Focus Mk3 2011 - heater pipe leak

[Roberto82]

Jesus, this is driving me mad.  So I know it's an older post but been a frustrating few days.  I've tried the hose trick first with 22mm hose, very difficult to get the hose on, then when I did could barely turn the screws on the clips to tighten up, when I thought it was tight enough, took for a spin, steam everywhere ...nightmare.

 

I removed the hose, had to cut the bugger off, went to ford bought o rings and clips as suggested, o rings didn't seem to fit and then pipes won't sit flush again.    In at my wits end with this and I'm normally okay doing small jobs on the car it's really testing my patience, Ford wanted to fit a new matrix £1100 upwards hence why I'm determined to sort this, I'm fairly tall so it's location isn't helping.  

 

Any tips or anybody who's done the hose fix near Liverpool who wants to help you're more than welcome.

 

I cannot even put into words how annoying this procedure has been 

[Barrets]

On 7/30/2019 at 7:20 PM, vindi93 said:

Yeah i bought 19mm lol it was nightmare to get them on did it in the end but 22mm is the way forward.

Hello

Iam going to be attempting this tomorrow. I have bought 22mm flexible heater pipe an the clamps. Once the old clips come off, do the pipes pull apart fairly easy? 

 

Quote

 

 

[Focuszetecsab22]

Hey everyone, just wondering if the heater matrix is covered by warranty please? 

[TomsFocus]

2 hours ago, Focuszetecsab22 said:

Hey everyone, just wondering if the heater matrix is covered by warranty please? 

On a 2013 model you're well out of manufacturer warranty.  Do you have an aftermarket warranty?  If so you'd have to check with them specifically.

[Focuszetecsab22]

Okay thank you, I have extended warranty just waiting for them to phone me back. 

[Congers]

Hi, had the same problem with my 2011 1.0 ecoboost mk3 Focus. Thanks for all the information already given in this post. Thought I would feed some information back. My expansion tank was empty, only noticed when I was not getting hot air into the car on short journeys. Traced the leak to the uppermost heater matrix pipe. The footwell soundproofing under the carpet in the driver's footwell was soaking, but not the carpet as the fluid drips down behind the carpet.

Phoned the local Ford dealer's spares department, and as expected they were saying about replacing the matrix etc etc 🤑🤑. Asked them for 2 of the Mk2 O rings, which were just short of £10!!! I had to start somewhere. I couldn't find anywhere on the internet where the size was specified to source a cheaper alternative so I've measured them.

 

When I got to the replacement it looked like the original washer was not inserted correctly as it looked crushed between the male and female part of the upper pipe. The lower pipe washer which I also replaced was correctly fitted. It is awkward, but with the use of an small inspection mirror I could check the groove in the female/lower pipe was clean. The O rings were a little difficult to get in as yes, as stated in another post, they seem too big, but once they're in the groove they sit in there quite well. I was concerned how much space I would get between the pipes but there is a small amount of movement from the pipes that go through the bulkhead. I used a small hook to sit the ring in the groove.

I hope these images help. Oh by the way, I re-used the original clips. 

 

EDIT : Sorry, my photos don't seem to have pasted?????

Edited December 20, 2019 by Congers
No photos

[Congers]

25 minutes ago, Congers said:

Hi, had the same problem with my 2011 1.0 ecoboost mk3 Focus. Thanks for all the information already given in this post. Thought I would feed some information back. My expansion tank was empty, only noticed when I was not getting hot air into the car on short journeys. Traced the leak to the uppermost heater matrix pipe. The footwell soundproofing under the carpet in the driver's footwell was soaking, but not the carpet as the fluid drips down behind the carpet.

Phoned the local Ford dealer's spares department, and as expected they were saying about replacing the matrix etc etc 🤑🤑. Asked them for 2 of the Mk2 O rings, which were just short of £10!!! I had to start somewhere. I couldn't find anywhere on the internet where the size was specified to source a cheaper alternative so I've measured them.

