How to Replace Thermostat Housing 1998-2011 Ford Ranger (4.0L V6)

[@TRQ]

√ Watch the Video √ Buy The Part at 1A Auto 1aau.to/m/Shop-TRQ-Parts √ Do it Yourself √ Save Money

[@stevenwarner7348]

Not gonna lie. My 01 Ranger is running so well. 130K mileage. I think new plugs and wires are next. Happy to watch this effort again. Thinking about removing that intake manifold to replace my wires. Just to better clean out the muck. And I had to think about seized bolts. Not seized to the aluminum block but seized to the metal sleeve inside the plastic housing. (like a seized bushing bolt on the lower control arm ~ another story). Here, if you've got the clearance, you can go over each bolt with a hole saw, I used carpenter chisels, free everything around the metal sleeve for each bolt then I used vice grips with care, on what was left to break the threads loose in the aluminum block for a clean removal for each bolt separately. Gotta have a vacuum cleaner set up for this messy job. I know one guy who parted out the whole truck when he was faced with this job. This is definitely my favorite U Tube video. By far. 👍

[@konoimo]

watching this video after I replaced my thermostat housing on my 4.0L ranger. I got lucky and didn't have to remove the intake manifold or the alternator and the housing bolts didn't snap. It was a tight job getting the temperature sensor off. But, I was replacing the water pump anyway so was able to get enough space with the water pump out of the way first.

[@stevenwarner7348]

Yesterday ~ used a long 1/2 inch drill bit, Saws~all, long needle nose pliers, carpenter chisels, to remove all plastic around two studs that turned out to be completely fused to the metal sleeve. Had my vacuum cleaner adapted with a length of garden hose and duct tape. Didn't take any of the stuff here off. Just the air intake setup with the throttle cables. Yea. Three hours of chopping any pieces of plastic at all, crowbar, etc. Used two narrow cedar slats about an inch wide and 16 inches long like chopsticks to get all the soaking horrible mess out from under the intake manifold that you remove here. Had a whole couple of packets of napkins to swab the horror out from behind the thermostat housing. Anyway w/o any of the plastic holding the sleeve in the body of the Thermostat housing, both studs were able to be loosened. Yea. Two of my carpenter chisels, really sharp, carefully removing any plastic and separating the two studs (right back and the middle one that you are working with. I had exactly the same scene that you're working with this morning. Got three M6 100 80mm bolts with a washer to replace the two fused messes and the one that came out on the first try is now a trophy hanging in my kitchen. Thanks for this one! 〰✨💥‼💥✨〰

[@bernarditaylor7593]

Believe I have the same engine in my sports Trac. The plastic housing have started to leak,... thinking about doing it myself but every time I touch the thermostat on a Ford I break the bolt like you just did. Think I'm putting it in the shop I don't want the headache.

[@frederickwillison9657]

The intake bolts seem quite deep in the manifold and it doesn't look like you could get your fingers in there. How do you get the intake bolts in and out of the holes?

[@SCLARK2112]

Makes me glad I own a Mercury Grand Marquis....LOL

[@jaybird7534]

I'm only about a third through the video and I can see that you'll need to demo that plastic housing from around that stubborn bolt with a bolt cutter or a small saw or a large hand nipper to gain access to that broken rusted bolt shaft and long bushing dowel rust to bolt. My center bolt was super rusted onto the dowel bushing, as are most of them I suspect. The long inserted dowel/sleeve protects the stupid flimsy housing from over torque and cracking when first installed at the factory. Intake doesn't really need to come off but you do have much more room if you don't mind the extra work and extra risk. I was determined to replace the leaking old brittle thermostat housing with an aluminum housing without removing that stupid plastic intake. I worked carefully slowly and meticulously in that small area under the throttle body horn, vacuumed area real well and change out mine, had the same stubborn rusted center bolt and needed to completely demo the plastic housing, breaking it into several pieces in order to extricate it, leaving nothing but one bolt sticking up, then used penetrant and vice grips on the lone bolt still standing proudly with the long rusty bushing dowel wrapped around it like a python that wouldn't let go, thankfully still with the hex head and perm. washer attached, waiting to be lubricated and removed via vice grips jawed around the permanent washer. Once I unthreaded bolt, an incredible pulling twisting effort and more penetrant was needed to remove the seized sleeve-bushing from around the bolt so I could retain the oem one. Removed idler pulley to gain better access to bypass hose for replacement. Way! way! too much work for a thermostat and it's stupid plastic housing. Probably $1,200 job at the dealer, and they would put oem plastic back in... the idiots! What a mess Ford created using a plastic composite housing around such high and low desert heat of 120° in Calif. Just more planned obsolescence to sell more $50,000 vehicles in 2024.

