Hats off to the idiots at ford

[AdamDude04]

Well I just spent the last four hours draining coolant from my truck...

Undid the valve and drained from the radiator. Meanwhile I went to unscrew the plug on the bottom of the motor to drain the coolant from the motor itself. I got the correct size peice and well, it stripped. Tried other methods to get it out with no luck. So for the rest of this motors life, there is not going to be any draining from that *****.

So I then went to remove the thermostat to replace that - Mine is stuck open. Well hats off to the idiots at ford who decided to put the second bolt behind the water pump making it impossible to remove without removing (logicaly) the water pump, or the distrubutor.

Very ticked off by this point, I decided to remove the water pump. Got all but one bolt loose.. as I started to turn it with all my might, the bolt snaps. Looks like if I need to ever replace the water pump, I'm S.O.L.

Needless to say, my motor is shot. It's just under 319k miles and I probably won't make my 500k mile goal. <_<

 

[Xxxyank]

It gets frustrating when stuff like that happens. That is why everybody needs a good drill & extractor set, when working on these modern vehicles.

There is stuff out there called "Freeze oFF" that works wonders on tight areas you don't want to heat up... I use the commercial grade stuff in my shop, but it has saved my ass many times.

Good luck

 

[Justshootme84]

The same brilliant mind also decided to run one of those intake manifold bolts thru the water passage, so that it gets corroded and breaks off. It normally happens when you try to remove it, but I've seen it get so bad that the bolt will break on it's own and cause a leak. I do give kudos to the inventor of the "FailSafe" thermostat, which sticks open when it fails instead of closed like the old ones. JSM84

 

[BRONCOGRL911]

I had the same problem a few years back on my Bronco when I replaced the original water pump.A couple of the bolts came out like butter and then there were a few that gave me a problem.I knew what was going to happen when I tried to use a breaker bar on the bolts ,you guessed it,they snapped flush.The studs were in there so long that they fused with aluminum pump and timing cover and when I tried to remove the timing cover,the cover cracked so I had to get a used one from the junkyard for $100 and after putting everything back together it leaked.I took it apart several times even getting another water pump but it still leaked.Finally I figured that the timing cover was warped so I took it back with a lot of problems from the owner of the yard but his partner finally gave me back my $100.So I went to Napa and bought an aftermarket one for a $100 and everything was perfect.A year or so later my intake was leaking anti-freeze so I went to take off the lower intake and all but three bolts came out.The bolts were so corroded thin that three of them broke.I couldn't get to last two to drill them out so I had to take the heads off and because of the angled bolt holes I had to drill and tap them from the back side.What a pain in the @#$%.Just wanted to share some of my grief with fellow bronco owners.I can relate to your problems.BRONCOBOB58 Bronco girls boyfriend.

 

[Krafty]

those "Idiots" happen to have been making the best selling and performing trucks of the era. not to mention that in 2009 f150 sales were more than toyota, gmc, and chevrolet combined.

Now look at it this way. those waterpumps have been on there for 20 odd years? aluminum housing + steel bolts = crazy seize. the engineers were just doing the best they could with what they had to work with. just be glad you didn't crack the timing chain cover that those bolts go into.

when you can design a vehicle that can last 20+ years without a single bolt seizing or snapping you let me know.

in the mean time i'll keep fixing and driving my old fords.

"Thank you for driving a Ford"

 

[Justshootme84]

Krafty, I agree with you in part, but I had to replace the heads on a 96 Bronco about four years ago after breaking off the bolts. I could see a 20-30 old engine getting rust, corrosion, wear, etc. like you say but that shouldn't happen on a newer vehicle. I do not know the solution, only that this is a problem that maybe could have been avoided with a different type of bolt or a design where the bolt does not enter the water passage. I've had other encounters with stripped bolts on the Broncos, and ended up replacing them with grade-8 hardware. Does it save the company that much money by using a low-quality part? Sure it does. Does Ford or any other auto maker expect you to keep the the truck forever and drive it for 500 thousand miles? I think no, and that they expect or want you to buy a new one every 2-5 years.

 

[AdamDude04]

My part is the whole thermostat housing blocked behind a major item to take off. Now I can understand certain parts being hard to get off such as a water pump, timing chain, ect.. but something that goes often, such as battery, thermostat, air filter, spark plugs.. those need to be in easy access one would think

I can understand the bolts fusing together.. but still a pita :wacko:

 

[Bully Bob]

FWIW.,

1st., I rarely try to remove a dual metal/water-exposed bolt W/O hitt'n it with "PB BLASTER"

2nd., there's ALWAYS (Murphys-Law) the "1 bolt rule" i.e. 10 bolts., 9 will come out.

3rd., I've welded a chunk of steel to (stripped) plugs so as to have something to torque on.

4th., Machine shops have a tool that shatters those snapped off bolts, if an easy-out won't work. It does this W/O hurting the block, etc.

5th., In many cases., a waterpump will seal up with 1 bolt missing.

Lastly., prior to re-assy. of any eng. accessory., among other things., I always use "ANTI-SIEZE"---(unless it calls for "loc-tite" of some sort)

Yah these are problems but "pale in comparison" to a neglected boat out-drive.

 

[BRONCOGRL911]

I love the Bronco and had mostly Ford vehicles but sometimes dred working on them because the location of some of the hardware and my fear of breaking a bolt in a next to impossible place to get at.I also hate having to go to the dealer for anything because they are all gung-** to help you until you say you have a 19-whatever vehicle and their expression changes and they say sorry we no longer carry parts for those or don't even want to bother at all to check.This can happen with any brand of vehicle.Luckily some dealers are more helpfull than others and I was able to find like brackets and other hardware for my Bronco.BroncoBob58

 

[Krafty]

broncograveyard.com is the best for obsolete parts. I find carquest has a better selection for my year of truck.

and if you want an a$$ backwards engineering setup try working on a 1979 Porsche 911. pretty much have to remove the engine to reach the spark plugs.

oh and to change a starter on a 2006 Colorado you have to remove the intake. how stupid is that.

 

[AdamDude04]

broncograveyard.com is the best for obsolete parts. I find carquest has a better selection for my year of truck.

and if you want an a$$ backwards engineering setup try working on a 1979 Porsche 911. pretty much have to remove the engine to reach the spark plugs.

oh and to change a starter on a 2006 Colorado you have to remove the intake. how stupid is that.

Yeah that's how the starter is on my Titan - Gotta remove the intake. And when that happens, there is a supercharger being put on while I'm in there :glare: