Considering Reservoirs

[Gary Lewis]

I was reminded last week while 'wheeling in Colorado that the Bullnose coolant and washer reservoirs aren't sealed at the top.  The proof was tracks in the ever-present dust on the fender liner where we splashed the liquid out.

And here's sorta proof of that as you can see that from the factory there was just a little bit of glue used in about 3 places - both ends and the middle - where the vertical sides hit the top:



I could try to run something like Permatex 81730 Flowable Silicone Windshield and Glass Sealer all the way around and it would probably seal it.  But I'm thinking I'd be better off to start with a later model reservoir like this one from Huck, the 1990 half-truck.



The advantage of these reservoirs is that the top of the sides is flanged and glued fairly well all of the way around, as shown below:




However, that appears not to be the case for the middle, right between the coolant and washer reservoirs, as this one leaks like a sieve there.  So. I'm thinking I'd run that full of flowable silicone to seal it, and maybe put a bead around the underside of the lip the whole way 'round for good measure.

Thoughts?

[salans7]

Another good thing about the newer reservoirs is that they're reproduced, so you don't have to waste your time with 30 year old heat-baked plastics.

[Rusty_S85]

salans7 wrote

Another good thing about the newer reservoirs is that they're reproduced, so you don't have to waste your time with 30 year old heat-baked plastics.

After I bought my NOS one I found years later that Bronco Grave Yard Sells a reproduction one.

https://shop.broncograveyard.com/1980-1986-Ford-Bronco-and-F-Series-Truck-Wiper-Solvent-Bottle-w_coolant-tank/productinfo/35220/

Or if you prefer Dennis-Carpenter he has a listing as well.

https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/trucks/exterior/windshield-wipers/d8bz-17618-a-ww-reservoir-wo-pump-w?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=11654029601&utm_content=116098449809&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnJaKBhDgARIsAHmvz6f3Pcb0ic730CNNFwQhP1NCVam5ebd179hHJcWbzVdSefAFOZDA87MaAhWrEALw_wcB

[FuzzFace2]

salans7 wrote

Another good thing about the newer reservoirs is that they're reproduced, so you don't have to waste your time with 30 year old heat-baked plastics.

That fall apart in your hands  thats what happened to the one I installed in my truck. Went to top it off and it came out about half way up, right where the level was!

Are any of them sealed between the 2 sides?
Maybe take your scope to the junk yard and give a look see on the newer ones and go from there, get new or used if you have to mod to seal.
Dave ----

ps, easy fix is dont go so crazy off road  

[Gary Lewis]

Shaun - I have the one off of Dad's truck and when I picked it up yesterday I put my finger through it. The plastic is that bad. And I noticed that he had tried to seal it at the top as he'd run in some rubbery stuff, but it didn't stick to the plastic.

Rusty - Good to know that the Bullnose ones are being reproduced. But the pictures of both of those are the early versions (1980 - 84) that just have the hose laying in the reservoir via a hole in the top. I don't like that version because it is too easy for the hose to be moved and you won't pull coolant from the bottom as the system cools. And, because it'll splash out at that hole, defeating the whole purpose of sealing.

Besides, those are $75 + shipping and Parts Geek has the later one for $33 + shipping. And Amazon has the later one as NOS for $63 and a Dorman one for $35.80, both with free shipping.

Dave - Crazy? Me? Mike said he could tell who was driving as Rick drove a lot faster than I did. My retort was "Yes! It is my truck!" But seriously, even aired down and going slow it was rough.

As far as being sealed between the two sides, not up through 1990 which is the one I have from Huck and is probably the same up through '97 as the part number suggests. It appears to be sealed everywhere but there. I don't understand why that is since the caps don't really seal so there's plenty of a "controlled leak" there to let the reservoirs vent.

I'm thinking of two slightly different approaches and want everyone's input:

1. Clean Huck's reservoir up as best I can, probably by placing blasting media in and shaking it for all I'm worth to clean it. Then run the Permatex flowable silicon in to seal between the sides. That is the only place it appeared to be leaking, but it leaked so badly that it was hard to tell if that was the only spot.
2. Order in the Dorman one for $36 and that way I should have better plastic. And I won't spend time trying to clean up the badly weathered and stained one from Huck. Then run the Permatex in to seal between the two sides. But, I'm a bit worried that the Dorman one won't be sealed like the one from Huck is. And that release agents will keep the Permatex from adhering to the new plastic. Maybe clean it with alcohol?

