I have a 1997 F-150 4.6 v8 with approx 270,xxx miles on it. Around three years ago I replaced the origional radiator at around 190,xxx miles, seemed fair thats a decent life I thought for a radiator. I took it to my local Ford dealer for replacement. Since then I am now need of my fourth radiator, the last radiator was replaced in Jan 2008. My local Ford Dealer and Ford Customer Care folks are saying that the part is out of their 12 month/12,000 mile warranty and that there is nothing they can do. All repairs for this vechicle have been completed at this dealer for the past five or so years.
My contention is that clearly these parts are suspect and the repair and failure history seems to support this.

I intend to contact the local BBB and the Missouri Attorney General.
I have found other similar complaints about repeated radiator and cooling system failures on the NHTSA site.

Is anyone aware of other avenues I can pursue to get this resolved?

Thanks in advance

-dave

 

I would be checking the coolant for electrolisis, if there is power running through your coolant it will cause this. Take a multimeter and put one lead to ground and the other lead in the coolant, record the reading in DC. Now start the truck and record the reading in AC and DC. Post back your findings.

 

The truck is still at the dealers. When I talked to them earlier they mentioned that they did test for electrolisis, but did not find any indication of it.

 

You'd have to look up the warranty on the radiator they used. I know some auto parts store have "limited lifetime warranty" on radiators. I dunno if it's a marketing gimmick or what.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warranty

 

The warranty is through the dealer (12month/12,000 mi) these are "Genuine Ford Parts".
The vehicle is still in the shop right now while we sort this out. The most recent radiator is out of part warranty by nine months.
It just seems odd that the origional radiator would last 10 years and 190,xxxx yet in three years I've been through three. This makes me highly suspect of the quality of the part.

-dave

 

I just replaced my radiator at 150k due to electrolisis. I heard from the radiator guy that it's been an ongoing issue with the newer trucks especially. He seems to think it is a grounding issue, with some research you'll find that he's not the only one that thinks that. The local Ford dealer had contacted him on how to fix the problem several times. He gave me a bottle of stuff he sells, it could be just baking soda and water with some food coloring as far as I know, but he said if you add it about once a year ($10 a bottle) it helps to "lessen" the effects of electolosis, (acid to a base) and helps extend the life of the radiator. I figured what the heck, for $10 it's worth a shot. I've tried several different other "fixes", changing out the ground cables and lugs, adding new ground cables to the engine and checking all the systems to make sure they're properly grounded. Each time I do something the DC rating varies a smidgen, but it's still there. My dads 06Ford ranger is the same way, as well as his 2000 F250 powerstroke. As of now, I don't think there has been a documented sure fix for the problem. But at $160 per radiator + labor costs if you have someone else install it, I wish someone could figure it out for sure. This website is a good read for resarch on electrolysis. http://www.myradshop.com/information/electrolysis.htm and I beleive the name of the stuff the radiator guy sold me was Inter-Ject found here http://www.interjectusa.com/Service.htm. Good luck

 

Electrolisis... More than likely your engine is very rusty inside causing it. Been a dealer tech for more years than I'd like to admit, if your out of the 12/12 your out of luck. Customers who threaten to " go legal" are bad customers, no wonder they're not being helpful. Go buy some tools and replace it yourself. It's a 20 minute job. And a cup of liquid fabric softner added to the coolant will prevent further electrolisis (after you flush the block for an hour or so.

 

sounds like you work for the dealer that wont help him.

 

Wouldn't you THINK that if the engine is that rusty, the dealer would try to sell a chemical flush job and some kind of electrolysis prevention along with the radiator?

 

They probably would have if the electrolysis test came back positive.

 

The general " flush" that most dealers do is great for cleaning your average
cooling system during normal service intervals (every 30k) Motors that are badly rusted due to lack of maintnence are usually too far gone and require sometimes 4 or 5 complete flushes to even get the coolant clear again. It's no miracle, the flush can only be so strong as to not harm the aluminum parts. Either flush it every few months or replace the block.