Radiator Donor / interchange - putting a double wide 4.0L radiator in a 2.9L

[Brain75]

I decided I would look for a double thick radiator (from a 4.0L) to put in my 2.9L for the added protection on overheating and cracking the heads 1st time it got slightly hot... It's a cheap upgrade provided I can find the junkyard parts.
I read several forum threads suggesting slight variations "4.0L explorer with AC" etc etc... well rather than just randomly poke around the junkyard I picked a year I kinda knew should be right (92 explorer with AC) and asked them for their interchange... they gave me this:

That was both more than I expected and less... they include earlier years of Rangers (1990 before the 4.0L was introduced) and some things I hadn't thought of (Mazda's)... Of course I looked at every one of the candidates they gave, one was the "right combo" but someone had taken the radiator and shroud both (the purple one)... all the rest were skinny radiators, missing or front end completely smunched in.
As long as I was roaming around I glanced at every explorer in the yard and there were several 2001/2002 (that would be SOHC's) but the radiator was totally different looking and after a second of staring at it thought I wouldn't be able to adapt reasonably.

So here's what I "assume" based on this....
Any Ranger or Explorer (heck, even the van, etc) manual trans or auto trans, AC or no AC might have the double thick radiator and almost any model between 1991 and 2000 would be a candidate for having the right radiator - right? Is that too broad, or too narrow and I am missing something. Just asking for a little help narrowing it down so my next trip (which now must be soon) I can hit all the candidates without wasting a lot of time chasing down the erroneous.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Pretty sure the 90 had a 4.0 in them.

 

[4x4junkie]

1994 Explorer w/Auto Trans & A/C yielded me the two-core radiator I needed for mine.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’m not sure about the rad in gen 3 Ranger (93-97) because I’ve never owned one as to if they fit in a 2nd gen or 1st gen.

I do know that a 90-92 Ranger and 91-94 Explorer with auto trans and 4.0 with AC nearly always have the thick rad and fit in any 1st or 2nd gen.

98-11 share the same radiator mounts to the best of my knowledge but they do not interchange with the 1st/2nd gen. I don’t know if they could be made to fit or not, but one of the big things is that they are taller. I should have an 83-92 thin rad with auto transmission, a 4.0 auto AC out of my 00 and a 97 Explorer 5.0 auto AC rad down the driveway currently, I’ll see if I can remember to do some comparisons.

 

[Shran]

IIRC 95 up Ranger has different lower mounts.

1st gen Explorer, auto, w/ AC is your best bet. You need the shroud & maybe the lower hose (it's necessary when swapping from a manual trans radiator.) FYI the 1st gen Explorer "manual trans w/ AC" is smaller than the automatic w/ AC radiator.

 

[RobbieD]

1991-94 Explorer auto w/ AC is what I used in my '90 Bronco II. If I'm not mistaken, the auto trans w/AC radiator was the thickest available that would drop in and bolt up to the GEN2 radiator support. If I remember right, I had to use a trimmed 4.0 upper hose.

 

[branninggabe3146]

@Shran can you help me out with my post I think @Uncle Gump tagged you in it plz reply

 

[gaz]

@Brain75
For your 1990 2.9l, I can only recommend purchasing a new radiator for either a 1st Gen Explorer or Navajo with automatic transmission and OHV 4.0. It simply isn't worth the gamble on a used plastic tank radiator

 

[SenorNoob]

I bought one from the junkyard once trying to be cheap. I could fill it from the upper hose and nothing would run out the bottom.

 

[Brain75]

At this point I'm going to do the junkyard for a couple reasons, A) they are really nice guys and 30 day no questions guarantee - get it home and find a crack, bring it back no sweat. (they even told me they could care less if I bring back junk, they get paid the same either way) B) I have a working radiator and it just doesn't justify brand new $$$ to throw away what I have (partsgeek wants $145 before hoses, junkyard want $40 + $1/hose)

I figure take a couple gallons of water with me, quick dirty flow test in the parking lot before bringing it home, flush it, see if I can pressure it up to 15# without it peeing all over the place and then tackle the job of putting it in.

They charge $1/foot for miscellaneous plastic so I figure I will be $3 into the shroud too... still the whole thing for $45 (probably $48-50 after tax) where as parts store I figure probably heading over $200 by the time a guy gets done. I've shopped junkyards a plenty and know to take engines and trans from low mileage with a light T-bone, not a high mileage or one with a complete worn out gas pedal and interior, etc etc. So far I have been pretty happy with my junkyard shopping. 1/5th the price can't be beat.

 

[Rick W]

I realize you just said you didn’t want to go the money for the new one, but I still thought I’d drop in that I had to put a radiator in my 87 2.9 when I swapped the motor, and I got a eBay new two core.

Then the radiator in the 97 had a small leak, and rather than fix it, I got a eBay new two core for it.

I think they were both about $135. And no time or trouble. Sometimes a penny saved isn’t worth the effort,

As always, just my two cents, just throwing it out there

 

[Brain75]

Bringing this one back up as I now have a followup issue.... "going to town" is a 2 hour deal for me, and none of the parts stores list it as in stock - "available 8am tomorrow" if I order online.
I have the donor truck's upper hose, but the processing the yard does to remove fluids involves just cutting the lower hose, so there was zero lower hoses in the yard.
Looking at the radiator, the upper and lower in the skinny 7/8" thick 2.9 radiator both ports head straight back at 90 degrees - towards the back of the truck.
The 2" thick 4.0 auto a/c radiator the upper port cants off to the passenger side at like 20 degrees and the lower port aims down at the ground like 70 degrees - way different lower.
So based on readings here on TRS, trim the upper and get a lower for a 4.0 auto a/c, no problem.

Problem, all the hits on the parts store says this part will work on the following models: and then they list every 2.9 and 4.0 ever from 1986 forward, examples:

Duralast Radiator Coolant Hose B71532

Shop for Duralast Radiator Coolant Hose B71532 with confidence at AutoZone.com. Parts are just part of what we do. Get yours online today and pick up in store.

www.autozone.com

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www.oreillyauto.com

if following the links don't work, that is a Duralast p/n B71532 and a MasterPro p/n 21623, can anyone who has done this tell me if that at least even looks like the right hoses?

 

[gaz]

@Brain75
The first time I swapped in an Explorer radiator, I had noticed the angle differences in the wrecking yard. My solution was to use OHV4.0l main send/return hoses and it's thermostat housing. After incorporating the 4.0l housing, the angles are just a slight rotation of each hose, then double clamps on each end ..)

 

[Brain75]

maybe I will get lucky and the one in atwood (smunched in) has a good lower hose on it, I was more just looking to know if that's the right one... Sucks to drive an hour into town, find out they don't have it, have to order, be here tomorrow, drive home, drive back, and then it is the wrong one...... Not to mention all the parts websites suck, now I finally understand why a buddy of mine always comes home with the wrong part first try every time.

 

[Rick W]

I thought from an old shade tree mechanical heat spending money on parts

On smaller houses, if I can’t get one with the bend, I want, I’ve added a foot to it and looped it. I try to keep four or 5 feet of the hose I think I might ever need. But I’m not sure that would work with an inch and a half for a 2 inch hose, the loop would have to be pretty long, big and diameter.

Just a thought…