2002 2003 2004 2005 Ford Thunderbird Thermostat Housing Water Pumps

[biddle]

If you are having trouble with your cooling system on your 2002, 2003, 2004 or 2005 Ford Thunderbird here are some useful parts used in the repairs. Note, a 2002 Thunderbird has a different thermostat housing than 2003-2004-2005. The water pump & thermostat are the same. You can upgrade the thermostat in a 2002 Thunderbird to aluminum. I believe only plastic is available for 2003-2005 Thunderbirds. The plastic thermostat housings often need to be replaced every 5 - 7 years.
Several people have reported issues with the paper gaskets on the aftermarket water pumps. The water pump itself is okay, but you need the upgraded gasket sold separately.

2002-2005 Thermostat-
Purchase Link- https://amzn.to/4dbgVsW




2002 Thermostat Housing Kit Assembly Aluminum Upgrade Kit-
Purchase link click here
Please note, this is an "unofficial upgrade" from the cheap plastic bell housing that member @Wfg3 discovered. The seller does not show the part as compatible, but it works as noted in his post here- https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum...work-in-2002-2005-thunderbird.8852/post-56177




2002 Thermostat Housing Kit Assembly (Plastic)
Purchase Link- https://amzn.to/2MZYKMp






2003-2004-2005 Dorman 902-903 Thermostat Housing Kit Assembly- (aluminum upgrade is not available to our knowledge)
Purchase Link- https://amzn.to/2YElNBR

OEM Motorcraft Part 3W4Z8548AD (Recommended when available)- Purchase Link

All available thermostat housings, some include coolant reservoir- Purchase Link

Housing Gasket (If Need) Amazon Purchase Link - Ebay Purchase Link
See this page for more gasket details



Coolant Overflow Tank for 5W4Z8A080AA
Purchase Link

The Motorcraft factory tank is over 200.00! Purchase link




WATER PUMPS.
The water pump and the gasket is the same on 2002-2005, but the thermostat housing is not! Fel-Pro currently erroneously states this is for 2003-2005, but it will also fit the 2002! We have contacted them to get them to update their database.

2002-2005 Pro Gasket- This is better than the paper gaskets included with the water pumps
Amazon Purchase Link
Ebay Purchase Link



Motorcraft PW448 2002 2003 2004 2005 Water Pump OEM-
eBay purchase Link or Amazon purchase link



Aftermarket 2002-2003-2004-2005 Water Pump (don't use the paper gasket)
Purchase Link Amazon- https://amzn.to/2N0h3ks or eBay purchase link



2003-2005 Water Pump + Plastic Thermostat Housing (Housing won't fit 2002)
Purchase Link



2002 Ford Thunderbird Radiator - Ebay Link
Hydraulic Cooling fan which was only in 2002- Ebay Link
2003-2004-2005 Ford Thunderbird Radiator- Ebay Link

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[biddle]

If you have a 2002, this is the only year that has a Hydraulic Cooling Fan! Sometimes these cars will overheat when the Air Conditioning is on or other symptoms. Many times this is because there is a solenoid on the hydraulic fan pump that the pcm controls to speed up the cooling fan,
they do go bad after time, and miles.

These are hard to find and most people get them on ebay!

Hydraulic Fan Pump Actuator Solenoid Lincoln LS Thunderbird NEWTO OEM XW4Z3783CA

Interchange Numbers: YW4Z-8C628-BA , YW4Z8C628BA , XW4Z3783CA


Ebay Purchase Link:

Hydraulic Fan Pump Actuator Solenoid Lincoln Ls Thunderbird for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Hydraulic Fan Pump Actuator Solenoid Lincoln Ls Thunderbird at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

You can read a related discussion here- https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/threads/2002-overheats-with-air-conditioning-running.12252/

 

[Delmily]

In the ongoing effort to stop overheating we replaced the plastic thermostat housing with the Jaguar aluminum. In the process we discovered a chip in the extension just under the hose clamp. It's holding for now but would like to replace it. We purchased the Ford Manual DVD and searched everywhere online and can't find a part number. The number stamped on the part itself is related to the radiator. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[edward301]

Here is a link to the part number XW4Z8A520AF I believe you are looking for Cooling Hose Flange Front.

XW4Z8A520AF: Search Result | eBay

Buy and sell electronics, cars, fashion apparel, collectibles, sporting goods, digital cameras, baby items, coupons, and everything else on eBay, the world's online marketplace

www.ebay.com

 

[Sand1piper]

I search every Blog, troubleshooter page, info, manual, etc. I could find to try to fix the overheating problem that seems inherent with these birds. The solution I've come up with involves a lot of other people's ideas conglomerated into one. I take no credit here.

Here's what I decided to do:

Flush cooling system. Mine was totally clean. Not a drop of rust or corrosion.

Fill with 50/50 coolant, distilled water while car is off. Filling as much as possible in Radiator and overflow container.

Reinstall cap on radiator.

Start car.

Turn on heater, full blast, high heat.

Idle car.

Watch level in overflow. When it goes down add more coolant and try to keep minimum 50% antifreeze. The higher proportion of antifreeze the higher the boiling point of coolant. Read directions on coolant container. My opinion is to increase to 75/25 coolant to water since these cars run hot. It should raise boiling temp. to 265. READ DIRECTIONS ON CONTAINER.

When coolant level in overflow stops going down, put on a glove and squeeze the hose to the left of the radiator. Continue doing so. You should see bubbles coming up in OFC and you should see level of coolant go down in OFC. You are purging the air from the system. Put in more coolant. Keep the level where you can see it even though it's above MAX fill line. You have to see if the air is being purged.

When bubbles stop, run idle up to 2k for a few minutes.

Check coolant level.

Squeeze hose to see if air will come out.

Run car for 15 minutes with OFC cap off.

Turn off car.

PUT ADDITIONAL"o" RING IN OFC CAP!!!!!

Put cap on, let engine cool.

After engine completely cools check coolant level in OFC. If it is below MAX line add more.

With cap on OFC squeeze hose. If bubbles show up repeat steps.

It worked for me after struggling for a month and having the 'Bird overheat and get me stuck three times trying all different solutions. This finally worked. No more "bubbling" in OFC that looks like the coolant is boiling. No more overheating.

I hope it works for you.

 

[biddle]

Here's a video with some coolant system burping / bleeding tips on the "cousin car' Lincoln LS. Would be great for a member to make a Thunderbird specific video and send to us to add to our YouTube channel!

 

[CADPLAN]

My 2003 T-BIRD is Overheating. I put it in a local shop that normally does good work. They said the Water pump was leaking. So I had them replace it. They also replaced the thermostat and housing.. Well it didn't take long and it Overheated and does so within 4 or 5 miles. I'm thinking the electric fan, it's fuse, it's relay or switch. I know the fan is expensive, like $1200, so hopefully its one of the other things. Any ideas what else it could be? Thanks in advance. Tom

 

[RDH]

If you are having trouble with your cooling system on your 2002, 2003, 2004 or 2005 Ford Thunderbird here are some useful parts used in the repairs. Note, a 2002 Thunderbird has a different thermostat housing than 2003-2004-2005. The water pump & thermostat are the same. You can upgrade the thermostat in a 2002 Thunderbird to aluminum. I believe only plastic is available for 2003-2005 Thunderbirds. The plastic thermostat housings often need to be replaced every 5 - 7 years.
Several people have reported issues with the paper gaskets on the aftermarket water pumps. The water pump itself is okay, but you need the upgraded gasket sold separately.

2002-2005 Thermostat-
Purchase Link- https://amzn.to/2Y7ccEl

View attachment 12235


2002 Thermostat Housing Kit Assembly Aluminum Upgrade Kit-
Purchase link click here
Please note, this is an "unofficial upgrade" from the cheap plastic bell housing that member @Wfg3 discovered. The seller does not show the part as compatible, but it works as noted in his post here- https://forums.fordthunderbirdforum...work-in-2002-2005-thunderbird.8852/post-56177

View attachment 12238


2002 Thermostat Housing Kit Assembly (Plastic)
Purchase Link- https://amzn.to/2MZYKMp

View attachment 12239




2003-2004-2005 Dorman 902-903 Thermostat Housing Kit Assembly- (aluminum upgrade is not available to our knowledge)
Purchase Link- https://amzn.to/2YElNBR

OEM Motorcraft Part 3W4Z8548AD (Recommended when available)- Purchase Link

All available thermostat housings, some include coolant reservoir- Purchase Link

Housing Gasket (If Need) Amazon Purchase Link - Ebay Purchase Link
See this page for more gasket details

View attachment 12234

Coolant Overflow Tank for 5W4Z8A080AA
Purchase Link

The Motorcraft factory tank is over 200.00! Purchase link
View attachment 12926



WATER PUMPS.
The water pump and the gasket is the same on 2002-2005, but the thermostat housing is not!

