Possible coolant leak

[Keeno85]

First off hello to all!

I'm looking for some help and advice. Last week I purchased a 2016 focus zetec s 1.0 ecoboost 125 with 26K on the clock. 

The place i bought it from offer a 14 day money back guarantee which ends this Saturday. I've noticed that the coolant was just below the minimum level and after discussions with the garage they have agreed to have it on Friday and investigate to fix any leak found. I've read horror stories about the ecoboost engines blowing up due to a problem with coolant loss and, when booking the car in, the garage seemed to be aware of it also.

Can anyone offer up some more information about the coolant issue as I thought it was only the earlier models (12-14) that had experienced issues? is there anything i should look for or check before the garage have the car to look at?

 

[JW1982]

The MK3  and MK3.5  1.0 ECOboost both have their cooling system problems. The most common problems are:

* Broken/split degas hose (MK3 only, the MK3.5 has a different/improved design).
* Broken/split coolant reservoir (Both MK3 and MK3.5).
* Leaking water pump seal (Both MK3 and MK3.5).
* Leaking O-ring seal behind the timing belt cover (Both the MK3 and MK3.5).
 

The degas hose, coolant reservoir and leaking waterpump are pretty easy to fix. The leaking O-ring seal behind the timing belt cover however is a lot more difficult to replace. It takes approximately 10 hours to replace the 50 cent o-ring.
 

The only differences between the MK3 and the MK3.5  1.0 ECOboost cooling system are the degas hose design (The MK3 can easily be converted to MK3.5 specs.) and the fact that the MK3.5 has an additional cilinder head temperature sensor. Apart from this there are no differences.

[Keeno85]

37 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

The MK3  and MK3.5  1.0 ECOboost both have their cooling system problems. The most common problems are:

* Broken/split degas hose (MK3 only, the MK3.5 has a different/improved design).
* Broken/split coolant reservoir (Both MK3 and MK3.5).
* Leaking water pump seal (Both MK3 and MK3.5).
* Leaking O-ring seal behind the timing belt cover (Both the MK3 and MK3.5).
 

The degas hose, coolant reservoir and leaking waterpump are pretty easy to fix. The leaking O-ring seal behind the timing belt cover however is a lot more difficult to replace. It takes approximately 10 hours to replace the 50 cent o-ring.
 

The only differences between the MK3 and the MK3.5  1.0 ECOboost cooling system are the degas hose design (The MK3 can easily be converted to MK3.5 specs.) and the fact that the MK3.5 has an additional cilinder head temperature sensor. Apart from this there are no differences.

Thanks for your help

as I understand it I have the facelift mk3.5 version and so hose causing the major engine failures is new spec. Are there any pics of the different hose positions so you can see which one you have? 

Are there any signs to look out for when you have a coolant leak to try and locate it? 

 

[JW1982]

2016 = MK3.5 so your car definetely has the improved hoses. There are basically no known problems with these hoses.

You can visually search for traces of coolant residue below the water pump, timing belt cover and inspect (the bottom of) the coolant reservoir for (micro)cracks.

Apart from this you should ask the garage to drain the coolant (there is a drain valve at the bottom of the radiator) and perform both a vacuum test and a pressure test. These tests take approxiately 15 minutes each. During the tests the cooling system must hold the vacuum/pressure. Any drop in vacuum/pressure during the tests indicates a leak. 

[Shazza69]

Hi I have 2016 Ford Focus  I have a wet carpet drivers side  I have had in garage for full service and mot. Unfortunately he couldn’t find the leak. Can anyone please help 

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, Shazza69 said:

Hi I have 2016 Ford Focus  I have a wet carpet drivers side  I have had in garage for full service and mot. Unfortunately he couldn’t find the leak. Can anyone please help 

 

[Shazza69]

He said it seems to be  is the Hester Matrix easy fix ? 

[StephenFord]

20 minutes ago, Shazza69 said:

He said it seems to be  is the Hester Matrix easy fix ? 

Nope, the heater matrix is not an 'easy fix' LOL If you're lucky, it'll be the pipe that leads into the heater matrix (very common fault), as from the posted thread above, there is a small seal that is a weak point. The seal from Ford is about £4, getting to it is about 2 to 3 hours labour! If it is the heater matrix itself (unlikely though), it's a dash out job!

[Shazza69]

Oh jeez it stressful  I believe mine has  the upgraded heater pipe that was fault  

[Shorty943]

Hi there I have a 2015 Mk3.5 focus ST Diesel and it’s got a slight coolant leak I can’t see where it’s coming from it’s not overheating or anything which is confusing but last night I noticed steam coming from the front it only seems to lose coolant fast if am driving harshly managed to drive over 2 hours today taking it easy and it’s barely dropped any help would be much appreciated