My 2.8 is on her last legs :(

[85_Ranger4x4]

If it takes a long time to warm up and start giving heat the stat is stuck open. I always hated the stat on the lower hose and I found two piece thermostat housing that is on the intake manifold. I am not sure what year it came out of but the engine runs cooler and steady at an idle I just plugged the bypass on the intake manifold and use the 1" nipple on the stat housing. Anyway I found the best way to get the air out of the system is with the flush kit in the radiator hose turn the water on slow and start the engine with the cap loose when it starts to run out the cap turn the water off and run it till the upper radiator hose gets hot. They get a air lock in the heater core and the bypass dont work correct. Heres a funny one the guy at the bone yard told me to put the thermostat in a pan of boiling water then when it was open put it in the engine real quick and add some water I laughed in his face and the funny part he was serious. Anyway I keep a spare water pump and The last one I got on ebay for $18 I think the higher engine temps wear out the seals quicker since I put the thermostat in the upper hose the guage barely reaches half on a hot day with A 195 stat in it I think the best thing was when I changed the last pump I flushed the block out real good with a hose and got alot of crap out the I backflushed the radiator real good if you take the nozzle off the hose and kink it you can get a good burst of pressure it take three hands tho hold the lower hose and blast it backwards from the fill cap or plug the lower hose and fill it with 1/2 and 1/2 bleach/water overnite then back flush it you can use oven cleaner also for the overnite soak it breaks up the crap that settles in the radiator without damaging it just be careful where you do the flush on either one and they both work good for heater cores also If the leak they were bad anyway. Yea water pump, backflush and t-stat total abut 40-50 dollars and just flushing the radiator for a few minutes backwards without a nozzle on the hose full blast can sometimes open it up enough to make the difference.

Late '85's have the single stat with a different lower assembly where the stat used to be. I am ever so gratefull my is a late '85...

 

[r1hatman]

Yeah, I'm gonna check Chilton online to see how hard it is, but the thermo is $10.00 with the gasket. So I'm going to pick up today.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

It can be a biotch get the two gaskets and the oring to line up. clean the surfaces good and put a light coat of permatex #2 on both sides of the gaskets to hold them in place while you run the bolts thru and make sure the oring is in properly if it leaks a little past the thermostat it wont warm up correctly. It is actually easier for me to pull the bypass hose off first to clean the surfaces then put on a new bypass hose if it is bulged.

 

[r1hatman]

Well, I figured out what was wrong with it. The dumbass who had it before had two thermostats on it, one up top and one on bottom and they were both closed. It's a wonder that motor didn't blow up.

[/IMG]So I took the one up top out and sealed that up with some permatex,

[/IMG] and put in a new one on the bottom with a new o ring and a new gasket with a little permatex.

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[/IMG] And I took my old radiator out to solder it, but I said screw it

[/IMG] and I'm getting a 3 core coming to Advanced in the morning for $150.00.

So I'm going to flush the crap out of it and put in my new radiator and try not to get a air lock and let her run right for the first time since I got it. Oh I gotta put a new flange on my radiator line cause one of the lines wouldn't come off it started twisting the line so I cut it. Easy fix. So tomorrow will be the tale tell!

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Thats funny yea just put the one on the lower hose be careful when you stick the bolts in because there is a housing on the back side that the bypass hose hooks up to that has the threads for the stat housing bolts if you bump it loose you will need to put a new gasket back there it is almost easier to move the power steering pump out of the way to do it. If you look at the intake manifold the 4/4 inch hose off the front drivers side is the bypass I recommend replacing it also then you can put a new gasket on the lower housing that the thermostat housing bolts to.http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ca...on=Felpro+/+Thermostat+Gasket&imageURLList=[]

 

[kimcrwbr1]

That didnt work it is called the lower rear thermostat housing gasket and the housing goes to the bypass on the intake manifold you might as well seal it up right while you have it apart it is hard to get at to clean the surfaces with the hose still on it and with the new cooling system the bypass hose and gasket probably need to be changed anyway. carefully cut the hose on the intake manifold nipple and twist it offand the lower housing will pop right off as no bolts are holding it especially if someone used silicone it is probably already loose.

 

[r1hatman]

Gotcha, sounds good, will do!

 

[r1hatman]

Well, I got my radiator this morning.

[/IMG]
Didn't come with the right fittings, I had to wind up cutting both the lines and renting a flange tool to make two new ones. Replaced both front and back thermo gaskets

[/IMG]
After taking off the power steering mounts and air unit, everything was out of the way!

[/IMG]

[/IMG] Got everything back together and filled her up and it still got hot! I knew I should have replaced the water pump when I had it available, but no!So I get to take it all back apart tomorrow and put it the new water pump. And I have to take both those damn gaskets back off too. I hope I can reuse them and not have to get new ones

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

lots of work, but its a Ford, it will never be on the last leg lol.
be careful while removing the gaskets. they are new and havent get dry so u could use them

 

[r1hatman]

Gotcha!

 

[chazzone]

The best way to keep from getting air-lock is to drill a small hole (@1/8") in the top part of the t-stat plate. It doesn't let enough water pass through to keep it from warming up, but it will allow the air to pass through.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

did you try the heater in the cab if it didn`t get heat out the vents you have a air lock and it needs to be burped you will be pissed if the impeller is good on the pump just checking. Mine ran on the upper end of the guage in the n on the norm these engines like to run hot. Mine always leaks out the seal on the water pump the impellers were all good.

 

[r1hatman]

Yeah the heat was blasting in the cab, so I'm pretty sure it's the wp. We'll see today after I get back from church.

 

[r1hatman]

Well, I got my water pump in today. I got started late cause I went to church. And I had to go back to Auto Zone to get 2 more gaskets cause when I took the ones off I had just put on for the thermostat they were toast. I'll put them in tomorrow and put the radiator back in and see what she does.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

i hope that fixes the heating man