 

When I got to the replacement it looked like the original washer was not inserted correctly as it looked crushed between the male and female part of the upper pipe. The lower pipe washer which I also replaced was correctly fitted. It is awkward, but with the use of an small inspection mirror I could check the groove in the female/lower pipe was clean. The O rings were a little difficult to get in as yes, as stated in another post, they seem too big, but once they're in the groove they sit in there quite well. I was concerned how much space I would get between the pipes but there is a small amount of movement from the pipes that go through the bulkhead. I used a small hook to sit the ring in the groove.

I hope these images help. Oh by the way, I re-used the original clips. 

 

EDIT : Sorry, my photos don't seem to have pasted?????

 

[Shaun1997]

Got a Ford Focus lx mk2 2005 leaking coolant all over the driver footwell do you cut the aluminium pipe to fit rubber hose  then jubilee clip it doing my head in had to by pass it at bulk head at the moment but with the ***** weather can’t see out the window when driving thanks 😡😡😡

[Cravo]

Hi, thanks for all the info shared on this so far, I too have the same issue with coolant leaking into my drivers footwell (focus mk3).  Please could someone advise the best way to remove the trim/panel to access the pipes?

thanks

[Lifebyvince]

On 1/15/2020 at 2:01 AM, Cravo said:

Hi, thanks for all the info shared on this so far, I too have the same issue with coolant leaking into my drivers footwell (focus mk3).  Please could someone advise the best way to remove the trim/panel to access the pipes?

thanks

I have the same issue on a 2013 Focus Mk3, going to try the heater hose and hose clamp method, will keep you posted on the both panel removal and the hose replacement!

[Cravo]

On 1/25/2020 at 2:04 AM, Lifebyvince said:

I have the same issue on a 2013 Focus Mk3, going to try the heater hose and hose clamp method, will keep you posted on the both panel removal and the hose replacement!

How did it go?

[edmunek]

just wanted to say hi and let everyone know that after 5 hours of a fight with my ford focus the leak from the pipes going the heater is fixed.

 

it was oring completely missing on the top pipe which was leaking. I have replaced also the oring in the bottom pipe while I was already doing the job. 

[StuckFocus]

Hi,

I have a 2012 Focus car is never had a problem but this antifreeze leak. So

I initially tried replacing O rings on both pipes and that worked for few days and then again leaked slowly.

I then tried to do the fix provided here with the rubber hose and that seemed really good until it started leaking after a good 60 miles trip.

i'm not sure what else to try this is really driving me mad. i spoke to someone on facebook who does replace the whole matrix by taking out the whole dashboard etc and got a quote for labour a £300, and when asked if this may happen again in the future he said well you should get the new heater matrix type which has no pipes joining such as your current one.

He didn't tell me where to find it he just said on the internet, any ideas?

Thanks

 

[DesmondEngineer]

Hello, had same issue with my C-Max, so drained coolant as best I could, and then cut off the upsets on the two pipes with a dremel (pig of a job!).

then sleeved both pipes using heater hose, but I slapped on some LSX sealant first. Then used jubilee clips and horsed them up using a socket (get more purchase on them vs screwdriver).

Allowed to set for about 2 hours, refilled coolant and job done.

I am an Engineer and total time was 4-5 hours, just zero room and I had to lay on my back inside the footwell, using a tie wrap to hold back the clutch.

Small orings like this don’t last, didn’t want to do this job again so I prefer the sleeved solution.
Good luck!

Ps. I stuck on some jubilee clips which aren’t doing anything (middle ones), but should there ever be a need for them I can use them ASAP. As it stands, only 2 clips per pipe are actually tightened.

https://ibb.co/7X4yk5J

[Be_Focused]

Hi all,

I have been following this post as this has recently happened to mine and was wondering how (and how easy is it) to remove the plastic side panel which covers these pipes. Do I need a special prying tool or anything?

