Really, Ford?

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 02/26/2016 at 17:38 • Filed to: None

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I’m driving home from work nice and early because heaven forbid I get any overtime, and a couple of nice country-types in a badass lifted 80s Silverado pull up alongside me and tell me my car is smoking. Odd, my temperatures are fine. Pull into the next parking lot which happens to be an O’Reillys and as soon as I stop moving smoke begins BILLOWING out from under my hood. Mildly annoyed at the coolant I would have to replace and the hose I would have to reattach as obviously I didn’t get one back on right after my recent radiator replacement, I pop the hood. Coolant covers every inch of the engine and no obvious unhooked hoses can be found. I wiggle a few of them around and then my blood turns cold a I look at the upper hose coming from the block. Right there, staring me in the face is an enormous split down my thermostat housing, intelligently made out of plastic by the geniuses at FoMoCo. So here I sit in the parking lot, with no tools. They have a new housing here to the tune of $60, but I will also need a thermostat and probably a new coolant temp sensor. Meanwhile my dad is bringing the Murdersofa to flat tow me two miles home during rush hour. This is the first time I’ve ever had a car strand me.

On the plus side, I think I can get the Champagne Shitbox running tonight.

Jcarr > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:41

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Your vehicular escapades stress me out just reading about them.

boredalways > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:42

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Sorry to here this. No Friday should be this shitty.

DoYouEvenShift > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:44

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Another victim of the plastic t stat housing. Make sure you also replace the temp sensor thats on there.

JustJim > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:47

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On the positive side it wasn’t a Holiday weekend in the middle of nowhere. On the positive side its not a blown motor on a holiday weekend in the middle of nowhere.

That was me and my wife last Easter. Count your blessings and sleep in tomorrow.

camaroboy68ss > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:48

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Must resist urge to post Found On Road Dead jokes, having a had time though

aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:50

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I’ve been there bro, I know your pain. Oh how I hate flat towing, but you gotta do what you gotta do

Just be glad it wasn’t at night and the electrical system didn’t kill itself.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 17:50

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Do NOT go with a metal replacement for the thermostat housing. It’s going to add 5-10 ounces of weight and throw off the F-R balance.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > camaroboy68ss 02/26/2016 at 18:03

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Built Ferd tough.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:06

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Upside is you can probably do the repair in less than one hour. If it was a car of German or even Japaneese MFR it would be in the multiple hrs and pain in the ass department. My Mazda 3 was a 1.5 hr job by the book! No way was going to take that on.

bryan40oop > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:09

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Find me any post 2000 car without a plastic thermostat.

Needmoargarage > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:17

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I take it you won’t ever be buying a car newer than the early 2000's. Welcome to the age of plastic intake manifolds, oil pans, and everything.

Believe it or not, your chances of having engine issues with plastic parts are no worse than engines using all metal parts.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:23

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God, my Mercedes has never only stranded me once twice. And that’s know for its horrific reliability. But in all seriousness that sucks. Good thing those people stopped you when they did...

E92M3 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:26

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I’m all for saving weight but this plastic everything is getting ridiculous. No coolant parts should be made of plastic. We didn’t learn anything from plastic coolant reservoirs? Until you can make one of those that will last 10 years, don’t mess with the other parts!

BigBlock440 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:31

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At that point, less than 2 miles and temperatures are fine, why not just drive it home?

Sweet Trav > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 18:40

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Well shit I suppose I shouldn’t tell you about all the new plastic engine mounts that my company makes. In reality a well designed plastic part is better than a metal part, especially when it comes to coolant systems. No corrosion, expansion is better handled than metals and lighter/cheaper.

Sorry you had bad luck with this one

Sweet Trav > E92M3 02/26/2016 at 18:42

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The coolant resivoir in my 86 monte SS is perfectly fine after 30 years...

DipodomysDeserti > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 02/26/2016 at 18:44

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I’ve had a much easier time working on my various BMW’s than I ever did my Ford Ranger. The Germans know their shit is going to break, so everything is usually pretty easy to get to.

The Snowman > BigBlock440 02/26/2016 at 18:44

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Temp gauge isn’t very accurate when it’s not in water...

DipodomysDeserti > Sweet Trav 02/26/2016 at 18:45

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I live in the desert, so corrosion is really never an issue. I worry about the plastic parts getting brittle and breaking, as has happened on every single old German car I’ve ever owned. Are new plastics able to handle heat better? I’m wondering how the plastic oil pan on my wife’s newer BMW is going to hold up over time.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Jcarr 02/26/2016 at 19:06

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Hahahaha, yeah. And this is five days after replacing the radiator!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Sweet Trav 02/26/2016 at 19:08

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Oh for sure. I actually just replaced the housing and it would have been fine if it was designed with any level of competence. I’ll post a pic of it when I get home but there were several seams, one of which it split across, and the plastic itself crumbled I’m my hand when I took it off after only 11 years.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DipodomysDeserti 02/26/2016 at 19:09

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Plastic *oil pan*? Why is this a thing?!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 02/26/2016 at 19:09

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Did it in a half hour after running around for a while collecting the parts. Car is back together and happy, with a bunch of fresh parts!

