So, I'm up around Rock Creek Lake north of Bishop, CA, on the 3rd day of a weeks journey, and coolant begins dripping from under the engine. It's not too bad, so I add water and drive a few miles. The dripping increases and it's coming down from numerous points now. I water up again and make it to Bishop, and to the lot of the Ford dealer there, which is closed on Sundays. I look around underneath, but there is so much stuff in and around the engine compartment of a 6L diesel, you can't find shit. I begin to plan to camp there until the next day when they are open, but my impatience and increasing curiosity forces me back under the van where I begin to narrow down the possibilities. A lot of water is dripping from the steering box, which is all wet. I unclamp and push aside the large rubber air duct from the air cleaner to the engine for a better view. I can now slide my hand in and feel around the warm hoses. I slide my hand down and feel real hot water, and immediately detect a worn gash under this one hose that I can't see yet. It's a ways down, and I can see a bit of this hose by looking over the left tire into the wheel well. There is the black hose, resting comfortably on the top edge of the steel casting of the steering box. The edge of the casting is sharp and it has worn the gash into the hose. This turns out to be one of the SMB hoses that ties into the cooling system and runs back to the flat plate and Hydronic unit (if you have one). Back on top again, I can see the original engine hose that was tapped into to feed the flat plate system, and the feed out and the return lines from the plate. I perk up, knowing I can repair this. I water up again, and drive 1 mile to a Kragen parts store. Inside, looking at the wall of pre-shaped coolant hoses, I find one that is a basic tight U shape and 3/4" ID. In the lot outside, I remove the hose clamps and the two flatplate hoses from the tie in point to the engine's own hose. I attach the U shaped hose with the clamps, essentially restoring the engine's cooling system to original, and isolating the flatplate/hydronic. Watering up again, the leak is gone and all is well. I resume my trip, camping and photographing is some gorgeous places. Today, at home a week later, I fully remove the gashed hose from my rig, and it is 12' long (no, not the gash!). Closer inspection shows the large worn gash clearly, and next to it are two other areas worn through the rubber and the reinforcing threads in the hose wall. These spots are the result of wear from the continual rotating of the steering shaft, and the repeated rubbing of screw heads on the shaft just above the steering box. I bought a new length of hose today and installed it, finding a new route to the engine away from the steering box. I will connect the two hoses back into the cooling system as soon as SMB tells me which one attaches to the upper and lower parts of the engine hose, to maintain the proper direction of flow, which I failed to note when I removed them. It may make no difference, but I need to know that.
Check your hose routing, everyone. Here's the damage. The OD of the hose is just over one inch, for reference:
The Delta Flyer
Linear Mode
