intake coolant tube 96 explorer

[papy]

what's i the fix or replacement for the 96 -01 lower intake cooling tube? just working on my explorer swap and the tube is rusty and crusty. I'm sure it will not be any good after i remove it. Also how do you remove it?

I'm not sure if the tube is still available from FORD however I'm thinking a fitting to replace the part that goes into the manifold and run some hose to the core and back. what about the engine coolant temperature (ETC) connector how do we adapt that?

for those who have done this what fitting/adaptors did you use?

JP

 

[1969]

I just purchased this one for my swap.

https://ebay.us/m/AhYPCm

It did not come with the threaded fitting that goes into the intake manifold. Make sure you save that.

 

[rjrobin2002]

I just purchased this one for my swap.

https://ebay.us/m/AhYPCm

It did not come with the threaded fitting that goes into the intake manifold. Make sure you save that.

Me too, got a new one of ebay and it came with a new coolant sensor.

 

[papy]

for some reason i cant seem to find one. that listing has expired and the vendor says they are sold out. no other listing on ebay or other sources

JP

 

[1969]

https://lmr.com/item/LRS-9424BB/Mustang-Heater-Tube-Assembly-86-93-50-58

The Foxbody tube is very similar.

 

[904Bronco]

You can unscrew the heater tube from the bottom manifold, with a 15/16" or 1" combo wrench. turn the section where it screws into the manifold > There are o-rings in it.

The coolant tube makes life simpler, rather than trying to converting to heater hoses, routing them, and finding a fitting that fits into the large hole into the manifold as well as having a fitting for the ECT sensor. They are out there, but I never explored that option.

The Mustang tube is an option, for the 3/4" diameter outlet at the back, you can use a 90* coolant by-pass hose like at the thermostat, it (3/4 to 5/8") will need trimmed and you you can put your heater control valve on it since it is the pressure side. You can use the fox body mustang front return hose to the water pump. (It will work with the Explorer front dress, cut to fit it with the Alt bracket bolted to the motor)
Gates make heater hoses, of various lengths, with a 90* bend in them that you should be able make work for the supply and return to the heater core. Some of the preformed hose kits that WH's sells might work as well. (Haven't tried those)

You can cap the 1/4" return line for the EGR cooler that the mustang tube has, but it is a failure point as the rubber caps don't seem to last long?
The Fox body Mustangs had a 1/4" fitting at the back of the the intake manifold where they sourced a water supply (3/8" threaded hole) for the EGR cooler. You could make something, a closed loop, so that water moves past the ECT. (or you could just cap it)

And you can do the wrecking yard hunt for one, but they are getting harder to find and their conditions are probably questionable.