Hi, 

new to the group but you guys seem to know what use are talking about, so any help would be really appreciated. 
 

last week was driving and engine temperature shot right up an said pull over, so pulled over safely checked coolant an it was empty so let engine cool and made it to the garage and got coolant and water, topped up and was okay, then engine temperature done the same on the way home but it had coolant in this time, spoke to a mate of mine with a garage, got it to the garage Wednesday last week, got a call Thursday saying they have found the problem which was apparently the thermostat housing was leaking, they replaced it for £195, which I thought solved an fixed my problem, but Sunday morning it happened again high temperature and back into limp mode, so currently unsure what to do and what to expect, any help would be appreciated. Thanks 

They say they changed the thermostat housing, but did they change the thermostat too? If not, that's the first thing to change, then, possibly head gasket, but check that the expansion tank is not leaking, they get hairline cracks that don't start leaking until hot and under pressure.

 

Which engine?  Zetec S is just a trim level.

Thanks for the reply.

i doubt they did replace the thermostat it’s self but not 100% I was pretty shocked when he said £195 for the thermostat housing. I’m gonna message a friend who’s a mechanic he knows his sh*t!! Just hope an pray it’s not the head gasket. 
 

I didn’t even know the s was just the trim haha, it’s a 1.6 petrol mate 

It’s an automatic if that’s changes anything. 

automatic makes no difference, put some dye in the water top it up then let it run see if you can see colour

15 minutes ago, Mbarbee said:

It’s an automatic if that’s changes anything. 

Hopefully it changes gear... 😄

They didn't do a 1.6 petrol Zetec S auto in 2014 though.  

It must just be a 1.6 Ti-VCT Zetec if it's automatic.

It changes gear like a dream my friend 👏🏽 

I stand corrected.

Must be super rare with that engine and gearbox in a Zetec S, never seen one before!

It is a 1.6 Ti-VCT though.  There was also a 1.6 EcoBoost (turbo) in the Zetec S but they were manual only in 2014.  So yes, being an auto does make a difference in this case.

The thermostat housing on these is a common weak point.  Only cost about £40 but are a right pain to access so high labour cost.

It's possible the garage didn't bleed it properly so the level may not drop again now.  If it does, have it sniff tested to rule out head gasket.  Assuming that passes ok then have it pressure tested to see if it's still leaking with the engine off.

You seem to know your stuff mate, only I had the details id off agreed with you haha. I just feel £195 is a lot but I’m no mechanic so I can only take their word. Do you mean that there could be air in the system an it’s not been bled? Think sniff test is what I’ll get done next an go from there. 
 

thanks for the reply mate 👍🏽

7 minutes ago, Mbarbee said:

You seem to know your stuff mate, only I had the details id off agreed with you haha. I just feel £195 is a lot but I’m no mechanic so I can only take their word. Do you mean that there could be air in the system an it’s not been bled? Think sniff test is what I’ll get done next an go from there. 
 

thanks for the reply mate 👍🏽

Yeah, there could have been air left in the system.  Did the fluid level drop at all on Sunday when it over-heated?

Either way, sniff test & pressure test are still the next steps.

I would hope the thermostat was changed with the housing at that price but as you say, no way to be sure unless its written on the invoice.

Nah mate not that I could see, it was still sitting between min am max. 
 

I’m gonna ring them in the morning actually to find out what they actually did, the garage was a friends garage, he’s the owner but we know what mechanics are like don’t we, we’ll some of them anyway 🙄. 
 

it was done pretty quick to be honest by the phone calls I’d say roughly 3 hours, what do mechanics charge per hour these days? 

13 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

I stand corrected.

Must be super rare with that engine and gearbox in a Zetec S, never seen one before!

It is a 1.6 Ti-VCT though.  There was also a 1.6 EcoBoost (turbo) in the Zetec S but they were manual only in 2014.  So yes, being an auto does make a difference in this case.

The thermostat housing on these is a common weak point.  Only cost about £40 but are a right pain to access so high labour cost.

It's possible the garage didn't bleed it properly so the level may not drop again now.  If it does, have it sniff tested to rule out head gasket.  Assuming that passes ok then have it pressure tested to see if it's still leaking with the engine off.

It will be a 100PS Auto in the Zetec-S, it shouldn't be VCT

8 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

It will be a 100PS Auto in the Zetec-S, it shouldn't be VCT

It's 125ps Ti-VCT in a Mk3 pre-facelift.  For a bit of fun I checked Autotrader to see how many are for sale.  Just two!!  One from 2012 and one from 2013.  As this one's from 2014 maybe they only built one a year.  

2012 Silver Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec S Hatchback 5dr Petrol Powershift Euro 5 (125 ps) for sale for £4,995 in LEEDS, WEST YORKSHIRE (autotrader.co.uk)

 

Oh, it's a MK3, I do apologise.

Yes, VCT and powershift😬

He's very luck that has lasted without issues

12 hours ago, Mbarbee said:

Nah mate not that I could see, it was still sitting between min am max. 
 

I’m gonna ring them in the morning actually to find out what they actually did, the garage was a friends garage, he’s the owner but we know what mechanics are like don’t we, we’ll some of them anyway 🙄. 
 

it was done pretty quick to be honest by the phone calls I’d say roughly 3 hours, what do mechanics charge per hour these days? 

I've read of London prices being around £75 an hour now, so would assume Northern prices to be around £60 an hour.  If we say 2.5 hours of actual work, that's £150 plus the £40 for the stat housing makes £190.  So maybe they didn't change the stat as well.

Yeah, best to check what they did and also see what they suggest for the overheating.  If the level didn't drop that would suggest no leak but potentially still an air lock.  It might be possible to fit the stat backwards in the housing (meaning they'd have to redo all the work they did, so let's hope not!).  Did the cooling fan come on?  If not, that could be another reason for overheating.