I've Been Told That I'm A Car Hypochondriac, But...

[ThomasWormald]

Hi!

I recently bought a Mk5 Fiesta Flight from my parents as a first car. It's the crappy 1.3 Endura-E engine, but I got it fairly cheaply, so I can't complain. I bought it with 40k miles on the clock, and in the couple of months that I've had it, I've added another 3k. Thought I'd better check the oil today as I'm doing so many miles, and noticed that the engine coolant level is below the minimum mark (even when the engine is hot). Then I noticed what you can see in the images - it looks like some coolant has sprayed out?

What do you think? Should I get it checked out at a garage? :/

[Stoney871]

I believe that may be the thermostat housing.

Defo get it looked at.

[Steelie600]

No need to get it looked at its just the pipe isnt on fully. Squeeze the clamp with a big pair of pliers so it opens it up and wiggle the pipe further on. Release the clamp and then just wipe up the mess. You shouldnt lose much if any if shoving the pipe back on.

Top the coolant up with BOILED and cooled water from the kettle with the engine cold to the maximum mark. And then have a brew and congratulate yersen on a job well done.

[ThomasWormald]

Thanks both of you! I've taken it to the garage down the road and the guy said exactly what Steelie600 said, that I'd be best doing it myself, and told me how.

[FOCA]

You should really use distilled/ purified water, especially if you are in a "hard" water area, as scale / corrosion can build up, (and they also add stuff to tap water, like fluride) - i use tescos still bottled water, at 17p wor 2 litres (much cheaper than distilled water)

If you have a leak and you keep topping the coolant up with water, this can dilute the anti-freeze, which is ok in the summer but when the winter comes the coolant can freeze/ expand/ cause serious problems

There are 2 main types of coolant/ AF , organic & non- organic, these cannot be mixed,/ best to stick with the recommended type

The coolant may be pre-mixed (you don't add water) or you add distilled water (usually up to 50%) it is important to maintain the correct concentration of anti-freeze (see above)

I recommend you change your oil + filter regular

There is a film of oil on your head (the one in your car ) around your plugs (pic 3) - the rocker cover gasket could be leaking / keep ane eye on the oil level

There may be a reason the hose started to leak - eg exessive pressure etc - just keep an eye on it

Better to be careful (without going OTT) than ignoring / neglecting the car its just getting the balance right :)

[Steelie600]

You should really use distilled/ purified water, especially if you are in a "hard" water area, as scale / corrosion can build up, (and they also add stuff to tap water, like fluride) - i use tescos still bottled water, at 17p wor 2 litres (much cheaper than distilled water)

Which is why I told him to boil the water! Kills everything that needs killing.

I dont think its excess pressure caused it, as you can quite clearly see its not on right!

I agree the oil needs washing off so you can check the oil seepage. The endura E, as with all the crossflow ohv engines use a cork gasket to seal them and after a while they deteriorate. However that is just normal uasge, Just wash it off with a jet wash.

Remember after you have jet washed it to pull the plug leads off one at a time and dry them out and a small squirt of WD-40 to stop them corroding.

Love the simpler ford engines, Soo easy to work on, reminds me of my yoof as an apprentice! I can do a head gasket on them in under 1/2 hour! LOL

[Stoney871]

Love the simpler ford engines, Soo easy to work on, reminds me of my yoof as an apprentice! I can do a head gasket on them in under 1/2 hour! LOL

Pity most garages can't do it that fast, would save shed loads on labour.

[AJ_sXe]

Pity most garages can't do it that fast, would save shed loads on labour.

Cant Won't ;) B)

[ThomasWormald]

Great, thanks! I'm about to pop out to Halfords to get some coolant now, and then tomorrow I'll clean it all up a bit, and do as Steelie600 suggested.

I'll also check the oil seepage that you pointed out. The oil level is a couple of mm above the min mark on the dipstick, so I'll keep an eye on that over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I can hold on to the car without any expensive repairs until the end of summer, when I can afford to swap to a Zetec-S :D

[Nathan_M]

If your like me you think that the oil wants checking every other day, haha, mine has gone down a touch because i keep checking it, and i obviously have to check it 3 or 4 times when i do look, haha.

[ThomasWormald]

Ok, so I cleaned it up a bit this morning, and tried to wiggle the pipe up a bit, but it's as far as it will go unfortunately. I've bought a jubilee clip as was recommended by the guy at my local garage, which I'll try and fit tomorrow.

However, I did clean a little bit of the engine this morning, and have since driven about 25 miles. The first picture is from right after I'd 'cleaned' it, and the second after I got back. Notice that there's a new layer of oily dirt underneath the 'Endura-E' bit. Is that coolant? It seems dry around the thermostat housing, so maybe not?

The images are hosted here on imgur

[Steelie600]

I would say the rocker cover is weeping a touch there. See if you can nip the four allen key bolts up a tadge. Youll need a 5mm allen key or allen socket. I wouldnt worry too much about it, but when you get it serviced get the gasket changed aswell

[FOCA]

So you >had< two different leaks - coolant from the hose leading to the thermostat housing and oil from the rocker cover gasket or bolt holes

On your original picture/s the red stuff round the hose was the coolant that had leaked and dried up, this is not visible anymore so i do not think there is a leak there at the moment

It is possible that the car overheated in the past and the coolant boiled over at this point, or there was a blockage in the heater matrix that caused exessive pressure, this may have been due to a faulty thermostat waterpump or radiator fan which may have been repaired now

Again keep an eye on the coolant level, also keep an eye on the temp gauge and see if the radiator fan switches on (it should go on when the engine is hot, on a hot day in traffic etc)

The oil seems to be seeping from the bolt holes on the rocker cover rather from in-between the rocker-cover and head, as it seems to have reapeared soon after it was cleaned, keep an eye on the oil level, if it is going down at a noticable rate, best to get the leak sorted, if it goes onto the eshaust it can stink, and an oil leak can be an MOT failure and put potential buyers off

Also, bothe the leak could be symptoms of other problems, cars are complicated and often do not have simple solutions like "hose is not pushed in right" or "its an old cork gasket" etc

The leaking hose may be a symptom of a pressure - build up frome elswhere in the system (as described above) again, the oil leak may be due to a blocked breather hose or a faulty PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) hose, early Fiestas had a wire gause called a firetrap in the rocker cover cap/ breather outlet (dual purpose) this could get blocked with oily gunge

The waterpump forces coolant up to the thermostat housing, before the thermostat opens (before the engine warms up) the coolant is diverted to the heater matrix, if the heater matrix is blocked or restricted, there is no-where for the pressure to go - so the seal goes (where it was leaking) (this is just a theory and not nessisarily what happened)

So you are looking at cause+effect like when a fuse blows - you must ask - WHY did it blow (instead of just sticking a new fuse in) - same with leaks etc

I hope i dont offend anyone by saying it looks like the car has been neglected for a while

[Steelie600]

that aint neglected bud, i see em 20 times worse on a daily basis!

[ThomasWormald]

So it has been a few days, and everything seems ok. The coolant temperature isn't rising above 90 degrees any more (previously it had peaked at 98 during stop-start traffic, which is probably when it was leaking).

I don't think the car has been neglected - It has a full service history, and only two owners before me, one being my Mum. I've only had it a couple of months, and it's not due for another service & MOT until October.

Thanks to everyone for their help, no doubt I'll be back in the near future with other problems!