Good to hear you're making progress. For the starter, it sounds like the starter solenoid is going bad. You can rebuild it yourself or have a local rebuilder do it for you. My understanding is its not too bad to do it yourself but I've never done one nor tried to source the brushes and other r&r parts for it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Look up Ford Selenoid write-up. These trucks when the wiring to starter goes bad- sometimes -esp when starter is old/HOT it won't get enough voltage to trip it's built in selenoid. if you search under my name -because I have done this- it may find it easier- No I was not the first to do it LOL! I had swapped my starter- and it did not fix it....

Here is one thread
http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.p...rt=all&vc=1

Thanks for the info. I'm in Tallahassee.

Well I thought the overheat issue was put to rest. Thought wrong. Turns out if you leave the hood down it WILL overheat after just a little while at idle after running to heat it up.

I ran a new test. Left the hood down till it started boiling at idle. Took the hose and poured it to the radiator. Cooled it down, but took a LOT of water to do it. Noticed that the ends of the radiator would evaporate quickly while the middle would not from what I could see.

Leads me to believe the radiator is clogged. Not getting enough flow through the middle where the fan is.

Pretty common problem. Find a radiator shop to boil it out and you should be good to go.

The saga continues. Radiator shop performed a bunch of tests. Biggest was a rod test in the middle of the radiator where the cap is. Went down about 3-4 inches and stopped like hitting a brick. Did the same on all three cores he could access with the cap off. Looked up and said NEW radiator. Can't fix this one it's completely stopped up.

300 bucks <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />for cheap plastic aluminum replacement. 450+ <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> for a copper oem one if they could find it. 150 for labor to replace. I'm going online tonight to see what I can find first before I buy anything.

I saw a thread of a guy who went all aluminum radiator that he got online for about 200 bucks on this forum. Said he had to make a few mods to fit it, but it was not that bad.

Any other suggestions?

Got tired of screwing around trying to find a deal and went for the first one that was supposedly oem and copper/brass radiator.

This is it hope it works and is not cheap plasic crap.


http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/ProRad/Radiator/APDI8011039.html

I says the core is metal but does not state what the tanks are made out of. I too hope it works ok.

Alternatively I found a used radiator using car-part.com and when I purchased it, I specifically asked them to check the condition including the amount of calcification inside the radiator (what can be seen from the holes). They confirmed the radiator was fine which it was when i received it. Cost was a but a fraction of a new one. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Crossing my fingers on the new radiator. It has brass/copper in the descrption. Does not say aluminum anywhere. Most of the plastic ones are aluminum with plastic tanks. Will see in a week or so.

The bad radiator actually does not look bad at all looking at the top through the cap hole. There isn't any calcification on any of the holes you can see. She is plugged solid though about 3 inches from the top. Probably had a leak at sometime in it's life and they ran a sealer through it that plugged it up solid. Especially since it is in the middle where the fan is. That's why it is overheating while idling, and cools down when you get up to speed and airflow hits the entire radiator.

Head gasket was blown when I bought the truck. I fixed it then used it mostly cruizing around the forest, and the highway on cool days last year since the AC did not work. Never really drove it around town till this year recently. Probably stopped up on previous owner and caused the head gasket to blow.

I bet the old one could be rodded out, at worst, recored, for less money.

Radiator guy tried to stick a rod down it to clean it out, and hit solid. He could not punch through on any of the three holes he tried. He said "she's all stopped up no fixing this one" This radiator guy has been around since before I was born so he is pretty repudable. He actually cleaned out my Subaru radiator from college back in the late 80's. Same one man operation in the same location.