Heater core.

[Redneckn]

I replaced my heater core Sunday in my 86 Bronco. That was real easy. I didnt expect it to be too hard, but that was seriously about a 15 min. job. I spent more time getting ready to do it than I actually did doing it.

Now, replacing the thermostat was a different story all together. Why they decided to put one bolt behind the water pump is beyond me. But on the 302, that's how it is. Needless to say, I broke the distributer trying to get to the bolt. I mean, that I broke the plastic bottom part on the dist. It still runs and everything.

Here's my weekend of doing things to my truck.

Sat. I installed a hidden hitch on the back. After I figured out how to "fish" the bolts down in the frame where you can't get your hands or any tool because of the gas tank, I was ok. Or I thought I was. Between the phone ringing and the rain (no shop at house), I couldnt stay focused. Later, when I was in the shower, I realized that I had put bolts in the wrong place. ON BOTH SIDES! The brackets that bolt to the frame have 4 holes in each of them. 2 holes are slotted, 2 are regular. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I put the bolts in both the slotted holes. i'manidiotandiknowit. So now I get to drill new holes and do it again. I rarely make that kind of stupid mistake.

Sat. was mostly a loss because of the rain.

Sunday. I repl. the heater core, no worries. Broke the distributer trying to get to the thermostat. Never did get to the thermostat. Now I have to take it to a real shop to get the dist. repl. because I don't do timing. EVER. While there, they're gonna go ahead and put new thermostat in.

I couldnt get the oil filter off. I don't use a filter wrench but here and there. So I don't have one at the house. I wish I did though. I finally manged to mangle it enough to get my giant channel locks to grab it. Got oil everywhere. Some even manged to miss me and get on the ground.

When I got ready to put the oil drain plug back in, I realized the previous owned didnt just strip it out, they scewed it up pretty good. So all my oil was leaking out.

I drove an hour into town to get something to fix that with. I got the wrong thing. I did however find that you can cake enough thread sealer on to make it work for now. I've already started my fund for a new oil pan. I wanted to change it to a larger pan anyway, just not this soon.

I had to waste 6 quarts of oil due to the leaking plug.

I'm sure there'a lesson to be learned with all this. I'm still too mad to see it though.

But the heater core was a dream to deal with.

 

[Yardape]

)

 

[beausdad]

OK - First things first ;

1) Invest in a filter wrench

2) Invest in a Haynes manual

3) Invest in a six pack

4) Invest in a 50 gallon drum that you can kick the crap out of and throw when you try and do the thermostat yourself next time.

All of these things have saved countless lives in my neighborhood.

 

[Redneckn]

OK - First things first ;
1) Invest in a filter wrench

2) Invest in a Haynes manual

3) Invest in a six pack

4) Invest in a 50 gallon drum that you can kick the crap out of and throw when you try and do the thermostat yourself next time.

All of these things have saved countless lives in my neighborhood.

I have a filter strap thing that works great. But it was at my shop out at the farm. I usually use these giant chanell locks I got at Sears. They work great 99.9% of the time. This past weekend was that .1% when they dont work. People have a habit of putting an oil filter on like it's never EVER supposed to come off again. I work on lawn/garden tractors for a living and see that fairly often.

2: I have a haynes manual. I'm a shop manual freak. I have a ton of them. I read them after I've cut my hands up and broke something usually. I honestly (seriously) was just seeing if I could even get my wrench on the thermostat housing bolt. When I got it on there, I figured it was worth a little tug. Turns out, it wasnt worth it. But the truck still drives, so the dist. isnt busted too bad. I'm dropping it off in the morning anyway though to get it replaced. I don't like the way that dist. is made of plastic anyway. That bothers me. I picked up this nice cast aluminum job at the parts house to replace it with.

3. I don't drink anymore. I used to drink a bit, but the stupid things I did began to make sense and seem rational. So I quit drinking.

4: Yeah, I tried that kicking the 55gal drum thing the other day. I thought the 6 of them next to the house we just moved into were empty. They're not. Turns out they're slap full of wheat berries. What are wheat berries you may ask. Well, I'll tell ya. They're the actual seed from wheat. A little bit smaller than a sunflower seed kernal. So basically, they're wheat kernals. Why they call 'em "berries" I'll neve rknow, but they do. Had I not had on steel toes when I kicked the barrel, I would have broken something. Besides, I have a dog to kick... kidding. My dog... She was sitting there watching me do all this. Not saying anything. Afterwards, I knew she knew I was screwing up and just didnt say anything. To make me feel better, she went and got a treat, brought it to me so I could give it to her. That made me feel better.

