thermostat housing leaking.

[lostdude]

hi guys, i got a quick question regarding the thermostat housing where there is a metal tube that goes from some where belowthe engine into the bottom of the thermostat housing. Is there a rubber ring inside the tube, because its dripping pretty bad right now, image included below.
thanks for your help. if that ring is available anyone know the part number at ford?, i tried at repco but the guy insisted that i buy the entire thermo housing and he said it "should" include the rubber ring, i think he wasn't really sure either. thanks.

[peterban]

Yep, there is a rubber O ring in there.
I think they come aftermarket with the thermostats, otherwise Ford will have them by themselves, just ask .

This pipe connects to the heater.
You need to undo the bracket that supports the pipe down under the manifold, then the bolt near the housing. Can be tight to get out so you have to wiggle and pull at the same time.

[FGII-XR6]

yes there is an O ring just undo it and take the old one down to super crap or you can buy one of those cheap O ring kits they have so you have one ready when you remove it it's always ahndy to have some assorted O rings anyhow

[lostdude]

thanks for the replies guys , i went to repco and the guy found me a o ring but it still leaked a tiny bit, so i bought some of that liquid gasket stuff and put it in with the o ring and that is holding up ok.
but now i just found a crack on my radiator, its a really thin crack. one of my mates told me to use a soldering iron, does that work?
thanks again.

[peterban]

If it was still leaking after putting in a new O ring it could be that the housing has corroded or the O ring was the wrong size.
I would fix it properly and then take the radiator to a radiator specialist to be fixed as a soldering iron won't be able to heat the copper up enough for the solder to seal the crack.
In my experience cooling systems let you down at the worst possible moment so get it fixed sooner rather than later.

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by peterban

If it was still leaking after putting in a new O ring it could be that the housing has corroded or the O ring was the wrong size.
I would fix it properly and then take the radiator to a radiator specialist to be fixed as a soldering iron won't be able to heat the copper up enough for the solder to seal the crack.
In my experience cooling systems let you down at the worst possible moment so get it fixed sooner rather than later.

spot on peter if the housing is corroded you should replace it they are not epensive and will save you in the long run

[congo3sr]

I had the same problem with my car,I thought that that little pipe to the heater was weeping alittle,and really didnt give it much thought untill the coolant started showing on the floor,thats when I found that the thermo O,ring was the problem all along.less than $3 at autobarn and all is well

[AUXRVIII]

That coolant leak looks to be coming from between the upper and lower thermostat housings. The cause is commonly due to the upper housing bolts not done up evenly and replacing the thermostat O'ring/seal alone will not always fix the leak. What needs to be done is refinish the sealing surface of the upper housing by draw filing it using a flat file.

[GUTLES]

My EF's doing the same, worst thing is the engine has only done 20,000 kms :(

[lostdude]

Hey guys, though i'll just post a before an after, :
can't really see much but so far the liquid gasket is holding up.
As some of you said, the its probably the housing that is corroded and thats why it was leaking after i replaced the o ring, but the housing itself costs about 120 from repco, and i'm a strugglying uni student : so i'll see how long this temp fix can last for.

[lostdude]

Originally Posted by AUXRVIII

That coolant leak looks to be coming from between the upper and lower thermostat housings. The cause is commonly due to the upper housing bolts not done up evenly and replacing the thermostat O'ring/seal alone will not always fix the leak. What needs to be done is refinish the sealing surface of the upper housing by draw filing it using a flat file.

I've filed it and tried to get it as flat as possible but i thought to be on the safe side i'll just put some of this magical liquid gasket hehehe,
i'm beginning to fall in love with this liquid gasket, stuff you can use it almost anywhere lol.

[AUXRVIII]

Good one, the sealant will help, wasn't sure if you did upper housing or not.

[aussiblue]

I'm sure there is an aftermarket one made by Kilkenny Castings in South Australia that's a lot cheaper than that (try Supercheap, Autopro, Malz, Veales etc) and get them to check their Kilkenny catalogue.

[aussiblue]

See here for the Kilkenny part numbers http://www.derek.com.au/kilkenny4.html

[FGII-XR6]

from the parts database ER 8H592 A HOUSING THERMOSTAT $27.40 thats ford genuine so ripco are riping you off

[RG]

Originally Posted by lostdude

Hey guys, though i'll just post a before an after, :
can't really see much but so far the liquid gasket is holding up.
As some of you said, the its probably the housing that is corroded and thats why it was leaking after i replaced the o ring, but the housing itself costs about 120 from repco, and i'm a strugglying uni student : so i'll see how long this temp fix can last for.

The liquid gasket will last as long as you need it to last. I used the same stuff when mine went and it was there for near 100,000k until I replaced everything.

[lostdude]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

from the parts database ER 8H592 A HOUSING THERMOSTAT $27.40 thats ford genuine so ripco are riping you off

cool thanks, next time i need parts i'll give ford a call first, just that i usually can't make it on weekdays and they are only open till 12 on saturdays,
i actually went yesterday at 1 cause i didn't realise they closed at 12 hehehe.

