Explorer radiator swap into Ranger

[crusin93]

I'm concerned with the cooling efficiency of my 87' 2.9 auto ranger 4x4. My radiator is old and crudy inside and out. Since I'm going to need a replacement very soon, I'd like to upgrade instead of just replacing the 1 core piece. Will a 2 core radiator from a early model (say 1993) Explorer 4.0 4x4 drop in without mods? The H"xL" dimensions are the same and the inlet outlet are the same at 1.5". the only difference I can spot between two is the depth. 1" for the 1 core and 2" for the 2 core. I measured, and have sufficient clerance for the fan. Any help or hints would be appreciated.

 

[MountainMike]

Now I believe that is a bolt-in and pretty common swap. Someone will chime in with a definite yay or nay but if it measures like it will fit and you have clearance drop it in.

 

[d112crzy]

I swapped in a 94 'Sploder radiator into my 89 3 days ago. A 100% drop-in. No modifications necessary to anything. I read a few threads on here saying the stock shroud wouldn't work, but mine did.

Before, my temps would hover around the 200F-210F range and get higher going uphill. They now stay around 180F-190F.

 

[wakingtowinter]

does anyone happen to know what year explorer radiator would be the best fit for a 3rd gen ranger with a 4.0? or does it matter?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Early Explorer radiators are a bolt-in swap, but since the thicker ones are out of auto trans Explorerers, if you have a manual trans truck, you'll need the auto trans lower hose. Found that out the hard way when I swapped one in my choptop and realized that the lower hose didn't fit up. Went to an auto trans hose and it plugged right together.


Wakingtowinter: I believe all the third gen Rangers with the 4.0L got the thicker radiator unless some idiot swapped to a smaller one, your stock radiator should be the same size as the explorer (thickness). Not sure though if an explorer radiator will interchange though, at some point they changed the radiator design a lil, not sure if it was for third gen or fourth gen.

 

[Tb8983]

Is this the same for bronco 2 also

 

[177CIOfPureLove]

Lil blue ford is dead on you will need to swap the lower hose other than that its a complete bolt in running one in my 88'

 

[crusin93]

Alright guys. Thanks for the feedback. I just ordered a radiator for a 1994 mazda pickup with an a/t and a 4.0L. Turns out it is exactly the same as the 2 core Explorer piece and 2 core Ranger piece of the same year and engine but a little less expensive (cool!). I'll post again when I install it.

 

[86 slo-vo]

you have to watch out once getting into 3rd gens...a 93-94 will be able to drop in a 1st gen expo radiator no problem


95-97 uses a different radiator

 

[shadetreebronco]

I installed a 94 Explorer radiator in my 87 2.9 BII , The lower mounting of the shroud did not match so a few 10/24 nuts and bolts fixed that.

I already had the automatic so the lower hose was correct.
The upper hose i had to fabricate using a radiator repair kit from advanced auto.
Anyone have a better idea for the upper hose ?

 

[Carlos Murphy]

Rad swap.

I switched out the stock single row rad from my 88 2.9 auto Ranger for a 2 row Explorer rad, rad now holds twice the coolant, bought 3 differently shaped rad hoses to modify to fit, returned the hoses I didn't use to the store.
I run around in the mountains above 4,750 ft in summer (with A/C on) between Carson City and Lake Topaz and the new rad makes a big difference.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Putting a Explorer radiator in my '85 the shrouds were different. The clips that go thru the core on the bottom of the rad that the shroud sits in were farther apart on the 4.0 rad than the 2.8 rad.

Here is my "customized" 4.0 shroud, you can see how the tabs compare to yours.

It may be a year to year change rather than an engine to engine change too, I dunno but I had to get different shroud because of it.

As far as cooling capacity goes, mine does a decent job of cooling a 5.0.

 

[robotzombies]

I just did this about a week or two ago because my reservoir was constantly empty (assuming there was a coolant leak somewhere that I couldn't find). Just wanted to add my experience into this thread because this was the thread I used to help me do all the work, and if anyone finds this thread in the future, hoping my experience helps. Just FYI, thanks to everyone in this thread that provided all the information, even if it's 13 years old.

There was actually another thread I put this same information in for the same reason, though I linked back to this thread in my response. So I'll do that with the other thread just so I complete the circle: https://www.therangerstation.com/fo...ator-post-find-it-please.200840/#post-1979685

I have an 89 Bronco II manual. The radiator I installed is supposed to be for a first gen Explorer. I actually decided to go with an all aluminum radiator. I used a Liland 1164AA3R that I bought from Rock Auto. Just FYI, this radiator came with ports for an oil cooler (I think that's what they're for). However, the ports are completely separate from the radiator cooling system, so you can leave them open if you want to once you have your radiator full, as the coolant doesn't go into this part of the radiator.

As the thread mentioned, I needed a lower hose from an automatic, since I have a manual truck. The radiator installed pretty well. The posts on the bottom lined up with the holes from the stock radiator carrier. The top of the shroud bolts right into the holes provided on the radiator. The bottom holes on the radiator didn't line up with the shroud, though. Right now, the bottom is just free hanging. It doesn't seem to interfere with the fan, so I am probably just going to do a zip tie quick fix to keep it in place, and maybe later do a better installation by drilling a slot or hole.

The only issue I had is that the upper port on the radiator curves slightly to the passenger side, whereas the original was straight. This means that I had to force the upper hose to a position it wasn't supposed to go into. To do so, I had to trim some of the end of the hose off in order for it not to be completely kinked. It's actually still just slightly kinked, so I might try to frankenstein a better solution with extra hose and couplers to get rid of all kinks.

So far, it seems to keep it cooler than before, and my reservoir is still holding coolant. The whole thing took longer than I expected, but I was also doing this in an apartment parking lot on a hot day.

Editing comment to add this: I didn't removed the shroud or the fan when I did this. I unbolted the shroud and moved it back against the engine to try to do as little disassembly as possible. This worked out fine until it was time to change the lower hose. The shroud absolutely gets in the way when you are trying to remove the top hose clamp on the lower hose (mine was the screw kind) and the radiator is already installed. Double difficult with the lift and tires, as I had to do all of this while standing on a stool; it was almost impossible to get to it from underneath. It actually would have been nice to have more room to maneuver, so even though it's more work, removing both the shroud and the fan will probably make things easier when it comes time to change the lower hose. I was trying to see if I actually needed the lower hose, so I did all of this after the radiator was installed. This would probably not be an issue if the radiator isn't installed, but positioning the hose will probably be harder once it's installed.