Thoughts?

[ArdWrknTrk]

1) I think you're going to have a real challenge getting all of the blasting media out of the crack between tanks, if you choose that route.

2) A newly moulded plastic part is likely to have some form of mould release but surely these have been through some washing process if the reservoir is glued together???
I mean, perhaps they are ultrasonically welded, but you've said "glue" so I'm only going on the information presented.

[Gary Lewis]

Jim - I said "glue" because there's some stuff that came out of the joint.  But I don't know that it is glue.  I'll check in a bit to see what texture it has.

And you are right about the grit.  Hadn't thought about it between the two tanks, but that makes sense.  My worry was in not getting it all out of either tank and causing problems.

So here's the plan, Stan.  I'm going to drain the radiator in a bit and swap petcocks.  And I'm going to pull the reservoir and prove to myself I can get the old one in between the PDB and the receiver/drier.

If that works out I'll order the Dorman replacement awa the flowable RTV and re-make the bracket to fit.

[Rusty_S85]

Gary Lewis wrote

Shaun - I have the one off of Dad's truck and when I picked it up yesterday I put my finger through it.  The plastic is that bad.    And I noticed that he had tried to seal it at the top as he'd run in some rubbery stuff, but it didn't stick to the plastic.
<p></p>
Rusty - Good to know that the Bullnose ones are being reproduced.  But the pictures of both of those are the early versions (1980 - 84) that just have the hose laying in the reservoir via a hole in the top.  I don't like that version because it is too easy for the hose to be moved and you won't pull coolant from the bottom as the system cools.  And, because it'll splash out at that hole, defeating the whole purpose of sealing.
<p></p>
Besides, those are $75 + shipping and Parts Geek has the later one for $33 + shipping.  And Amazon has the later one as NOS for $63 and a Dorman one for $35.80, both with free shipping.
<p></p>
Dave - Crazy?  Me?    Mike said he could tell who was driving as Rick drove a lot faster than I did.  My retort was "Yes!  It is my truck!"  But seriously, even aired down and going slow it was rough.
<p></p>
As far as being sealed between the two sides, not up through 1990 which is the one I have from Huck and is probably the same up through '97 as the part number suggests.  It appears to be sealed everywhere but there.  I don't understand why that is since the caps don't really seal so there's plenty of a "controlled leak" there to let the reservoirs vent.
<p></p>
I'm thinking of two slightly different approaches and want everyone's input:
<p></p>
<ol>
<li>Clean Huck's reservoir up as best I can, probably by placing blasting media in and shaking it for all I'm worth to clean it.  Then run the Permatex flowable silicon in to seal between the sides.  That is the only place it appeared to be leaking, but it leaked so badly that it was hard to tell if that was the only spot.</li>
  <p></p>
<li>Order in the Dorman one for $36 and that way I should have better plastic.  And I won't spend time trying to clean up the badly weathered and stained one from Huck. Then run the Permatex in to seal between the two sides.  But, I'm a bit worried that the Dorman one won't be sealed like the one from Huck is.  And that release agents will keep the Permatex from adhering to the new plastic.  Maybe clean it with alcohol?</li>
</ol>
<p></p>
Thoughts?

Well the whole point of the earlier 80-84 version was not to be a closed system it was basically a catch can.  Thats why there is no ability to add water/coolant to the jug itself because it wasnt really designed to function like the later design with the little hole.  I do use my NOS one like this as a later design I just unplug the over flow hose from the radiator and stuff the hose in a small red funnel I have that creates a tight seal and pour coolant/water mix into the bottle.  I fill the bottle up about half ways to allow for some expansion back and forth.

The later one with the hose nipple on the bottom and the small fill port is actually not reproduced but quite easy to find.  I found some 70 of them on google for sale through ebay and other web sites ranging from $30 to $60.

[Gary Lewis]

Rusty_S85 wrote

Well the whole point of the earlier 80-84 version was not to be a closed system it was basically a catch can.  Thats why there is no ability to add water/coolant to the jug itself because it wasnt really designed to function like the later design with the little hole.  I do use my NOS one like this as a later design I just unplug the over flow hose from the radiator and stuff the hose in a small red funnel I have that creates a tight seal and pour coolant/water mix into the bottle.  I fill the bottle up about half ways to allow for some expansion back and forth.

The later one with the hose nipple on the bottom and the small fill port is actually not reproduced but quite easy to find.  I found some 70 of them on google for sale through ebay and other web sites ranging from $30 to $60.

