Been a while since my last update so I thought I’d post some progress on the good ol’ Ford 6.4 Powerstroke.   As some may know who own the vehicle or are in the industry, the 2008-2010 Ford superduty’s are plagued with coolant leaking issues, whether it be from o-rings on hoses or the radiator, they both are common and both need attention on this vehicle.  I have had my fair share of issues as well and have done everything I can in my power to make it the best and most reliable it can be, so let me share that with you!

After going through two stock Ford radiators and one VistaPro aftermarket warranty (luckily 1 month before warranty ended on it), I had almost had enough of the bullsh** and went to trade the truck in. Mishimoto had been constantly sharing misleading information for the delivery of their solid aluminum radiator to the point they told me it shipped but it never arrived at the are house for THREE months, yes 3 whole months AFTER they said it had shipped it arrived, HORRIBLE!  That is when Peter C. from AlRadCo LLC contacted me about the 6.4 replacement radiator they were working on.  After a little bit of back and forth I figured I would keep the truck as I love the power and give Alradco’s radiator a shot. Here is some prototype pictures

While waiting for Alradco to finish up on their prototype’s and testing they were working on, I thought I would give CSF radiators replacement a try. CSF has been around for many years making all sorts of replacement radiators so I thought I would get one and keep it as a spare after or pass along to another local leaking 6.4 once I got my solid unit.  Received the unit from the local supplier and started the tear down on it. If you have ever done a 6.4 radiator you know it isn’t as simple as 4-8 bolts and she lifts out, majority of the front end has to be disassembled to get the monstrous unit out.

With the CSF radiator beside the VistaPro radiator got me excited all over again, with 3/4″ more core thickness than the VistaPro, this unit could be the cooling answers we have been waiting on! The crimps seemed better than the Ford OEM crimps on the plastic end tanks (common leak spot), very similar to the VistaPro unit. Re-assembly started and we got it all almost back together, put the vacuum filler on the coolant tank and started the compressor… no vacuum… shit.   Poured some coolant in to find the leak as all sorts of noise was happening and I wanted to be sure of the answer. Low and behold, the CSF radiator’s coolant necks that the pipe attaches to, are engineered wrong! They have a few different points of measurements that do not match the VistaPro or stock units and coolant pours right out of the hose connection. Rip that unit out, throw some tools around, swear away at 2:00am and load it up in the van to take to return and truck is sitting once again, this time without even the leaking VistaPro as it went for warranty, immobile.

A few more weeks goes by and I got an email saying Alradco was close to having a unit ready for me to get up to Canada. Ever seen a fat kid walk into a cupcake store and shit all over the floor in excitement? That was me! Oh boy was I excited, at this point in time I hadn’t driven the truck in a few weeks due radiator situation, so I was very excited to get it on the road and get hauling again.

Once I received the radiator, I couldn’t hold my composure. Some of the other guys at the shop I worked at when I received it have seen me excited to get parts before, its like Christmas in spring some days, but today was special. Everyone has heard me yapping my trap about this for months and months on end (almost 11 months at this point in time I think?).  They’ve heard my Mishimoto & CSF nightmare’s and problems and I’m sure they thought this solid aluminum 6.4 radiator was mythical and I had been day dreaming, but when it finally showed up they knew it was on now. To give you an idea of the size of this unit, look for the coke can in the bottom right.

Truck was almost ready to go as the other radiators had been taken out. While we were in there this time I got all new Gates idlers, tensioners and green-back HD belts installed along with a Fluidampr harmonic damper for that extra edge. Changed out the water pump with a new factory Ford unit so I could inspect the front cover for cavitation and replace the pumps as some have had leaks before there as well. Cavitation wasn’t too bad, pretty minimal and in a thick spot of the front cover from my pictures I had collected so I left it, if I am in there again I will likely pull the water pump to see if it has spread further and requires more attention but we will leave it there for now. Re-assembled everything, grabbed another jug of CAT EC1 coolant and the vacuum bleeder and went to town. Hopefully most of the 6.4 coolant issues are FINALLY resolved on this thing, I will drive it like I stole it and keep everyone updated!

Little product update for everyone as well, this is the exact Airlift unit we have used many times on this Ford 6.4 Powerstroke to bleed the cooling system with no air pockets remaining in the system. Will work on 6.0 and 6.7 Powerstroke along with other models, I first used it on a Ford GT supercar so it has its fair share of uses, keeps from lifting those heavy CAT jugs.