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6.0 bottom end can handle more power than the frame of his Bronco can. The 6.0L just needs the EGR deleted, ARP head studs, and the right HD engine coolant. Can easily have a 500k mile engine with just routine maintenance but it’s still not as economical as just working with the stock 302 and taking advantage of all the parts available for it.
He could run 20W50 oil in that engine and it would be just fine. Valvetrain noise could be any number of things but then again there are things that sound like valve clatter under transient throttle conditions that don’t even have anything to do with engine itself. First thing to do would be to check clearances in the valvetrain, just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s right.
Unless you plan on swapping the suspension and drivetrain to all 3/4-ton parts you are better off not swapping any diesel into that Bronco. The 6.0 can be easily bullet proofed while it’s out of a vehicle but the weight and stress it will put on the Bronco would make it more of an exercise in frustration and expense than anything else. If you want a diesel SUV to wrench on then find a GM Tahoe with the 6.2L but nothing besides the 350 SBC has the aftermarket support that Ford 302 has.
You have a lot of issues going on and replacing the thermostat is the least of them. If you are constantly putting water into the radiator then you need to find and repair the leak. If that means replacing a $300 radiator then so be it, it’s a lot cheaper than the damage you can, and will, cause to that engine by being cheap on the repair. Secondly, if you are putting straight water into the radiator you are causing two issues: 1st issue is that plain water is better at heat transfer than a proper mix of water and engine coolant, that would probably be why the engine is taking a long time to get to operating temperature. The other problem with just putting in plain water instead of at least a 50/50 mix of water and coolant is that you are robbing the coolant system of the corrosion inhibitors it needs. You are literally creating a galvanic cell between the iron engine block and whatever non-iron metals the coolant system has within it and it will rapidly corrode itself and fill with sediment as it does so. This will either create a severe blockage within the coolant system or cause a perforation within the engine, radiator, or heater core. Don’t waste time and money on the thermostat (and don’t use one that has a different operating temperature than what is specified by Dodge), fix the real problem first.
Chinese knock-offs are designed to look a lot like the better tool they are copying. That is intentional and part of their design but it’s only cosmetic. The HF tool uses cheaper materials, less engineering and testing, and less quality control.
Another consideration is too look at shocks with rubber boots that keep out crud. Road salts will attack the piston rod even around standard shields most shocks have.
Might be a valve seal issue. Straight weight oils don’t offer the startup protection that a multi-weight oil would. You’d be better off with a 10W-40 HD oil than a straight 40W.
Those Amigo engines are practically bullet proof. Odd that one would develop such an issue at that mileage. I’d be wary using a straight weight oil for more than a few hundred miles. Burning a quart every 200 miles sounds more like a leak if you aren’t seeing a blue cloud everywhere you go. Might take a flashlight and crawl under the engine and start looking. If no leak then you might want to switch to a high mileage 10W-30 from now on, additional seal conditioners and additives might help but once you start using it you really need to stick with it.
I went from Monroe to KYB’s in the space of 2 years thanks to PA roads. KYB Gas-a-just shocks seem to be holding up well but it’s a fact of life that the bad roads up here will wear out even the best before a typical service interval. 40K is actually close the average life for most shocks, they are wear items after all.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=146493] Not sure why it was dropping when the fans came one. Once the high side drops, the cooling ability drops with it.[/quote]
Basic physics. Remove heat and pressure drops in a closed system. When the fans came on the high temperature gas coming into the condenser is cooled to its liquid phase at high pressure (a subcooled liquid) at which point it is in a condition to have work done upon it (being throttled to lower pressure via the orifice tube or expansion valve). If there isn’t enough working fluid to maintain the proper conditions (in this case the fans coming on removed enough heat to lower the pressure to the point that the R134a was exiting the condenser as a saturated mixture) then you would see a decrease in cooling ability as the accumulator and evaporator are receiving a mixture that has too much vapor when they should be getting almost 100% liquid. Vapor doesn’t absorb as much heat like a liquid would.
Conventional motor oils are very highly engineered oils these days. They have to be to pass the latest specifications. 20 – 30 years ago there was enormous difference between full synthetic and conventional motor oils at almost every level of performance. Now with how good refineries have gotten in processing base stock oils that difference is very marginal. Top quality conventional motor oil with good additive package (e.g. Pennzoil yellow bottle) vs M1 at the same grade and average driving conditions you’ll really see no difference except cost with a 5000 mile OCI. Where I live now I use M1 or Penzzoil 5W-30 or 10W-30 sythetic mainly due to the winter, short commute to work, the number of months I can go between oil changes (5000 mile OCI), and sometimes a trip where I will drive 3000+ miles in two weeks or less. Back home where single digit winters are no concern and my driving is more regular I’d use a conventional or synthetic blend with a 5000 mile OCI. Oil selection should be based on a good evaluation of driving habits and conditions.
Yours should have had the intake with the aluminum coolant crossover. Guess you got one before the change over. I would examine that area before committing to replacing the manifold entirely. There is a metal tube that flows coolant to the back of the engine that is also known to develop small leaks that might make it look like coolant crossover is leaking. I’d get a really good shop light in that area with the whole air intake and alternator removed and take a good look around before ordering anything.
Biggest reason why parts are being made smaller, lighter, and cheaper is due to the advances in design, engineering, and manufacturing. CAD/CAM-E allows car manufactures (as well as virtually all other industries) to design, build, and test every part and major system in a virtual environment before even prototyping the first piece. Engineers now know how much material to use and where to use it to get a part that is strong enough with very little waste. This pays dividends in making engines, transmissions, suspensions, and chassis lighter, stronger, and cheaper while improving NVH characteristics. This also means there is less room for error in a given design and less tolerance to changes owners might make. This doesn’t even begin to consider advances in materials and structural adhesives that are replacing welds, bolts, and screws.