F.D. Sako said:I changed the oil yesterday while prepping the car for the track, and I noticed my oil cooler line had a nylon protection piece zip-tied to where the sway bar would rub. Did you guys have that as well, or did Ford start putting additional layer of protection on the line?
I'll try to get pics next time I jack the car up.
Sounds like Ford didn't put their top problem solvers on this one... IMO the rubbing is not the problem. The sway bar hitting a stiff hose is, since it acts like a lever on the aluminum piping, causing the joint failures and quick-connector failures we have seen. I really don't understand why an ME needs an EE to figure this out... The nylon sleeve you mention will just make the problem worse, the sway bar will contact the lines more often due to the extra thickness of the sleeve...
I fully intend on replacing the stock hoses with flexible hoses that are clamped on. I don't trust Nylon connectors for something as important as coolant lines... I really think the flexible hoses are the solution here, unless the aluminum joint is really that bad that it will leak on its own.