Changing water pump need some knowledge

[yARIC008]

Okay, I'm changing the water pump on the E-350. I decided to go ahead and change the thermostat too. I have everything pulled and I forget how the little ball bearing is supposed to work in the thermostat outlet housing thing. It was all crudded up and couldn't move. So i scraped it all out and the ball bearing came out. Also the hole the bearing pushes up into was all crudded over so i cleaned it all out. Can someone remind me how that is supposed to work? I remember it's to let air purge out but don't recall the specifics.

Second thing, what is the sensor directly behind the thermostat housing? It looks pretty crusty and I wanted to replace it. I was thinking it was coolant temp however the pictures of the replacements I can find online don't seem to look the same. Is it not coolant temp?

Thing, anyone have a good place to find new coolant hoses? I've looked in the past and am looking now to replace the upper radiator hose on the van but all the ones I can find are not the correct shape. I got one a new one from autozone but it won't fit without kinking. I can't seem to find the correct one.

As for the actual water pump, I got an airtex which I've read is OEM. It seems pretty high quality, so hopefully.

Thanks.

 

[idi_econoline]

Wishing you luck, yARIC008. Did pump a couple months ago, in the summer heat, without shade.

As for hoses, I'm a fan of RockAuto, but I am also blessed to have a NAPA regional warehouse a few miles away. May be something you'll want to hold in your hands before you pay for it!

Of course, that same warehouse staff was CLUELESS about metal brake lines, which is my current challenge.

 

[yARIC008]

Wishing you luck, yARIC008. Did pump a couple months ago, in the summer heat, without shade.

As for hoses, I'm a fan of RockAuto, but I am also blessed to have a NAPA regional warehouse a few miles away. May be something you'll want to hold in your hands before you pay for it!

Of course, that same warehouse staff was CLUELESS about metal brake lines, which is my current challenge.

I've been studying the old one and the new one I have. I'm wondering if ford either changed the design slightly or gave people bad specs. The hoses have the same general shape however the different spans on it are the wrong lengths so it ends up being way too long and then kinks. Maybe i'll take some pics. The old hose feels a little weak, I believe it's the original from 1991. I tried to change it about 6 years ago and that was when i originally into this issue. I wonder if anyone out there makes custom molded hoses...

 

[chillman88]

Second thing, what is the sensor directly behind the thermostat housing? It looks pretty crusty and I wanted to replace it. I was thinking it was coolant temp however the pictures of the replacements I can find online don't seem to look the same. Is it not coolant temp?

Well, kinda. If it's what I'm thinking of it's actually the temperature switch that controls the high idle and cold timing advance. Not completely sure what it's actually called, but that should help you find it knowing what it is.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Well, kinda. If it's what I'm thinking of it's actually the temperature switch that controls the high idle and cold timing advance. Not completely sure what it's actually called, but that should help you find it knowing what it is.

You're right Chris. That's exactly what it is.
If your new hose(s) are too long, but the right shape, can you just cut a little bit off of one end and get it to fit without kinking that way?

 

[yARIC008]

You're right Chris. That's exactly what it is.
If your new hose(s) are too long, but the right shape, can you just cut a little bit off of one end and get it to fit without kinking that way?

Maybe. The thought had crossed my mind. It might work but not sure. I'm betting it will still have a little bit of a kink to it.

 

[yARIC008]

Well, kinda. If it's what I'm thinking of it's actually the temperature switch that controls the high idle and cold timing advance. Not completely sure what it's actually called, but that should help you find it knowing what it is.

Cool, My high idle solenoid has been broken for like 15 years. Guess I don't need to worry about the sensor then...

 

[chillman88]

Cool, My high idle solenoid has been broken for like 15 years. Guess I don't need to worry about the sensor then...

Well it also controls the cold idle advance. Not sure if that matters to you though.

 

[renjaminfrankln]

Well it also controls the cold idle advance. Not sure if that matters to you though.

I could not find the block temp switch for less than $50 so I wired cold advance to a switch in the cab.

Definitely seems to run a lot cleaner after start up. I used to fog the neighbors yard in the morning.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I could not find the block temp switch for less than $50

I guess it's a good thing for me that I happen to have an extra floating around in my tool box. When I bought my current truck in January, 2013 and decided to keep driving it, I was going to use this since the fast idle didn't work. This switch was just unplugged. Everything worked fine, but I found out that it had been unplugged due to a stuck open thermostat that kept it on all the time. I still have it.