was coming directly from the blower motor. There is a tsb on the matter of hearing thumping noises due to pockets of steam. From my research, there are three possible fixes: install a better water pump, install a coolant by-pass kit, or it could be the power steering pump providing resistance to the belt and creating poor coolant flow. I will probably change out the power steering pump soon, and will try to avoid going near the water pump. I thought the easiest route to go would be the by-pass kit, but apparently the kits are no longer made and nobody knows how to fabricate one. Thanks anyway.

 

[modelageek]

A little more respect is in order here. If you can't reply to someone's quest for help in a respectful manner, then you should'nt reply at all. Obviously, you (gribly) did not understand my question. I never said that I had a heating problem, and I did'nt mean the thumping was coming directly from the blower motor. There is a tsb on the matter of hearing thumping noises due to pockets of steam. From my research, there are three possible fixes: install a better water pump, install a coolant by-pass kit, or it could be the power steering pump providing resistance to the belt and creating poor coolant flow. I will probably change out the power steering pump soon, and will try to avoid going near the water pump. I thought the easiest route to go would be the by-pass kit, but apparently the kits are no longer made and nobody knows how to fabricate one. Thanks anyway.

Grigly was being perfectly respectful.....I had never heard of this issue before and I still don't buy it......IF THERE WAS/IS A TSB YOU WERE TOTALLY AT FAULT FOR NOT INCLUDING IT IN YOUR 1ST POST


THERE IS A 4TH SOLUTION TO YOUR ISSUE..........GET LOST.....

 

[tbucket39]

by-pass kit

There is a service bulletin from Ford 99-23-8 that corrects this issue. It is a very real problem. The kit has been discontinnued. I am searching for this kit myself. The problem continues and Ford has hung us out to dry.

Those of you who post oppinions should research before you speak your minds. Good luck jtbel. Let me know if you find the tech sheet with the diagram to make this.

 

[modelageek]

There is a service bulletin from Ford 99-23-8 that corrects this issue. It is a very real problem. The kit has been discontinnued. I am searching for this kit myself. The problem continues and Ford has hung us out to dry.

Those of you who post oppinions should research before you speak your minds. Good luck jtbel. Let me know if you find the tech sheet with the diagram to make this.

why don't you wait till you have a few more posts before you start telling us what to do......if your buddy had told the full story from the beginning maybe we could have helped........but not know

 

[modelageek]

Those of you who post oppinions should research before you speak your minds. Good luck jtbel. Let me know if you find the tech sheet with the diagram to make this.

in case you forgot we are doing this for FREE..We are not going to go researching for someone with 9 posts maybe if he was an established member.....but there are to many hit and runners around here.........between you 2 you have 10 posts......sounds like maybe the OP started this thread with the full intention of getting a fight going.......he was just a little to quick to start complaining and probably purposely left off the info he had about the TSB........see ya......

 

[jtbel]

Thanks, tbucket39. Very well said. There are quite a few things that can be said about the other responses that I've received, but I choose to take the high road. Anyway, back to why we're writing on this forum, the most I know about the kit is that it is a lower radiator hose that has a "T' molded into it. A piece of heater hose goes from the "T" to a fitting which installs where the temp sensor (on the thermostat housing) used to go. The temp sensor is then relocated to the "T" or something like that. I have the info saved on my laptop that I don't have in front of me. Please no negative remarks, as i will not respond. Thanks

 

[gribly]

I apologise if my reply sounded harsh, but your description of the symptoms is that you hear thumping when you turn on the blower motor. You offered up nothing of what you had tried to do to fix the problem already, only a vague description of something you have heard about, which to me sounds like a terrible design flaw if the water pump is actually cavitating and there is constant significant pressure changes causing thumping. Any reasonable person would first check the blower motor.

Now that I know it isn't a fan problem most likely - How long have you had the problem? I find it perfectly reasonable that if the truck did not have this problem before, than you can properly fix the problem without modifying it. You should be able to make it work like it did before. I'd change my coolant, and make sure I purged all the air out of the system.

And about the TSB, I'd find the TSB and do what it says. What I said above is what I would do if it my MY truck and I was unaware of a TSB. You should probably do it anyways, especially if you're still on the same coolant it came with from the factory.

Again, I apologise - but this is the internet, and it's not like talking in person, and I cannot look at the truck.

 

[gribly]

ARTICLE NO. 99-23-8

• GAUGE—TEMPERATURE GAUGE FLUCTUATION AND/OR “KNOCKING/THUMPING” NOISE FROM COOLING SYSTEM—4.0L OHV ENGINE

• COOLING SYSTEM—PULSATING COOLANT FLOW —NOISE—“ KNOCKING/THUMPING”— AUDIBLE IN PASSENGER COMPARTMENT—4.0LOHV ENGINE

FORD: 1995-2000 EXPLORER, RANGER

This TSB article is being republished in its entirety to include 2000 model year vehicles and to provide Service Part(s) and Labor Time information.

ISSUE
A temperature gauge fluctuation and/or a“knocking/thumping” noise may be audible in the passenger compartment on some vehicles. This noise is most pronounced with the engine at normal operating temperature. The noise is caused by steam formation in the cooling system. The noise is then transmitted through the heater hoses and heater core.

ACTION
Install a Coolant By-Pass Kit. This increases coolant flow which reduces steam formation. Refer to the following Diagnostic and Service Procedure for details.

