Hi all. Got a buddies "95 XLT Ext. Cab 4x4 f150 I've been helping out with. Radiator leaked when he picked it up, so we put a new one in. Then, a year later, the new one blew out, so we put another new one it. Another year later, it happened again! What is going on?
The truck has the 5.0 V8 with A/C, but the radiator is the thinner style, and all of the radiators that fit say they are not for a truck that has A/C. Do I need to modify the fan shroud and put the larger radiator in or what? Could it be the water pump? We replaced the thermostat and cap this last time too. Both radiators were from Autozone and blew out in a seam on the plastic side tank area. Any thoughts?

 

Sounds like you are getting crappy rad's, hopefully still under warranty. I'll let someone else chime in on a good brand/place to go with. Mine is aftermarket but put on before I got the truck so unsure as to brand but I've had no problems with it and it looks to be a few years old. Good ones are out there, just have to do some research. I would replace the WP if it looks like it has any age on it just so it doesn't need to be done in the foreseeable future. Also make sure you flush the system out really good, prestone makes a chemical flush as well as a kit that helps a lot and stays in for later use as well, kit is like $4 at walmart, I think the chemical is around the same price.

 

You need a 2 core radiator. It should be about 2.25-2.5" thick. Single core wont last long, as you see. They show plenty of 2 core rads on Rockauto that will fit your year truck. I jusr replaced mine with a TYC and it seems like a quality radiator.

 

That's what everything seems to point to, but the truck is built for the single core, 1" or so...Is it tough to modify the fan shroud to take the thicker radiator?

 

get a 2 core all aluminum radiator, easy to modify to take the 2 row or go efan, the one below is a good fit. the all aluminum versions will fix the problem with leaking in the plastic side seam and should be good for years...but you do get to pay for that

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Row-w-o-EOC-w-TOC-All-Aluminum-Radiator-For-Ford-Bronco-F-Super-Duty-F-150-/400751555634?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1994%7CMake%3AFord%7CModel%3AF-150&hash=item5d4ea77432&vxp=mtr

 

The fan shroud just clips on the back of the radiator. I can't imagine it would be a big deal to make it fit.

 

The fan shrouds for the single row radiators are deeper than the ones for the 2 row units. It is true that either shroud will bolt right up to either radiator, mismatching them causes the fan to sit at a different depth in the shroud opening and can possibly cause issues with how much air it will pull.

 

Double post.

 

x2 on the e-fan route, easy mod that quiets the engine noise and will give your friend a mpg boost (1-2mpg may not seem like much but every little bit helps).

 

Thanks for the ideas guys. Want to spend the least amount of $ possible on this one though, just want to fix it so it doesn't break again. We're thinking of getting that radiator like in fetasigmas post, and cutting the shroud down 3/4". We're going to go check it out in a little bit and see if we think that will work.