2002-2005 Pro Gasket- This is better than the paper gaskets included with the water pumps
Purchase Link

View attachment 12240

Motorcraft PW448 2002 2003 2004 2005 Water Pump OEM-
eBay purchase Link or Amazon purchase link
View attachment 12242


Aftermarket 2002-2003-2004-2005 Water Pump (don't use the paper gasket)
Purchase Link Amazon- https://amzn.to/2N0h3ks or eBay purchase link

View attachment 12243

2003-2005 Water Pump + Plastic Thermostat Housing (Housing won't fit 2002)
Purchase Link

View attachment 12241

2002 Ford Thunderbird Radiator - Ebay Link
Hydraulic Cooling fan which was only in 2002- Ebay Link
2003-2004-2005 Ford Thunderbird Radiator- Ebay Link
View attachment 12451

My 03 had head problems, they were shaved and fixed, then the Fan and sensor were replaced and then the thermostat

 

[Hedge133]

I recently replaced my Heater Control Water Valve and now I'm having overheating issue's. I've tried elevating the front end of the Bird, turning on the car, running car at 3000 rpm's for 30 seconds, letting it come back to idle then shutting it off. Then topping off the antifreeze. I've done this 3 times and it still seems I have air in the system. Are there any other ways to purge the system of air on these 2002 T-Birds?

 

[Ed R]

My engine blew the head gasket, since it was replaced I am getting overheating The mechanic says the hoses were damaged by contamination and wants to replace them all and the overflow reservoir Any advice on where to get the parts Is this really necessary it’s over1k! I Cannot find these hose parts 3W4Z 9F814AA & 3W4Z 18472AD

 

[biddle]

My car blew the head gasket since it was replaced I am getting overheating The mechanic says the hoses were damaged by overhand wants to replace them all and the overflow reservoir Any advice on where to get the parts Is this really necessary it’s over1k!

Personally that seems like a really dumb diagnosis. I would make sure the coolant was burped properly. These cars are much more difficult to get the air out than most.

See video above.

 

[Eventhorizon]

My 2003 T-BIRD is Overheating. I put it in a local shop that normally does good work. They said the Water pump was leaking. So I had them replace it. They also replaced the thermostat and housing.. Well it didn't take long and it Overheated and does so within 4 or 5 miles. I'm thinking the electric fan, it's fuse, it's relay or switch. I know the fan is expensive, like $1200, so hopefully its one of the other things. Any ideas what else it could be? Thanks in advance. Tom

Had same problem. Replaced water pump, thermostat, no joy.

Problem turned out to be cracked reserve/overfill unit. Replaced. End of Problem.

I recently replaced my Heater Control Water Valve and now I'm having overheating issue's. I've tried elevating the front end of the Bird, turning on the car, running car at 3000 rpm's for 30 seconds, letting it come back to idle then shutting it off. Then topping off the antifreeze. I've done this 3 times and it still seems I have air in the system. Are there any other ways to purge the system of air on these 2002 T-Birds?

Opened the overflow container when purging?

 

[Debs tbird]

In the ongoing effort to stop overheating we replaced the plastic thermostat housing with the Jaguar aluminum. In the process we discovered a chip in the extension just under the hose clamp. It's holding for now but would like to replace it. We purchased the Ford Manual DVD and searched everywhere online and can't find a part number. The number stamped on the part itself is related to the radiator. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!View attachment 13619

I can't help with the part but I went through overheating issue for months with my 04 . Replaced the thermostat and seemed to fix but it was only temporary. Did a radiator flush and didn't help. Finally I broke down and took it to the shop and it was my water pump. Once replaced its been fine. Not sure if that's you issue but worth checking. The mechanic was confident the pump was the culprit base on just touching the hose. I dont remember the exact way but one hose was hot and the other cool which indicates the water was circulating in the pump properly.
I've owned this car since new and it throws a tremendous amount of heat. I guess a design flaw. My Jaguar XJL seems to be the same. Good luck if you haven't fixed yours.