DIAGNOSTIC AND SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Check for excessive exhaust system restrictions. A restricted exhaust could elevate cooling system temperatures.

2. If dash-mounted cooling temperature gauge fluctuates, check that gauge and sending unit are functioning properly.

3. Check for restrictions or kinks in the radiator or heater hoses.

4. Pressure check cooling system for leaks.

5. Confirm proper Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor signal to EEC-V processor.

6. Check for correct 50/50 coolant mix. Verify that freezing point is -37*C (±-15*C) or -35*F (±5*F).

7. If concern still exists, install service Coolant by-Pass Kit and verify that concern has been resolved. Refer to the Application Chart in this article.

PART NUMBER / PART NAME
F8PZ-8522-AA / Coolant By-Pass Kit (‘95-‘96 Ranger)
F8PZ-8522-CA / Coolant By-Pass Kit (‘97+ Ranger)

 

[gribly]

Took me 10 minutes with google.

 

[gribly]

Hold everything - I missed something, you have all this info on how to make the bypass it saved on a laptop? You're confusing me. If you have some information but don't understand it, go find the laptop and post it. I'm sure one of us could figure it out for you.

You know what - I just found a thread on another forum that covers the power steering pump adding to this problem. From your posts, it sounds like you read that and know what to do, so why are you not doing it?

Here, what is going on is your entire cooling system gets buildup over time from rust and what not. Your t-stat is probably not flowing as well, and your water pump isn't pushing the same volume or pressure it was before. This, combined with a sticky power steering pump that is making the belt slip and robbing further power from the water pump, is giving you terrible coolant flow and you are getting steam in the head every time you turn on the heater. The reason turning on the heater is "breaking the camel's back" so to speak, is there is a diverter valve that opens and allows coolant to flow through the heater core, causing a slight restriction. Normally this restriction is fine, but you're crippled cooling system is unable to handle it.

So what you need to do, if you have not already figured it out - is flush your coolant, change the thermostat, and see if that fixes it. If not, take off the serpentine belt and try to turn the power steering pump by hand - if it offers up an abnormal amount of resistance - time for a new one. If it turns fine, get a new water pump, the newer ones have a slightly different design and flow better.

In all reality, after researching the problem, this bypass kit is a load of crap and is just a band-aid for a damaged system. After you get the problem resolved, stay on top of maintenance for your truck, this is a direct result of not performing maintenance like you should. Hell, you probably haven't even changed your transmission fluid or brake fluid within the past 50k miles, have you? You should, if you like your truck!

Oh, and get off your high horse acting like I need to be respectful to people - when someone comes on this site, and is a new person, an offers a vague description, of course I am going to baby-talk you through how stuff works and what to do, since its apparent that said new person needs help.

I still think this is a ridiculous problem, and it should never have happened.

Oh, here's a negative remark for ya, if you still think I'm a dink -

 

[gribly]

And as for my advice - That is simply my take on the situation after going out of my way to research it for you. I could be way out in left field, I'm good with hydronic systems, but I usually don't mess with newer automotive cooling systems, I refuse to own a newer vehicle since they have too much retarded overly complex crap on them that breaks. Thus, I have never encountered a pulsating cooling system, only pulsating home baseboard heating systems - which are easy for me to fix, since I was actually a heating engineer before I became a disabled couch potato/full time college student (long story, I joined the Army and got messed up.)

 

[jtbel]

Thanks gribly. I bought the truck about a year ago and have done plenty of maintenance on it with detailed records. The truck had everything that I wanted, except maybe auto tranny. I thought that the problem I'm having was more widely known than it is. Apparently, it's not that common. I just have the vague description of the bypass kit. I can install one pretty easy, but not too good at fabricating one. I have heard some squealing from time to time around the power steering pump area, so I'm hoping a new pump will help. I did research quite a bit before asking for help, but was not finding the answer. I really just wanted info on the bypass kit, but am now thinking like gribly, that it is just a band-aid. I'm sure the trucks did not have this problem when new, so there is something that loses it's ability to perform over time. Most likely one of the pumps. Thanks

 

[modelageek]

Thanks gribly. I bought the truck about a year ago and have done plenty of maintenance on it with detailed records. The truck had everything that I wanted, except maybe auto tranny. I thought that the problem I'm having was more widely known than it is. Apparently, it's not that common. I just have the vague description of the bypass kit. I can install one pretty easy, but not too good at fabricating one. I have heard some squealing from time to time around the power steering pump area, so I'm hoping a new pump will help. I did research quite a bit before asking for help, but was not finding the answer. I really just wanted info on the bypass kit, but am now thinking like gribly, that it is just a band-aid. I'm sure the trucks did not have this problem when new, so there is something that loses it's ability to perform over time. Most likely one of the pumps. Thanks

I agree with gribly bring the maintenance up and fix any issues.....maybe your exhaust or cat is a little clogged...Car manufacturers are required to have parts for vehicles for a certain amount of years. I think it might be 10 but not sure. I think the last year for the 4.0 OHV was 2001? that might be why they are not supplying it anymore. maybe an aftermarket company is making it? I had never read anything like your issue before and I have read 1000 and 1000's of post. if it is an issue specific to the 4.0 OHV....you should post in the engine forum and maybe you will get someone that has had the issue.....