On a serious note though. I honestly had no intentions of removing the bolt behind the water pump once I saw it like that. I was seriously just curious to see if a wrench would even fit bad there. It will. But you can't move it.

 

[beausdad]

I replaced the thermostat on my 95 once. I got both of the bolts off after about thirty minutes of throwing wrenches across my yard at hoping they did not bounce into my neighbors Ford Lightning. Once I got them off I was simply trying to move them from point A to point B and managed to drop them both into some black hole that I have found all Fords, Chevys and Toyotas have that are not pictured in the manuals. Luckily my dog won't sit still long enough to be kicked, but I would have given anything to have a drum to throw that day. What in essence should have been done in less than an hour wound up taking 4 hours. 30 minutes to get it off. 2 seconds to move bolts. 3 hours to find said bolts even with my extendable magnet/magic wand. 29 minutes and 58 seconds to reinstall new thermostat and bolts.

I have a filter strap thing that works great. But it was at my shop out at the farm. I usually use these giant chanell locks I got at Sears. They work great 99.9% of the time. This past weekend was that .1% when they dont work. People have a habit of putting an oil filter on like it's never EVER supposed to come off again. I work on lawn/garden tractors for a living and see that fairly often.
2: I have a haynes manual. I'm a shop manual freak. I have a ton of them. I read them after I've cut my hands up and broke something usually. I honestly (seriously) was just seeing if I could even get my wrench on the thermostat housing bolt. When I got it on there, I figured it was worth a little tug. Turns out, it wasnt worth it. But the truck still drives, so the dist. isnt busted too bad. I'm dropping it off in the morning anyway though to get it replaced. I don't like the way that dist. is made of plastic anyway. That bothers me. I picked up this nice cast aluminum job at the parts house to replace it with.

3. I don't drink anymore. I used to drink a bit, but the stupid things I did began to make sense and seem rational. So I quit drinking.

4: Yeah, I tried that kicking the 55gal drum thing the other day. I thought the 6 of them next to the house we just moved into were empty. They're not. Turns out they're slap full of wheat berries. What are wheat berries you may ask. Well, I'll tell ya. They're the actual seed from wheat. A little bit smaller than a sunflower seed kernal. So basically, they're wheat kernals. Why they call 'em "berries" I'll neve rknow, but they do. Had I not had on steel toes when I kicked the barrel, I would have broken something. Besides, I have a dog to kick... kidding. My dog... She was sitting there watching me do all this. Not saying anything. Afterwards, I knew she knew I was screwing up and just didnt say anything. To make me feel better, she went and got a treat, brought it to me so I could give it to her. That made me feel better.

On a serious note though. I honestly had no intentions of removing the bolt behind the water pump once I saw it like that. I was seriously just curious to see if a wrench would even fit bad there. It will. But you can't move it.

 

[Redneckn]

Update: I got my truck to the shop yesterday. Dropped it off. 1 hour later, got a call and they wanted to know how long my truck has been running with ZERO oil pressure. Me being the quick thinker that I am, I replied to the question with a question. I asked when was the last time their mechanic touched my engine. That was when the lady handed the phone off to the mechanic. I explain to "Chad" that I don't have oi pressure problems. He seemed real sympathetic. I told Chad I would be up there shortly and we could both look at it becase while I don't do timing, I know my way around a little on an engine and he must have done something. I got up there a short time later and Chad and I had a look. Sure enough, the oil pump was not workng. That's when I discovered that he was not the one that actually did the work. It was the little high school looking kid that did the actual work. So Chad removed the distibuter and started over. I left and went back to work. 2 hours later my truck was fixed and everything is fine.

So for $100 I got the thermostat replaced and the new distributer put in (I provided parts). Everything works fine. Chad even took the time to fix that little loping at idle problem I was having. I appreciated that. He also looked at and checked some other things without my having to request it. The part that I liked about that was that he didnt have a list a mile long and sit and tell me how every single item on that list was about to break and how I'd die and stuff.

I actually discovered Chad about 5 years ago when I was driving the G/\/\C and the water pump went out while I had 900lbs of fresh shrimp in the back of the truck. I brought the pump to him and he replaced it and checked over everything else for 35bux and 10lbs of shrimp (about $8 worth to me). So I'll be using Chad again next time something goes wrong that is out of my league or I don't have time to fool with.

So now I have a good Ford heater that will roast you right out of the truck. My dist. is new and working properly. No loping at idle. Everything is peachy. Now the wife has my weekend planned for me....GREAT!