hwmeador

I have a 2008 King Ranch that suddenly started leaking cooling; radiator. I did lots of research on how to change it and what kind of radiator. This review is summarizing the information I was unable to find that might be helpful to others.

Radiator Selection: I was struggling to decide between Ford Factory Replacement ~ $400 and the cheap replacements on RockAuto; Spectra, Vista-Pro, and TYC. My factory radiator was p/n 6L3Z-8005B, which is a 15/16" thickness radiator or what Ford calls "Super Cooling". Based upon searching for lots of reviews I settled on the Spectra Premium CU2818 which was not listed a straight p/n exchange but it had the correct width, etc. The CU2819 has a thicker core which I now believe is to compensate for a lower quality core. The CU2818 dropped in without issue, all the transmission line quick connects were correct and the inlet/exits were the correct size.
The difference - core quality and fins per inch. The tanks appeared to be very similar and were marked with the same injection molding marks and material. This means nothing, however, since this was made in China[read copies]. The CU2818 had less fins/inch than the Ford OEM part, so clearly diminished cooling capacity, by how much I don't know. It appears that many aftermarket companies compensate for this by specifying a larger core, the CU2819 has a 1 7/16" core which should still be a drop in application.

The swap. It was very straightforward (sorry I don't have pictures)
- Remove Plastic cover on top, I think there were 5-6 plastic retainers
- Drain Radiator on passenger front side - drain to container for recycle
- Remove Air Intake Pipe , 10 mm bolt
- Disconnect upper and lower Radiator hoses as well as Overflow fill hose
- Use transmission line quick disconnect tool and disconnect transmission lines
- Unbolt fan shroud, 2 bolts, slide up out of lower clip retainers and back toward engine on top of fan. This leaves plenty of room for radiator removal
- Unbolt top retainers of radiator
- Remove Radiator

Installation is simply the reverse. I flushed my system and also installed a new thermostat while I was changing my radiator. Additionally I removed the overflow fill bottle and cleaned it really good while I had the system apart.

Why my radiator failed. The fan shroud vibrated against the lowest row of the core and made a tiny hole. I am going to fabricate a spacer so this does not happen again. Otherwise my Factory radiator should have lasted longer.

Results. My new radiator works as it should, temperatures seem to hold. I have not towed with the new radiator yet, but I suspect it will be fine.

tcruz0004

Thanks for such a great write up! I am going to be changing my radiator tomorrow and planning on buying the exact same one. AutoZone sells it for a good price with a lifetime warranty. Do you think the 1 inch core works just fine? Also, did you say you just moved the fan shroud back without removing the fan and it worked alright? This was my plan so hopefully it worked alright for you.

4.6owner

I have replaced many ford radiators with a ISO certified manufacturers and have never had an issue. I rather have a thicker core or rows personally as it gives the coolant more passes through the heat exchanger/radiator.

tcruz0004

I'm going to buy my new radiator shortly and was just planning on getting the 1 inch core since that's what I currently have.

My big question is regarding the fan and fan shroud though. I have a 5.4L, so it may be different. But were you able to only remove the fan shroud without removing the fan?

tcruz0004

Thanks, for your help. All that is needed to remove the radiator is to unbolt the fan shroud from the radiator, and lift it up and toward the engine like your explained. There is absolutely no need to remove the fan.