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by lostdude

cool thanks, next time i need parts i'll give ford a call first, just that i usually can't make it on weekdays and they are only open till 12 on saturdays,
i actually went yesterday at 1 cause i didn't realise they closed at 12 hehehe.

i found that out a while ago sometimes guenuine is dear as but a few times i've priced stuff from the wreckers and foung new genuine is either not much more or cheaper so these days i always check ford first also it help that i get trade because i drive a cab

[GK]

I appreciated this thread, as I have a small leak in the S1 Wagon that I will need to get around to fixing.

I just went out and looked at the SR sedan, the Mrs is out in the wagon with the littlies, but I got most of the gist of it all. Good tip about the bracket under the manifold Peter.

The rubber O-ring being discussed here, is it the same diameter as the hose/pipe or larger, with the hose/pipe pushing through it? I couldn't quite tell and I didn't want to pull the one on the SR out, just in case I wrecked it! I as yet do not have any spare O-rings, but I have seen (and intend to purchase) the standard kits talked about here at SuperCheap.

GK

[RG]

While you guys are at it with the O rings it is also a good idea to check the one on the heater pipe going into the back of the water pump.

[lostdude]

Originally Posted by GK

I appreciated this thread, as I have a small leak in the S1 Wagon that I will need to get around to fixing.

I just went out and looked at the SR sedan, the Mrs is out in the wagon with the littlies, but I got most of the gist of it all. Good tip about the bracket under the manifold Peter.

The rubber O-ring being discussed here, is it the same diameter as the hose/pipe or larger, with the hose/pipe pushing through it? I couldn't quite tell and I didn't want to pull the one on the SR out, just in case I wrecked it! I as yet do not have any spare O-rings, but I have seen (and intend to purchase) the standard kits talked about here at SuperCheap.

GK

The rubber o ring is slightly larger than the hose pipe, as you slide it along the pipe till theres like a widening of the pipe and it sits before that. When you put the pipe back into the housing the widening of the pipe is where it basically stops the pipe going further into the housing.
i hope that makes sense. :

[GK]

Originally Posted by lostdude

The rubber o ring is slightly larger than the hose pipe, as you slide it along the pipe till theres like a widening of the pipe and it sits before that. When you put the pipe back into the housing the widening of the pipe is where it basically stops the pipe going further into the housing.
i hope that makes sense. :

I think I've got it.

The o-ring slides part way onto the pipe and stops where the pipe has widened. With the o-ring in place on the pipe, you then slide the pipe into the housing where the o-ring stops against the inner housing, resulting in a nice fit.

Have I got it? LOL!

GK

[lostdude]

Originally Posted by GK

I think I've got it.

The o-ring slides part way onto the pipe and stops where the pipe has widened. With the o-ring in place on the pipe, you then slide the pipe into the housing where the o-ring stops against the inner housing, resulting in a nice fit.

Have I got it? LOL!

GK

spot on :1syellow1

[GK]

Originally Posted by lostdude

spot on :1syellow1

Cheers!

GK

[lpgguy]

Originally Posted by lostdude

Hey guys, though i'll just post a before an after, :
can't really see much but so far the liquid gasket is holding up.
As some of you said, the its probably the housing that is corroded and thats why it was leaking after i replaced the o ring, but the housing itself costs about 120 from repco, and i'm a strugglying uni student : so i'll see how long this temp fix can last for.

My AUIII sedan is leaking green water (drip by drip) where the metal heater hose goes into a short (1 inch or so long) intake shaft on the water pump (not flat like on lostdude's). I take it is the "o" ring also as I can see the drips coming right out of the shaft the black metal heater pipe goes into. It only leaks when the engine is cold (it must keep it's seal when hot and expanded).

BUT in My AUIII sedan where the metal heater pipe goes into the water pump intake shaft - it does NOT have connecting bolts to hold the pipe onto the water pump housing as pictured on lostdude's AUI. It would appear on an AUIII, I have to remove or push aside the power steering pump to get access to the water pump and "carefully slide the water pump from the heater pipe and the engine" (says Gregorys Service Manual). But what I can't understand before trying to do it, is, what puts the pressure on the "o" ring to keep it sealed if it has no heater pipe bolts like on lostdudes pic ??

Is there a simpler way to change the "o" ring on an AUIII than Gregory's describes??

NOTE: In my case the connections (heater pipe/gaskets/water pump) show absolutely NO signs of corrosion.

My AUIII has done 97,000 klms - should I change the water pump / thermostat and main radiator hoses at this stage (as well as the "o") ??

Note: Gregory's recommends using "Permatex No.3 sealant or equivalent".

I will probably change the drive (fan) belt at the same time, if I have to remove the water pump and power steer unit to get at the "o' ring.

[lpgguy]

Yeah! Just as a follow up, I found out you can unbolt the heater pipe on the back of the engine and pull it back towards the bell housing and try and make the pipe come out of the water pump that way, rather than the more expensive or time consuming water pump removal way to change the "o" ring.

Bad news though, found out I also have a very small leak out of a welsh plug - so it's too much for me I'm givin it to my mechanic (he said its best to change all 4 welsh plugs as when 1 goes its best to do them all and replace the rust prone ford steel welsh plugs with brass ones). Also I noticed my drive belt is well worn so he can do that too. To do all this, the mechanic will need to remove the exhaust manifold, but this will allow an easier acces to the bolts near the bell housing for the water pipe "o" ring job. Also, of course the coolant will need to be drained and replaced. $ouch!$
LPGGUY