4.0 Explorer Radiator

[dprio34]

Question for those who have the 4.0 Explorer Radiator and running Explorer Serp front dress. The forum recommends the 5.0 upper and lower hoses for the 4.0 radiator. The upper fits like a glove. However, the lower hose is kinked/pinched pretty good as it has to be bent up to fasten to the 45 degree outlet of the radiator. I don't feel comfortable rolling with that bend. I am leaning toward splicing a 5.0 hose (water pump half) to a 4.0 hose radiator side half. If anyone has a better solution, please let me know. Thanks. Don.

 

[dclack]

Sounds like you have a 4.0 radiator for an automatic. Are you using the built-in trans cooler? If not, you should swap the radiator for one from a manual trans 4.0; the outlet from the MT radiator comes straight out.

MT Rad

AT Rad

 

[Crush]

Im in this same dilemma. Thinking of using a hard elbow and rubber connections

 

[Dbarnes72]

I went to NAPA and looked over hoses to find the one with the most severe bend and spliced it on to the radiator side. I have no clue what it was from and didn't keep part numbers. It's still not perfect but better than the nearly kinked off hose I started with. Here's another possible route......there's a bunch of these that are possibilities
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mio-mmah-u36c
Good luck.

 

[dprio34]

DCLack,
Thank you for pointing that out! I must have missed something in the fine print on the Tech Forum. Don't recall anyone diferrentiating between MT and AT as it relates to the lower hose. Guess I will get a MT, although I was considering running the P/S return through the transcooler. Bummer. Thanks again, Pics are worth a thousand words!!

 

[suckerpunched]

have you tried the hose from the vehicle the radiator came out of. My radiator is a 92 4.0 explorer v6. I held the hose up in the location, it looks like a near perfect fit. I have not actually attempted to install it, you guys are a little ahead of me.

 

[bronconut73]

DCLack,
Thank you for pointing that out! I must have missed something in the fine print on the Tech Forum. Don't recall anyone diferrentiating between MT and AT as it relates to the lower hose. Guess I will get a MT, although I was considering running the P/S return through the transcooler. Bummer. Thanks again, Pics are worth a thousand words!!

I would not run the ps fluid through the tranny cooler in the radiator.
It would probably be more of a "warmer" than a "cooler".

 

[Viperwolf1]

have you tried the hose from the vehicle the radiator came out of. My radiator is a 92 4.0 explorer v6. I held the hose up in the location, it looks like a near perfect fit. I have not actually attempted to install it, you guys are a little ahead of me.

The water pump end of that hose is too small.

I got these 2 hoses and cut them to fit with a piece of 1 1/2" pipe spliced in. One hose is the stock 5.0 explorer hose. I don't know the application for the other. I just searched the hose rack until I found a P trap with the right size. Fits like a glove.

Also the manual trans 4.0 radiator may not have the same thickness as the auto radiator. Be sure to check that out.

 

[dclack]

Yes, I do believe the MT radiator is thinner than the AT. My brother-in-law has the MT one and it keeps his 302 plenty cool.

 

[dprio34]

Viperwolf,
Thanks for the pics. I went out and bought both the 5.0 and 4.0 hoses. I just need to track down the 1.5" pipe for the splice. What did you use to close off your trans cooler?

 

[Viperwolf1]

Viperwolf,
Thanks for the pics. I went out and bought both the 5.0 and 4.0 hoses. I just need to track down the 1.5" pipe for the splice. What did you use to close off your trans cooler?

Nothing at the present time. I will probably end up using it for a secondary trans cooler if the radiator works good enough to keep the 351w cool.

 

[dprio34]

If anyone wants to know the lower hose part numbers for the 4.0 Auto Radiator Conversion, they are Dayco #71380 and Dayco#71985. #71380 that has a more pronounced "P" trap to clear the frame and mount up to the 45 degree outlet of the 4.0 Automatic Radiator. Autozone carries it for 11 bucks that you splice to the 5.0 lower hose Dayco#71985.

 

[bronconut73]

I have seen some of you fellers talk about using this Explorer radiator a bit over the last few years.
Y'all got me curious......

So what is the reason for using this radiator?

I looked at some parts store web site digital images.
Looks like it would be easy to mount.
It must clear the power steering box pretty well.
I assume it is thinner which would allow for more fan clearance.

Will it really cool a Windsor in an eb?

 

[DirtDonk]

Yep. Seems to just fine, just like those little tiny things do in full-size cars with big V8's these days too.
I'm pretty sure it's not about the volume of water held, so much as the efficiency with which it transfers the heat from the coolant to the air. I think I've only heard one person here who's done the swap that thought it didn't cool well enough. The rest are pretty stoked about the results.
To a certain extent, bigger is still better (after all, they do use a much bigger one in a V8 Exploder), but not as much as it used to be. The wrong design or bad aerodynamics have a lot to do with things not cooling well. Just as much as does too much horsepower/heat production for a given area/volume.
Maybe that thin little core just flows better in the crappy aerodynamic environment that is an Early Bronco? Dunno, but the extra room under the hood is still a nice little bonus.

I'm not really sure why they seem to work so well in an EB when other radiators don't, unless it's that simple fact that with such poor aero as our trucks have, the difference in the thinner core just lets more air flow over more fins than a regular radiator.
In other words, I have no idea!

And on another note... Anyone ever actually seen an Explorer with a manual transmission??:?
Maybe in the 2-door models only? I'm pretty sure I've never seen one in a 4-door model.

Paul

 

[bronconut73]

I knew a really pretty girl named Rachel that worked for me about 10 years ago.
Gorgeous, young, silly blonde. She always called me "Uncle" Steve, probably to remind me of how young She was and how old I was.
She wanted a 4 door Explorer with a stick.
She also wanted it to be green.....to match her eyes of course.

I told her that I had never seen or heard of an Explorer with a stick except the 2 door sport and even those were not too common.

Well....she didn't listen to me....she never did...but she was too cute to fire.

Anyway, she went to Carmax and they found her a light green stick shift 4 door Explorer in Texas. They delivered it to Orlando. She drove the wheels off that Damn thing. I drove it once. It was a really easy stick to drive.

Steve and Donk hijack is over.
Back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[DirtDonk]

Nah, that was a great little side trip down History Lane. Even if we weren't there.
And a great little bit of info into something I'd never seen. Might be because in many cases we did not have a manual trans available in CA on cars that could get them elsewhere, but I thought most of that went away by the late '80's. Maybe it continued on, and might still.

Thanks

Paul

 

[dprio34]

The 4.0 radiator mounts nicely between the frame rails and clears the steering box fine. Only issue that may concern some is if you have a body lift or not and if you want to retain the stock hood prop. Hood Prop may hit/interfere with the drivers side upper mounting bolt.

 

[bronconut73]

The 4.0 radiator mounts nicely between the frame rails and clears the steering box fine. Only issue that may concern some is if you have a body lift or not and if you want to retain the stock hood prop. Hood Prop may hit/interfere with the drivers side upper mounting bolt.

Any reason to use this plastic radiator over the aluminum Champion?

 

[Viperwolf1]

Any reason to use this plastic radiator over the aluminum Champion?

Well, the trans cooler is on the correct side.

 

[dprio34]

I have no experience with the Champion; only what I have read on this forum. Some have had some issues with them, others love them. I was on the fence, and came down on the side of the 4.0. You can get them new for around a 100-150 bucks on ebay shipped or Rock Auto. 80 bucks at the pick a part. I just assumed it had better engineering behind it since Ford designed it. Could be wrong though. Also, depending on your body lift you could run into some clearance problems with the stock hood prop and trimming the fan shroud.