First off - I have little to no car knowlege, so this will be a bit rough, but please bare with me.

My 52 plate Mk6 Fiesta Finesse overheated last night just as I pulled into the drive. It's been losing water the last few weeks (i top up about every five days) but I'm really broke so couldn't afford to get it looked at right away. As i was pulling in there was a pop and steam. I went out to look at it just now and one of the hoses is cracked clean off, including the piece it's affixed to.

The picture should explain. For context, the hose is (while standing in front of the car) to the left and back of the main engine and runs from that cracked part towards the cab of the car. The picture is taken at an agle sort of from the passenger seat towards the front left of the car (if you're standing in front). When i pour water into the overflow tank (i think it's called - clearish plastic tank to the back left where coolant etc goes), after a few seconds it comes pouring out of that cracked off piece.

So the pipe is fine but the piece it affixes to is still inside the pipe and cracked off. Obviously this whole piece needs replacing. My questions are:

1) What is the part that's cracked, can it be repaired (if so, how much) or will it need replacing (if so, how much).

2) Is there anything i can do in the meantime that will allow me to drive the car to a garage - is there any glues that can stick it together temporarily so i can drive the few miles to my garage?

Any other pointers (other than "when your engine is losing water, keep an eye on the guage, you moron") would be greatly appreciated. And thanks for reading!

This is the water outlet connection, made of glass filled plastic so cannot be repaired or bodged.

Replacement from Ford is about £55 for the part alone plus fitting.

You either buy one and get someone to fit it or get the car recovered to a garage and pay them.

Magic, thanks DieselPig, local ford have them in stock for £72 (incl vat). How long would it take to install? Trying to figure out how much it'll cost to get a mobile mechanic to put in, guessing that'll be cheaper than a tow.

That is the Thermostat housing. Those are about £85 from Fords. You may find it cheaper on eBay, but make sure you get the right one as there are numerous variants of it. It includes the thermostat and because these are made of plastic, they do have a tendancy to either warp or go brittle and break.

You need to remove all the pipes goiung to it and the connection to the sendor on the top. Undo the bolts and remove. Clean the surface of the engine down and I suggest using a applying some blue gasket sealant before fitting the new one.

Oh dear. Should I try to take more pictures so we can figure out exactly what it is?

Oh dear. Should I try to take more pictures so we can figure out exactly what it is?

No. Its definitely the thermostat housing. I changed the one on our SportKA last year and they always go on Fords along with the dreaded HCV.

Epic facepalm - just realised the thermostat housing and water outlet connection are the same thing - Fordparts.uk has it listed as "Ford Fiesta Thermostat Housing Water Outlet Connection". Makes life a lot easier! Thanks both.