Guide: Mk2 Leaking Coolant Driver's Footwell Fix

[JamboChris]

I found that I needed someone pulling the metal pipes from the engine side while I was lying upside down in the footwell pulling the pipes there.

It gave me just enough room to slip the split o ring out and insert the new ring.

[Mikes]

I have just attempted this on my Mk3. I can't get the o-ring inside the female part of the pipe. The o-ring seems too big? It is also odd that when I took the pipe off, there wasn't an old o-ring?

Happy to pay someone to come and fit this ****** thing!

[Mikes]

Right, I used my phone on reverse camera and I found an old o-ring sat inside the female part. I now have a new o-ring in place and a new clamp on it!!

I'm not sure why, but the clamp is much tighter one way around than the other. If I go with the looser way, the clamp clip sits nice and flush. If I sit it on the tighter way around the clip is not flush. Any ideas? I prefer the tight way, but the fact the clip isn't flush slightly concerns me.

[Alan McKechnie]

Just had the same problem on my 2012 Focus.  The mechanic that looks after my car cut the pipes at each end on both incoming and return to the matrix and replaced  with heater hose pipes fastened by four metal clips.  Think this will be a more long-lasting solution.....

[madman]

I've got my heater matrix o rings gone again twice in less then 2 years. 

Last time had it done was in garage I brought clips and o rings from fords and garage charge me there hourly rates. 

Are they easy to do from inside vehicle yourself the join is weeping beginning to drip and the plastic clip is just spinning around. 

 

[FatHead1979]

On 9/26/2019 at 2:12 PM, madman said:

I've got my heater matrix o rings gone again twice in less then 2 years. 

Last time had it done was in garage I brought clips and o rings from fords and garage charge me there hourly rates. 

Are they easy to do from inside vehicle yourself the join is weeping beginning to drip and the plastic clip is just spinning around. 

 

No, the join is up behind the clutch pedal so even if you zip tie the clutch pedal down to create a bit more space, it's still really tight and awkward.  Also, the pipes can move a little (through the bulkhead) when you apply pressure so when you're trying to push the pipes back together you'll likely need someone to hold the pipes in place (via the engine bay) otherwise when you apply pressure they'll likely slide further away from you.

[Fok]

The first time I had to do this, I had someone pull on the pipes from the engine side of the bulkhead whilst I pulled down on the heater matrix side of the join inside the car. That created enough of a gap to work with.

The second time I had to do it (when I made this guide) I managed to pull the engine side far enough back myself before heading into the footwell and pulling the join apart. I actually had a bigger gap the second time. It's certainly not a job to in a rush or if you're impatient! 

[madman]

Just had go.

Expansion cap broke in half any ideas how get it off

[madman]

Update new expansion cap and old bit pulled out 16 quid.

Now back to heater matrix o ring leak

[FatHead1979]

On 10/3/2019 at 4:17 PM, madman said:

Update new expansion cap and old bit pulled out 16 quid.

Now back to heater matrix o ring leak

Good luck mate, don't forget to post back with how you get on!

[madman]

Got new cap for 16 quid form fords, used pliers to pull out bit out as it's the screw part that breaks off cap.

Took car to small local garage and he said try k seal best on market as heater o rings was dripping and water pump started little leak. 

Second garage gave me two ideas fix it taking dash out expensive job or his mate cuts the metal pipes and re join then with hoses and jubilee clips. 

Took it again into garage as was passing it driving thru a town thought why not pop in. He recommended kseal as he's used it in his father's car. 

So brought it for 13 quid and so far no leaks from o rings or water pump as water level still touch above max.  Checked heater in car and that was red hot. Temperature gauge never goes past halfway and brought one those elm cables that reads everything. 

Thanks guys

 

[David says hello]

Been trying this o-ring fix myself. My coolant as already low enough that I didn't have to drain it! 

But, I can't get the pipes to mate properly to get the clip back over the joint. Do I need some help from someone pushing from the engine side?

Thank you!

[FatHead1979]

On 11/7/2019 at 8:27 PM, David says hello said:

Been trying this o-ring fix myself. My coolant as already low enough that I didn't have to drain it! 