Thinking of going down the rubber hose and jubilee clip option. How is this holding up for everyone who has used this option?

Thanks everyone for your posts. Hoping I can sort mine out soon.

[DesmondEngineer]

Hello

I've done two of these now, both holding up just fine.  Just remember to tighten up clip with screw driver tight, and then a further slight nip up with socket...don't go too far, it's aluminium remember and it's soft.

C-max panel a bit of a pain, I just took the dremmel down it as you can see from above, and then stuck panel back on later.  I wanted to be able to see after a week or two if she was still holding up, didn't want to take panel off, fix job, panel back on and then have the leak start again without me noticing, it's nice to have the "inspection hatch" cut away for this reason.  Don't worry, nobody will see the panel has been cut, it's deep inside the footwell.

The C-max panel I think is quite big, unlike the Focus which comes off easy and is quite short in size, but yeah the CMax is one big moulding sadly.  I actually managed to change the heater core on a 55 plate Focus by just removing the panel, and a few other bits and bobs at the footwell where the pedals are...total job 1 hour, amazing!

[Be_Focused]

Thanks for your response DesmondEngineer. For some reason, I couldn't see your photo of the finished job earlier and now I can. Looks great.

You mentioned the job (in your previous post) took 4-5 hours, what made it take so long and what made cutting the pipes such a pain? I would have thought the Dremel would have made it a breeze but I guess if the cutting disc is smaller than the diameter of the pipes then that would be quite hellish.

Also, did you use 22mm hose like others suggested or were they a different size? Thanks alot for your insights.

[DesmondEngineer]

10 hours ago, Be_Focused said:

Thanks for your response DesmondEngineer. For some reason, I couldn't see your photo of the finished job earlier and now I can. Looks great.

You mentioned the job (in your previous post) took 4-5 hours, what made it take so long and what made cutting the pipes such a pain? I would have thought the Dremel would have made it a breeze but I guess if the cutting disc is smaller than the diameter of the pipes then that would be quite hellish.

Also, did you use 22mm hose like others suggested or were they a different size? Thanks alot for your insights.

From memory, I think I used 22mm ID heater hose for the C-Max mk2, and 19mm ID heater hose for the Ford Focus 55 plate.  I had some spare hose in both sizes, but I had to buy 19mm ID hose from Halfords for another Focus heater core replacement job, worked fine.

For sleeving, 4-5 hours was start to finish, including emptying coolant, cutting pipes, sleeving, refilling coolant, bleeding air etc....you know what like, it always takes longer than you think.

What took time was cutting the pipes with the dremel, I misplaced my extension attachment which I recommend using, because the main body of the dremel is kinda fat and thick, and access is extremely limited since the pipes are buried right up inside the footwell.

The joins on both pipes are on different places (one higher up), so you have to be very careful when cutting one pipe not to damage another, because you want to create a sealing surface and if you accidentally slip and cut into the other pipe, you create a pathway for a leak to occur.

Yes, the radius of the cutting disc is smaller than the pipe OD, so I could only get so far around before I had no option but to use the snips to pull the join off.  You obviously have to then file the join with a file and also sandpaper, because you don't want to cut the heater hose when you sleeve (ok, it's tough EPDM rubber, but you've come this far not to mess it up now).

The second one I did, I found my dremel extension, and I also found my small handy saw (see links below) which helped.  I also had a bit more experience, and this one took around 2-3 hours, but it's just in such a pain in the ar.se location, very hard to work in such conditions and my back isn't the best thesedays....I'm getting old, haha.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-020220-FatMax-Multi-Blades/dp/B002SHR5LK/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=small+saw&qid=1596624270&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dremel-Multi-Purpose-Extension-Sharpening-Woodworking/dp/B008ETGPOY/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2XPTGNFQZGE99&dchild=1&keywords=dremel+extension+shaft&qid=1596624300&sprefix=dremel+ex%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE0WjFMQVFFNlZPMEQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NzExNjAyNzlQSFkxRzFQUjZMJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMzUxODcyVU5BRkcxU1lJUjQwJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Just take your time, don't get frustrated and you'll be fine.  Oh, use decent jubilee clips, the ones from Halfords are good (expensive of course!).

