Can you remove fans without removing top rad hose? Replacing tensioner pulleys

[rowan194]

If there's a way, I'd like to know. When removing the fans, the tabs at the side of the shroud foul on the rad hose on one side, and the transmission cooler lines on the other. I shoved a bit against the rad hose, but I wasn't going to put similar strain on the trans lines.

So I ended up having to remove the top hose. Last time it wasn't a prob since I'd drained the cooling system, but this time it was full... thar she blows! A bit of bunched up paper towel shoved in there slowed it to a drip drip drip. Still, there's a fair bit of green stuff lurking in my body that I had to wash out carefully.

Also, I wonder why Ford put the bolts for the pulleys on the BACK of the tensioner assembly? If they were on the front, all you would need to do is loosen the belt and remove the bolt for each pulley; instead you have to remove the air intake, unplug and remove the fans (and top rad hose in my case), loosen the belt, then remove the whole tensioner assembly to get at the two bolts... What should be a 5 min job becomes 30-45...