suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Noticed a oil leak of some kind. It's a clear type and is sort of sticky, here are a few images, the white cylinder shaped thing is a oil filter I think. There are drips every 10 seconds and it's worrying me Any ideas? There is a clicking noise audible outside, could this be gearbox oil and this has now damaged the gears? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 looks like coolant. look at the last picture, in the top left above the oil filter i can see a load of pink deposit which is from the coolant can you get us a better picture of around that area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 looks like coolant. look at the last picture, in the top left above the oil filter i can see a load of pink deposit which is from the coolant can you get us a better picture of around that area yeah, just went out and got one, here it is: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 given the colour of the liquid in the last pic you just took thats about to drip off the sump, the leak you have is coolant. And heres where it appears to be leaking from or thereabouts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 given the colour of the liquid in the last pic you just took thats about to drip off the sump, the leak you have is coolant. And heres where it appears to be leaking from or thereabouts any ideas as to the fix? Will it be a lot, can I find the leak and possibly do it my self? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 any ideas as to the fix? Will it be a lot, can I find the leak and possibly do it my self? can you get your camera into the area i have circled in red? cant see much as the oil filter is blocking the camera. I dont see why you couldnt repair yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 can you get your camera into the area i have circled in red? cant see much as the oil filter is blocking the camera. I dont see why you couldnt repair yourself it's quite dark now, i'll have to try it in the morning and post here tommorow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 hold on stef123, I have a photo a while back at the top of the engine block that is unexplained, uploading the image now, may take a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 hold on stef123, I have a photo a while back at the top of the engine block that is unexplained, uploading the image now, may take a while will look back in 10 minutes, its food time anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 (See to the left of the image, left of the dipstick) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 are you referring to the black inlet manifold? i can see a clean area. i wouldnt say its related to your slight coolant leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 are you referring to the black inlet manifold? i can see a clean area. i wouldnt say its related to your slight coolant leak. ok, thanks, it's for certain a coolant leak? Is this a common problem at 44,000mls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 ok, thanks, it's for certain a coolant leak? Is this a common problem at 44,000mls? from what you have shown, i would say so. the pink residue is most certainly left behind by coolant. If you can work out where the coolant is weeping from we should be able to help you out with regards to fixing it. not heard of many focus mk1.5's with coolant leaks, certainly not from that area. have you had to top the coolant up at all? also whats the level at just now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 from what you have shown, i would say so. the pink residue is most certainly left behind by coolant. If you can work out where the coolant is weeping from we should be able to help you out with regards to fixing it. not heard of many focus mk1.5's with coolant leaks, certainly not from that area. have you had to top the coolant up at all? also whats the level at just now? Thanks for the help, I will check tommorow under the bonnet for the coolant levels, the bottle did seem a bit dirty and the coolant was orange, not pink, not sure if this means that the pink fluid is not the coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Thanks for the help, I will check tommorow under the bonnet for the coolant levels, the bottle did seem a bit dirty and the coolant was orange, not pink, not sure if this means that the pink fluid is not the coolant. It could be that the pink residue is from some time ago and that is has been replaced since. the liquid about to drip from the sump does look like coolant also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 It could be that the pink residue is from some time ago and that is has been replaced since. the liquid about to drip from the sump does look like coolant also. ok, thanks. I wonder if these things are related: -at idle the heat does not come out as much, I know the heat comes from coolant -and could the clicking noise possibly be a water pump noise, relating to the leak? And one question, if I take it to my local garage, how much do you expect it wouild cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 ok, thanks. I wonder if these things are related: -at idle the heat does not come out as much, I know the heat comes from coolant -and could the clicking noise possibly be a water pump noise, relating to the leak? And one question, if I take it to my local garage, how much do you expect it wouild cost? From the pictures i would rule out the water pump, the location of the water pump is on the left hand side of the engine and to me it would be weeping at that side. If the system has air in it, then it is possible that the heater wont be as hot as it should. A local garage might well have a look at the car for free in hope that they get to fix it, but it really depends on what needs done. It could be as easy as something needing tightened. get us some more pictures of the affected, as i said if you can trace it to where its coming from then we should be able to help fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 From the pictures i would rule out the water pump, the location of the water pump is on the left hand side of the engine and to me it would be weeping at that side. If the system has air in it, then it is possible that the heater wont be as hot as it should. A local garage might well have a look at the car for free in hope that they get to fix it, but it really depends on what needs done. It could be as easy as something needing tightened. get us some more pictures of the affected, as i said if you can trace it to where its coming from then we should be able to help fix it. ok, thanks. I'll try and find the leak source tommorow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 You may hate me for doing this, but took it to the garage and they say it's the thermostat leaking. They say they need to take the alternator and air conditioning pump out to do it. Not an easy job they say, I have read about this and is it really a hard job, is all this nessesary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 To get to the thermostat? I dont believe so? however the price seems about right... Take a look at the below, one of them may enable you to buy the part and fit it yourself, otherwise you could just buy the part and take it to a garage if necessary. However removing the other bits seems a little excessive. http://www.focushacks.com/?modid=59&ht=Replacing%20the%20thermostat%20and/or%20thermostat%20housing http://fordfocusworld.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=963 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artscot79 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 To get to the thermostat? I dont believe so? however the price seems about right... Take a look at the below, one of them may enable you to buy the part and fit it yourself, otherwise you could just buy the part and take it to a garage if necessary. However removing the other bits seems a little excessive. http://www.focushack...ostat%20housing http://fordfocusworl....php?f=39&t=963 do youreself a favour and find out how much ford wil take to do it you may find youre better having it done there take out alternator and aircon for a thermostat is !Removed! mate ford will do it without touching those parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 It's there now, though, hopefully they will ring back today. If not i'll ring them up to see if I can collect it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 got it back, cost £190. Could this coolant leak have caused any damage? The coolant was below the minimum marker on the tank. But I do check the temperature guage on the dash and it was always in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 So they replaced the housing, and presumably topped up the coolant? Unfortunately the tempp gauge wont always indicate a leak in the thermostat housing, as long as the engine is kept to a reasonable temperature then it will still appear ok, but the leak is still present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suddste Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 So they replaced the housing, and presumably topped up the coolant? Unfortunately the tempp gauge wont always indicate a leak in the thermostat housing, as long as the engine is kept to a reasonable temperature then it will still appear ok, but the leak is still present. On the invoice it lists antifreeze, thermostat housing, connection, and seal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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