Car loosing coolant. AA did test for head gasket and it’s ok. Said could be thermostat but heater working ok. Possibly leak on system? Any ideas anyone and if the fix is expensive do Ford cover the cost as heard there’s been lots problems with coolant on Ecoboost. 2016 reg

On 9/27/2023 at 12:00 AM, RayC333 said:

Case study: No sign of any leak, water pump, pipes, coolant reservoir etc.

Poor running, gradually getting worse but no actual overheating or high temperature shown on the dash gauge.

Could if course be a head gasket breaking down, and there is a test kit for that, but there is another possible cause.

1.0 Ecoboosts are known to get a crack in the cylinder head. The design incorporates an integral exhaust manifold and cracking can occur between the coolant passages and the manifold (insufficient wall section and/or poor heat treatment during manufacture).

Result, coolant in the cylinders, most prominently no 2. 

Remove the coils and spark plugs, do a check for coolant ingress - use an endoscope or a simple tightly rolled piece of kitchen paper poking down to the piston crowns. Is it wet?

A head gasket can be replaced but is an expensive job. Both the heads I've worked with also required skimming.

Good luck.

 

Hi Justine, as you say there are multiple examples of coolant related issues with the 1.0 Ecoboost engine.

Did you call the AA simply because you noticed the coolant was low in the expansion tank or were there other indications? e.g. poor starting or refusal to start, poor running,  temperature gauge reading higher than normal, white smoke from exhaust pipe?

Hopefully it is only a simple leak, as there are a number of places that could occur, and should be ruled out first. Some of the known problem points are the expansion tank itself (difficult to see cracking), the small bore pipes that lead from the expansion tank (cracking/breaking), the plastic connector (from one of the small bore pipes) that goes into the side of the cylinder head (cracking), the radiator, heater pipes and seals that go into the car (check for wet carpeting), around the thermostat housing .... to name but a few.

I don't know how confident you would be to check out these things. If not, your local trusted garage should be able check around without too much cost.

 

On 11/10/2023 at 2:39 PM, RayC333 said:

Hi Justine, as you say there are multiple examples of coolant related issues with the 1.0 Ecoboost engine.

Did you call the AA simply because you noticed the coolant was low in the expansion tank or were there other indications? e.g. poor starting or refusal to start, poor running,  temperature gauge reading higher than normal, white smoke from exhaust pipe?

Hopefully it is only a simple leak, as there are a number of places that could occur, and should be ruled out first. Some of the known problem points are the expansion tank itself (difficult to see cracking), the small bore pipes that lead from the expansion tank (cracking/breaking), the plastic connector (from one of the small bore pipes) that goes into the side of the cylinder head (cracking), the radiator, heater pipes and seals that go into the car (check for wet carpeting), around the thermostat housing .... to name but a few.

I don't know how confident you would be to check out these things. If not, your local trusted garage should be able check around without too much cost.

 

 

Hello. Coolant was low so filled it up and then took for short drive. Coolant then started to bubble and bang. Called AA who did pressure test and head gasket test - all fine. They think it could be thermostat which isn’t working properly and leak around the thermostat. 

Of course the coolant bubbling etc is definitely not a good sign but hopefully the AA person is correct with his checks and in saying it's a thermostat issue.

The Thermostat and Housing are replaceable parts. Ford have been known to replace certain coolant pipes free of charge but the parts you mention would not be covered.

My gut feeling is that there may be a more serious issue causing the coolant loss but get a good mechanic to take a look first.

If it is just a thermostat and/or leaking housing you will be one of the lucky ones!

It’s going into garage tomorrow. Couldn’t get it into Ford dealership for a month - so it’s going to a local mechanic so hope he knows what he’s doing! Stressful times. 

Update: leak found around thermostat housing. Needs replacing and that should fix the leak.