But, I can't get the pipes to mate properly to get the clip back over the joint. Do I need some help from someone pushing from the engine side?

Thank you!

Some people have managed without a 2nd body helping but yes, you do really need someone to push the pipes through as far as they can from the engine side AND hold them there so you can get some leverage.

[Baggieboy]

On 10/14/2019 at 4:01 PM, madman said:

Got new cap for 16 quid form fords, used pliers to pull out bit out as it's the screw part that breaks off cap.

Took car to small local garage and he said try k seal best on market as heater o rings was dripping and water pump started little leak. 

Second garage gave me two ideas fix it taking dash out expensive job or his mate cuts the metal pipes and re join then with hoses and jubilee clips. 

Took it again into garage as was passing it driving thru a town thought why not pop in. He recommended kseal as he's used it in his father's car. 

So brought it for 13 quid and so far no leaks from o rings or water pump as water level still touch above max.  Checked heater in car and that was red hot. Temperature gauge never goes past halfway and brought one those elm cables that reads everything. 

Thanks guys

 

Hi mate..one of my o rings has gone and I was concidering giving k seal a go..was wondering if all is still good with yours after using it? 

[madman]

I've had my o rings go twice, first time garage did it underneath very fiddly and needs patience but can be done yourself if ur patient, then went again and that's when garages recommend trying k seal. So far so good no leaking o rings and little water leak pump has stopped.

I checked water level and it's still on max level.  

So all good mate. 

[Michael den]

On 3/21/2019 at 4:54 PM, 1979Damian said:

When you separate the pipes that are tucked up in the drivers side footwell you WILL lose a fair amount of coolant unless you've drained the system, most of the coolant loop is physically higher up than the pipes in the footwell so the fluid naturally runs to the lowest points, one of which is the heater matrix. @

Just a couple of things....put coolant hose clamps (like brake line clamps but bigger) on the hoses before you disconnect them so you don't need to drain the coolant. Remove hoses and blow the water through pipes to reduce spillage. The O-ring should go on the male pipe then push that into the female part.

[StephenFord]

I love this 'how to'. I had the exact same fault, repaired by my garage last year, but really interesting to see what work they had to do to fix it! The OP seemed to have disappeared after this one thread, but I suppose going out on a high is no bad thing 

[cokefour]

So I followed all the steps but now I've got a leak from the engine side hose with the grey clamp. Does that mean a new hose or am I not putting it back on right? I turn it 30 degrees clockwise but still get a leak. Is there a sealant ring in the hose that I'm missing?

It's the bottom one as the top isn't budging. Luckily it was the bottom one that was leaking in the car

[Toffeewolfie]

On 10/10/2017 at 10:42 PM, Fok said:

So after having to do this twice on my Mk2 Focus (2005) in the last 18 months, I figured I would make a guide for anyone who experiences the same issue. I managed to piece together various forum posts and Haynes manual pictures to do this, I don't think there is a comprehensive guide (if there was, the photobucket issue will have more than likely effected it anyway!). After taking a lot useful information off this forum, I am giving back by making this guide as my first post. 

The symptoms first appeared in the form of my radiator fan staying on after the engine was turned off. After checking the coolant level (assumed that was the issue), it had dropped by more than half and at the same time had noticed a soggy driver's mat. Under the mat was a 'puddle' which, from the colour of the liquid, I discovered was engine coolant. Again after some inspection and forum digging I discovered one of the pipes coming through the bulkhead into the heater matrix (bottom of centre console) was leaking. This was due to a ruptured o-ring where two pipes join together. 

The leaked coolant after topping up the reservoir then driving home form work. 

 

The 'culprit'. Leaking coolant pipe join and the plastic clamp has popped off.

If having the work done at a garage, they will more than likely result to dismantling the entire dashboard and replacing the heater pipes and/or matrix resulting in a very large cost mainly due to the labour involved (£400 plus I read people were getting quoted). The guide below requires just the cost of the Ford parts (around £15), 5 litres of coolant (£20ish), and about 2 hours of your time to replace the o-ring that causes this problem.