[@Louie92801]

The difference between a technician to a mechanic

[@FrankGarner-i6w]

Great detailed step by step video. I would never have done this repair myself witbout it. Turned out perfect, thank you.

[@wakaphwap]

Great video, thanks for documenting the whole process!

[@505ighter1]

I did this step by step, and i somehow triggered the PATS 16 ANTITHEFT LIGHT. Now my truck won't start. And there's a buzzing coming from a relay.

[@victoryfirst2878]

I hope you do a video on changing the two timing chain hydraulic tensioner Sir. Thank you in advance and good day.

[@DavidLopez-ym5hu]

I did this to my 04' ford ranger 4.0 SOHC a while back, came here to see how the connectors go back on the temp sensors. I had a feeling I reversed the connectors and also had an issue putting back one of my connectors back on the brown temp sensor. I ended up putting one of my old temp sensors which is grey on my new housing because the connector wont fit the brown temp sensor. Fyi if anybody does this pay attention to that detail you can see in the video the tech does this but fails to mention it 42:34. I knew It wasnt correct.

[@mechanicjose4023]

Is there any coolant passages for the intake manifold?

[@dalejr5799]

I was a Air Craft engine/prop Mechanic years before than changed the title to tech. How does that change what I know about the workings of my job? Things are more computer driven now days so I guess the name change made people think you know about the computers that you have to deal with .

[@crabbypapa3862]

On 2005 Ranger 4.0 the spring clamps, when squeezed together will stay together. When replacing them, twist the pliers a little bit and it comes loose. This is a, next to worse, case scenario. Worse case is breaking off the ear the bolt went into. Having an Oklahoma truck, that I clean the engine compartment yearly, hopefully My replacement won't be as hard.

[@twh2649]

Thank you for the video, it doesn't seem so intimidating now. I suspect my thermostat housing is leaking. My truck leaks coolant when the front end is on a slight incline, if the rear is higher then it doesn't leak.

[@richardbarkley9909]

I installed one of the aluminum housings on MY '08 Ranger 4.0 about 3 years ago. Recently my temp sender started leaking. I got a new O ring for it. To make it easier to install I removed the entire housing and went to get a new lower & upper seals for it. The parts stores HAVE these seals for the factory plastic housings. The smaller, lower seal fits and works just fine. The upper as I call it (The one for the actual thermostat is much thinner and rounded where the one IN the aftermarket aluminum housing is thicker and kind of squared off and just seems to fit better. I asked the same seller that I bought the housing from if THEY had these squared off seals and have not gotten a reply yet. Anyone know WHERE these thicker, squared off seals can be had?

[@SeanCostello-od9vl]

Should have installed alternator last followed by idler pulley. Much easier to instal thermostat housing

[@jaybird7534]

I think I'll keep my Edsel.

[@maxbeats1]

Tried it, had four screws left over. I was at the mechanic the next day. Smh

[@getreal4883]

Wow this looks like fun all that for thermostat housing. Wth

[@SmallBaller]

Shame on Ford or Mazda, this is poor engineering. The housing should have never been plastic and the bolts couldn't be any smaller and accessability couldn't be much worse.