That might have been the point, but I don't think it was one of Ford's Better Ideas.  Else why did they get away from it so quickly.

And the 85/86 versions are pain to fill with their little rubber stoppers and itty bitty hole.  Another reason why I like the '87 and later versions.

Coolant is about 1/2 out of the radiator, with not too much mess, and then I'll swap to the much better petcock with a hose fitting and pull the coolant reservoir out and see if the later one can be made to fit.

[Gary Lewis]

Well, I got the coolant drained and the petcock replaced.  That let me check the fit of the later reservoir.  In the pic below it needs to go 1" farther inboard for the hinge to miss it, but to do that it needs to go 1/2" farther forward.  And there's just enough room to make that happen by moving the PDB closer to the battery.

So I pulled the trigger on a new Dorman reservoir and the flowable RTV.  Hopefully the Dorman is sealed at least as well as the Ford unit is and I can finish it off with the RTV.

[1986F150Six]

Gary Lewis wrote

Besides, those are $75 + shipping and Parts Geek has the later one for $33 + shipping.  And Amazon has the later one as NOS for $63 and a Dorman one for $35.80, both with free shipping.
<p></p>
Dave - Crazy?  Me?    Mike said he could tell who was driving as Rick drove a lot faster than I did.  My retort was "Yes!  It is my truck!"  But seriously, even aired down and going slow it was rough.
<p></p>
As far as being sealed between the two sides, not up through 1990 which is the one I have from Huck and is probably the same up through '97 as the part number suggests.  It appears to be sealed everywhere but there.  I don't understand why that is since the caps don't really seal so there's plenty of a "controlled leak" there to let the reservoirs vent.
<p></p>
I'm thinking of two slightly different approaches and want everyone's input:
<p></p>
<ol>
<li>
<li>Order in the Dorman one for $36 and that way I should have better plastic.  And I won't spend time trying to clean up the badly weathered and stained one from Huck. Then run the Permatex in to seal between the two sides.  But, I'm a bit worried that the Dorman one won't be sealed like the one from Huck is.  And that release agents will keep the Permatex from adhering to the new plastic.  Maybe clean it with alcohol?</li>
</ol>
<p></p>
Thoughts?

This is more expensive... is this the correct one?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/251597679826?epid=1429926212&hash=item3a9463ecd2:g:zJkAAOSwxCxT0S75

[1986F150Six]

Another one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144205847016?epid=1429926212&hash=item21935699e8:g:uHkAAOSwYRJhRMWS

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, that appears to be the correct one. But I ordered a Dorman replacement for about half that via Amazon, which also has that NOS one for the same price - and free shipping as well.

But thanks!

[Gary Lewis]

Yep, that's the one as well.  Nice find, David.  But I have the Dorman coming.  Hope it is well sealed.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'm sure it will be, by the time you get done with it!  😉

How do you have to mod the tabs to get it to fit into Big Blue?

[Gary Lewis]

I'm not going to mod the tabs of the reservoir.  Instead I'll make a new bracket which will look a lot like the one below, which is the one I made last January and took out yesterday.  But the main difference will be the width between the uprights as the later reservoir's tabs are ~1" farther apart.




And here's a pic with the bracket installed, on the left, and then with the smaller Bullnose reservoir in place on the bracket.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ah!  I recall you saying the tabs were too long, but I didn't realize you were making a new bracket to fit.

.... carry on.

[Gary Lewis]

I much prefer to leave the things I'm adding to the truck in their stock state so I, or my offspring, can replace it at some point w/o having to modify it.  So I'll make the bracket to accept the reservoir rather than the reservoir to fit the bracket.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

[Gary Lewis]

I'm sure you think Big Blue is a mess of modified components.  But most of the "consumables", like alternators, reservoirs, radiators, brake shoes & pads, etc are off the shelf.  IOW, I can order a new one in, assuming I know what the application is, and install it w/o modification.  But the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question will be "What is the application?"

It just occurred to me that the 3-ring binder I have under the seat with the owner's manuals for the various accessories, like the brake controller, GMRS radio, etc would be a good place to keep a list of "applications".  Like:

Front axle, brakes, and driveshaft: D60 from a '95 F350
Front suspension:

Springs: 2005 Superduty U-code

Shocks:

Aternator: 3G from a????  (What did it come from, Jim?
Drive belts:

I have a start on that in the document at the top of Big Blue's Transformation thread, but need to get more specific with it.