This video will show you how to replace the thermostat housing assembly on a 2010 Mercury Mountaineer with the 4.0L V6 engine. A leak had developed between the seam of the lower and upper thermostat assembly. Since the assembly is made out of plastic, I assumed the housing had failed or quite possibly just the housing seal. Since the new assembly was moderately priced and came with a new thermostat, the customer agreed to have the old assembly replaced. The Mountaineer engine is also used on Ford Explorer.
Parts and Specialty Tools:
Stant 15249 Thermostat/Water Outlet Assembly:
https://amzn.to/2uh9gWe
EPAuto Spill Proof Radiator Coolant Filling Funnel Kit:
https://amzn.to/2TM88cf
Ford Genuine Fluid VC-3DIL-B Orange Pre-Diluted Antifreeze/Coolant – 1 Gallon:
https://amzn.to/2OgyAow
Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-Up Grease:
https://amzn.to/2Y06stU
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Should point out a few things for other DIYs here: Remove the serp belt so that you don't get coolant on it, which happened to this guy's belt. That's going to be a squeaky belt now. Or easier still, just drain about 1/3 of the coolant beforehand so don't have to worry about coolant spilling out of the housing as you remove it and onto the serp belt and electric harness (which was in a poor state without insulation, as noted). You can recycle that coolant later with the same spill-proof funnel shown in the video, if desired.
FYI, belt removal also facilitates removing the idler pulley, with just a simple ratchet. This dramatically improves your access to the upper (and lower) bypass hose clamp, which can be a bit of a bear to unclamp as it goes down to the water pump.
Finally, the steel brush job done to clean the mount for the housing immediately adjacent to the WIDE OPEN coolant orifice wasn't ideal. All that crap is now in the cooling system, including metal fragments, which is not good. Block that opening with a paper towel or clean rag prior to cleaning the mounting surface to prevent any debris from entering the cooling system. Git to it!
You removed the plastic and installed plastic ..! Why ?
It would have been better to install aluminum. Better than plastic
Very informative. About to tackle this on my explorer. Got all my parts.