Chasaboo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 19:09

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4 year old VW Golf, me and my girlfriend about 15,000 miles away from home and the radiator, which has plastic end caps because the Germans are masters of engineering, splits.

Why in the hell would you make something so hot have plastic parts? It’s utterly insane.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DipodomysDeserti 02/26/2016 at 19:09

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But the cologne 4l v6 is a German engine...

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > E92M3 02/26/2016 at 19:10

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The housing degraded so much part of one of the necks snapped off in my hand with VERY little force

JRapp: now as good as new again > Sweet Trav 02/26/2016 at 19:10

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In reality a well designed plastic part is better than a metal part, especially when it comes to coolant systems.

I would argue that point when it comes to plastic impellers on water pumps, especially on a metal shaft. I spent days trying to troubleshoot overheating issues on my Fiero after a shop that was doing other work also put a brand new water pump in. Tried everything from a few different temp thermostats to removing one altogether, to jacking up the front of the car to make sure there’s no air in the coolant pipes.

Didn’t want to take it back to the shop again, as they screwed up other stuff on the car too and wouldn’t own up to it.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Needmoargarage 02/26/2016 at 19:10

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I don’t doubt it, and there’s nothing wrong with plastic when done right. This nonsense is ridiculous.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > bryan40oop 02/26/2016 at 19:11

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*glances at the Murdersofa*

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > DoYouEvenShift 02/26/2016 at 19:12

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Done and done. New housing, sensor, and thermostat are in their new home!

DipodomysDeserti > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 19:22

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Right? First time I did the oil change I was like what the fuck is this shit? Weirdest thing is the plug uses a hex key and sits flush in the pan. You get a new plug with the filter which is nice. It also has a torque sleeve around it so you can’t over torque it.

DipodomysDeserti > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 19:22

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I had the 3.0L V6.

whoarder is tellurium > bryan40oop 02/26/2016 at 19:36

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I’ll give you one example: GM Atlas inline engines.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 19:47

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I was pretty PO’d when I discovered how hard it was to do a thermostat on the mazda. I’ve done it several times on my Isuzu, it takes about 15 minutes.

BigBlock440 > E92M3 02/26/2016 at 20:06

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I’ve got several 10+ year old cars with the coolant reservoirs. Sure it degrades over time, and I’m not that big a fan of plastic myself, but 10 years is a pretty decent service life.

BigBlock440 > The Snowman 02/26/2016 at 20:09

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I guess it depends on if it’s aluminum or iron if you want to risk it, but I probably would have went for it.

DoYouEvenShift > bryan40oop 02/26/2016 at 20:16

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E92M3 > BigBlock440 02/26/2016 at 21:04

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Have you ever had to change a head gasket?

E92M3 > Sweet Trav 02/26/2016 at 21:05

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How many miles are on it? I wonder if I can make one of those fit to replace the failure prone one in my car?

BigBlock440 > E92M3 02/26/2016 at 21:13

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Nope, it’s always worked out fine for me.

His Stigness > DoYouEvenShift 02/26/2016 at 23:06

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Those still leak every five minutes, and so do the water pumps. Just because it's metal doesn't mean it's superior.

His Stigness > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/26/2016 at 23:07

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The problem isn't that it's plastic, the problem was it was engineered to be cheap as hell. While BMW's and VAG's have their share of problems, the thermo housing never crack, the thermos just fail.

DoYouEvenShift > His Stigness 02/26/2016 at 23:28

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The pumps are common. But I have never seen an LS t-stat leak. Thousands have passed through my shop.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > bryan40oop 02/27/2016 at 03:07

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My Alfa 156 was made til 2005 with an alloy t-stat...

Makes you wonder why the notion of Italian unreliability hangs around...

Sweet Trav > DipodomysDeserti 02/27/2016 at 11:23

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Should be fine. Something like PA66 with a 30% glass fill is a fantastic plastic for so many applications

http://www.matweb.com/search/datashe…

Sweet Trav > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/27/2016 at 11:24

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Because plastic dampens engine noise. because plastic is lighter and cheaper and does the job better.

Sweet Trav > E92M3 02/27/2016 at 11:24

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Don’t know probably over 150k only has a 5 digit ODO.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > bryan40oop 02/27/2016 at 11:48

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The V8 version of the same car for starters

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/27/2016 at 11:53

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Aluminum thermostat housing for the 2005-2010 S197 V6.

http://www.amazon.com/2005-2010-Must…

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > E92M3 02/27/2016 at 11:55

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I have 2 Fox platform cars. One heavily modified, one stock.

They both carry the original plastic reservoir overflow tanks. 29and 26 years old respectively.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 02/27/2016 at 12:56

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That color... I need a moment