 

Step by Step Guide

1. First off you will need some o-rings and pipe clamps. I have read in multiple places that only the actual Ford parts should be used due to incorrect sizing with other branded parts. I highly recommend purchasing at least 2 o-rings if not more as the first time I did this, I dropped 2 behind the centre console, never to be seen again. Ford part nos. 1342708 (o-ring) and 1454337 (pipe clamp).

 

2. Jack up car onto axle stand(s) and remove engine under tray (see Haynes Manual).

3. Drain coolant entirely by removing crosshead bung screw at the bottom right (nearside) of the radiator (remove coolant reservoir cap to increase rate of drain).

4. Remove/undo rubber heater pipes where they meet the metal pipes at the engine side of the bulkhead (Pics below). I only removed the top pipe as I could not access the bottom release clip but it happened to be the one that was leaking so worked in my favour. The clips require a 30^o turn anti clockwise and pull off. The pipes swap orientation once through the bulkhead i.e. top pipe engine side becomes bottom pipe cabin side and vice versa. 

 

5. Remove the driver's side dash panel, next to the clutch pedal, held in place by one T25 screw under a little cover. You will likely need a friend for this bit as they will need to pull on the engine side of the pipe whilst you lie in the driver's footwell and pull the lower part of the leaking pipe to split it at the join. The lower pipe inserts into the upper part about 1 inch. At this point you will see the ruptured o-ring which resides in the upper part of the pipe. Remove the old o-ring with a flat blade screwdriver (See pics below)

 

6. The most difficult part now, inserting the new o-ring. I found the best way to do this is looping the new o-ring over a long flat blade screwdriver and pointing in an inch or two into the upper pipe so that you hugely reduce the risk of dropping it. There is a slight recess for the o-ring to sit near the lip of the upper pipe. Using the large screwdriver to hold it steady, guide the o-ring into place using either your other hand or another, smaller flat blade. 

 

7. With the o-ring finally in place, you will need your friend again to push on the engine side of the pipe whilst you guide the two split parts back together as closely joined as possible.

 

 

8. Finally, you will need to wrap and clip the pipe clamp around the join. This can be quite tricky as the join must be 100% flush and the clamps will only hold in place once clipped properly. This is best done with the aid of a pair of bent nose pliers. It should be tight and difficult to twist/rotate once clipped properly. 

 

9. All left to do now is to re-attach the rubber pipes from the engine side of the bulkhead and refill the coolant reservoir. You will want to overfill the reservoir right to the top as when you start the engine, coolant will be sucked into the cooling system and dramatically reduce the level. Refill as necessary to the correct level and leave the engine running for 15 minutes and check for any more leaks in the cabin. If all is well, there will no longer be any leak at the join in the cabin. Job done!

 

Let me know if you need any help if you have the same issue or have any questions/suggestions regarding the guide. 

Cheers!

Just found the same problem..2012 focus...48000 miles..losing coolant last few weeks..

All of a sudden drivers footwell was soaking..

 

Took it in..said heater matrix had gone..

 

Cost 800 to remove and replace..

 

Is this common in focus...

[anthony1234567890]

I have a 2013 cmax.  Has same problem.   Is it same fix and parts as in the focus. 

[Gavin rackley]

Thank you for the guide. Just did this on my MK3 Focus ST. 

I clamped the pipes in the engine bay rather the draining the radiator, not sure how tight it is in the MK2 but in the MK3 you can leverage the pipes apart then back together with some force. Had some old curtains to clear up the spills for coolant left in the dash side of the car.

Almost caught out by the old o ring which was stuck in the groove, got some lubricant on it and it came right out.

Thanks all!

[Ty7832]

How did you mange to fix it I dont seem to have e any room to be able to do it and I can't see what I'm doing unless I'm right under there then there's even less room so how has anyone else managed?

[Mike Channing]

I've a 2013 focus titanium 1.1 Eco estate. 

I have coolant leaking in the driver footwell

Anyone had similar issue and what's the fix please. 

Thank you. 

Mike

[unofix]

24 minutes ago, Mike Channing said:

I have coolant leaking in the driver footwell

Anyone had similar issue

......and the title of this thread is ?