Coolant leak

[60sec_assassin]

I have a small coolant leak on the cross-over bar ( the metal one behind the alternator...where u fill the system) right where the bar(pipe) goes into the engine. From what i understand its a simple job, has anyone ever changed out these seals and have any words of advice??:confused:

[fastblackmerc]

I have a small coolant leak on the cross-over bar ( the metal one behind the alternator...where u fill the system) right where the bar(pipe) goes into the engine. From what i understand its a simple job, has anyone ever changed out these seals and have any words of advice??:confused:

Lube them before you install them.

[60sec_assassin]

Lube them before you install them.

does the pipe just pop out or does it take some work? what type of lube do you suggest?

[fastblackmerc]

I think they just pop out. I'll check the shop manual tomorrow.

[60sec_assassin]

I think they just pop out. I'll check the shop manual tomorrow.

speaking of "shop manuals" do you know of a haynes or chiltons manual that we could use for basic maintenance jobs for our engines?

[fastblackmerc]

The Ford manuals show up on eBay frequently. Look for a 2004 or 2003 Ford Crown Victoria / Grand Marquis manual, it will have Marauder specific info. You may also want to get the wiring manual. There are also alot of Ford manuals on DVD.

I bought my manuals from these guys:

http://stores.ebay.com/Lorie-and-Jeff

[60sec_assassin]

Thankx for the help:bows:

[Zack]

Clean the hell out of the mating surfaces annd silicone it.
Its the only way to do it once and once only.

[RF Overlord]

do you know of a haynes or chiltons manual that we could use for basic maintenance jobs In my experience, Haynes manuals frequently have missing, wrong, or over-simplified info. Although they are expensive, the HELM manuals are your best friend and can quickly return their $137 cost by allowing you to do something yourself vs. taking it somewhere.

[60sec_assassin]

Hey thanks for all the help guys but has anyone ever changed them out can give some pointers? I mean do you just pull the crossover bar out, slap on the new seals with some silicone, and push the srossover back down in the engine block??

[JACook]

Clean the hell out of the mating surfaces and silicone it.
Its the only way to do it once and once only.

And that would be why the factory always uses Silicone on their o-rings? :rolleyes:

No, wait... Come to think of it, they don't, do they. They don't use Teflon tape either, but that's
another rant...

If you have to use Silicone on an O-ring connection to keep it from leaking, you're either not cleaning
the surfaces well enough, not using a new OE-quality O-ring of the proper size and material, not
installing it properly, or the parts are damaged and need to be replaced.

Over the years, I've seen a lot of... creative uses of O-rings and sealers, and I've seen a lot of them
leak because of the improper use of sealers. My favorite is the transmission dipstick tube.

With every last one of these connections, as long as they weren't physically damaged, all's I've ever
had to do was properly prep the surfaces, and properly install the proper O-ring. Properly.

I have yet to see any O-ring manufacturer recommend using sealers of any kind with their products.
Kinda defeats the whole purpose of using an O-ring in the first place.

Do what you like, but if a mechanic ever did this on one of my cars, he'd be doing it over...

[bigbadwolff66]

Prep the bore by hand using a 320 grit sandpaper on the end of your finger. Then clean the surface with a shot of brake cleaner to prep the surface.
Lube the o-rings and the bore with vaseline.
DO NOT go to the Auto parts store for the std black O-rings. The Ford O-rings are metric and are rated for 300F vs the std rubber O-ring that will start to fail @250F.
We've done a lot of fitting with O-rings in the past several months and we've been schooled on O-rings and their applications for automotive.

[JACook]

More excellent advice right ^^^^^ there.