I did just get a welder, it might be time I tackle that absurdly low-hanging exhaust.
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Dude. Great idea.
Cut out the cat. Replace with test pipe. If the problem’s solved, get ye a new cat. If not, enjoy the new exhaust note and power all the way to Yavapai emissions. Oh wait. >:)
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Well, that didn’t go as planned.
186,294.8 miles
Silicone Blues
Since I had to wait a week anyhow, and the price difference was negligible for the short lengths required, I decided to redress the plumbing with some nice silicone replacements and stainless t-bolt clamps (because screw clamps are dubious at best). Not sure where the clamps are made, nice as they are, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the Flexfab hose is made here in the US.
I also decided to eliminate the odd couplers Ford installs about half way up each heater line. While I get that the bulkhead connections are (slightly) harder to reach, hot coolant flowing through a hose is hot coolant flowing through a hose, and two connections per hose is four points of potential failure. I couldn’t think of a single good reason not to just do a home run for both lines.
A nice thing about this fancy silicone stuff: it’s so flexible I managed to squeeze this section into place in the impossibly tight gap between the water pump and the top of the engine. I’ve heard this can be done with the rubber hose too if you’re really careful, but I’ve also heard you have to pull the water pump to get at it.
The main radiator hoses are in good shape and Gates, so aftermarket, so not 34 year old originals, so I decided to save some cash this time around and replace them when I do the radiator. Unfortunately, when warming up the truck to check for leaks I noticed my feet getting wet…guess that means I’m doing it now.
The radiator split where they all do, right where the plastic end cap mates with the aluminum core. In a week a replacement all-aluminum three-core radiator will be here along with the rest of the replacement plumbing.
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Ugh.
Well you know, if you’re a white label parts manufacturer diligently outsourcing every inch of the supply chain to the lowest common denominator in a commoditized raced to the bottom where more is somehow better than, well, better, the failure rate of this design has limited, if any effect on profit margins. Indeed, the risk is wholly assumed by the end user.
Which is no doubt why, as much as every human being in the world with a radiator under the hood knows, this is a shoddy, careless design thinly marketed as saving us money, we’ll only see full-metal radiators further vanish from existence.
Bummer, dude.
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Yep, it’s to be expected, as is the 5 year service life (and I think this may have also been the original). I’m guilty of perpetuating the trend, lack of short term funds adding to the expense burden on my long term funds, with both the Discovery’s and Forester’s radiators.
This is the first time I’ve been able to afford going for the permanent, all-aluminum upgrade…oddly when cash is the tightest I can remember. That plastic capped garbage has always been about $130 whether it’s for a Subaru, Land Rover, or Ford, and the aluminum usually $400 or more. The aluminum unit I just ordered for the Ford only cost $190, complete with integral transmission cooler. 
So yeah, in an odd twist of fate, my old Ford will have the nicest cooling system.
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In keeping with the faithful old farm truck theme, The Rooster made one last trip to pick the new radiator and hoses up from my mailbox without complaint. I got home, started pulling all the old components off the truck. Then it started raining. For days. And days…
186,296.7 miles
Be Cool
Pulling the old radiator yielded a few surprises, including a wasp nest that was thankfully vacant. The bubblegum plug I already knew about, but the busted line to the transmission cooler was an unhappy discovery. As far as I can tell the factory metal line snapped at some point and, rather than fix it properly, someone just slapped this not-oil-rated hose and a couple of hose clamps in place to reconnect it. Pros: no transmission fluid came out when I disconnected the lines. Cons: no transmission fluid came out when I disconnected the lines. Guess I know what the next, next project is now. 
On the recommendation of a fellow old 460 owner I set off in search of an all-aluminum three-core radiator, sifting through the lowest overseas bidders on Amazon to find less sketchy slightly less lowerer bidded options. I settled on a unit by CoolingSky who had good reviews, Prime shipping, and cost just a few bills more than the standard issue plastic capped OEM replacement. I have no idea where it’s actually made, but it’s built right where it matters and build good enough where it doesn’t matter.
It fits just about perfect in every way, except for the fan shroud which sits just a tad too high for the bottom end to seat securely. Considering this huge three-core radiator was a totally unnecessary upgrade from a smaller two-core that never overheated, the temporary lack of a shroud really doesn’t worry me. I’ll modify it sometime later, since it’s easily done, and reinstall the shroud for safety.
No fancy silicone for the main hoses this time, unfortunately, so I’m stuck with the odd hump to clear the non-existent air pump for now. They just don’t make them prefab for a 460 this old, and I can’t afford to go custom right now. I was able to correct the angle on the awkward-fitting lower hose though so the power steering belt will stop slicing into it—clearances down here are a nightmare with the the OEM oil cooler lines running through. And finally, for the third time, filling and burping of the cooling system is done.
Shop dog is thrilled.
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I wonder if there’s a threshold where the fluid level drops enough that moves like this can pulse the system and open a valve, but not immediately sustain the pressure needed to hustle.
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Wouldn’t surprise me one bit. The fluid levels do read correct though, so it’s also possible there’s trouble or a blockage further down the line. I’ve ordered a bit of fuel line and proper clamps to do a better patch job on it and top it up for now. I’ll replace all four lines and flush/refill the transmission once I have a second vehicle up and running.
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