D

[Bike Man]

Hi, I have the same problem which is getting worse as time goes on. Even so bad that the coolant can occasionally make the sole of my shoe slippery enough to slide on the clutch pedal. I have sourced O rings and clips from eBay cost a penny under £30, however, I have to ask, did no one try sealing the pipe connections with silicon? Do you think it would work if given enough time to cure?

[PaddyF]

Hi Everyone. I had this problem last year and sourced new o'rings which went on fine . but when we put the car up and ran it coolant came spraying out of the dash - we think suggesting the matrix springing multiple leaks under pressure. So we bypassed the heater core.. then covid struck.

 

does anyone have any recommendations for a replacement heater matrix part with the o'rings or is there a thread which shows the install of the long pipe newer version (that Ford sell..)

 

thanks in advance

[PhilC85]

Afternoon All, 

So I've been hit by the slippy clutch matrix leak of impending doom!

I just want to clarify with all you magicians who have sorted this out what is needed and if my list is correct before I go and get everything to do the job. 

Also does the 22mm hose fit over the pipe with the plastic clip in place or do I leave it off? 

X4 Jubilee Clips 

X1 Set Of O Rings & Clips (From Ford)

X1 Length Of 22mm Heater Hose

X1 Tube Of Gasket Sealant 

 

[Cornerflag2017]

Hi guys. I’ve recently had the heater matrix done on my focus 2013. The footwell in the driver seat and behind the drivers seat is absolutely soaking due to the leak.

I kept topping up the antifreeze and didn’t know where the leak was going 🙈🙈

 

cheers

[Rotax]

Thank you to everyone who has commented on this thread.

My daughter-in-law's car stopped blowing warm air and she took it to a local garage (Harrison's MOT station in Hyde, Cheshire) who first said she needed a new engine and to get rid of the car.  They then replaced the header tank and rubber pipe at a cost of £300.  They later said she needed a heater matrix, but were not willing to carry out the job as it was too big a job for them. 

After reading this thread, I found the carpet in drivers footwell damp, and indeed the pipes were leaking.

Bought the O rings and clips as suggested for £19 from Ford dealer and Whitby's Lane Garage in Winsford, Cheshire (mates garage) fitted them for £50, so total of £69 instead of new engine (which would not have sorted the problem!!).

 

[fladavid]

On 2/19/2016 at 1:20 PM, fuseman said:

I

Does anybody know how to remove the panel to reveal those pipes. I bent mine back slightly to take a look but need to remove it totally to do this repair. 

[Boilinthebag]

Hi everyone, just thought I'd post my experience with this fix. Pulled back carpet and took off console side panel (there is a small cover near the pipes that once removed allows access to undo the fixing, then carefully prise away panel - I used my bike tyre levers to get leverage). This allows access to pipes. Then clamp off pipes in engine bay as they feed through bulkhead to minimise coolant leak. Undo clamps on pipes in footwell by unclipping apart. Then pull apart pipes at join - I used a flat headed screwdriver to help but be careful as alloy is softish. Top pipe was ok bottom needed more  patience as there is less room to push the 2 halves apart. Others have suggested undoing pipes at bulkhead to pull them through a bit but they are hard to get to so i didn't bother and it wasn't necessary. Then need to fish out old o rings and replace - make sure you put new o ring into female side ( there is a small groove where it sits snugly a few mm in) then rejoin pipes and redo clips (I used new ones but the old ones seemed ok so maybe could be reused). Part numbers are as per flatfour's post 30th Dec 2017. Don't forget to unclamp pipes in engine bay. Then you have the fun job of mopping up all the coolant and trying to get it out of the carpet and sound proofing...

i did this about 6 months ago, no issues since