If it was a GM vehicle, what would you be changing to fix it?




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...that's not really a clear question. I would replace what was leaking, and different cars I would suspect different areas. Most vehicles/engines have their common places they leak. If it was a DeVille with an older Northstar I would immediately look at the crossover gaskets and waterpump housing seal, a Vortec 350, the heater hose quick connect adapter, on an LS motor, the waterpump and thermostat housing seal, any GM V6 the waterpump, 3.8 in particular the coolant bypass elbow, 3.1/3.4 the intake gaskets, they typically leak in the corners as well into the engine, or the coolant temp sensor.
Hence why I asked my question. I know a couple of people on here that external coolant leaks and didn't really see a final outcome so I was hoping they would chime in and tell me what the dealer replaced for them.

 

if the head is the issues, there is no replacement part other than a new long block.

 

Blown head gasket can cause loss of coolant, if it leaks bad enough you will notice rough idle until it burns off the coolant. Noticed several people on the web complaining about head gasket leaks on 2013 1.6.

 

going by problems with my own and also having been a dealer tech factory dsm for a German car company.


item one found was the copper compression seals on the turbo cooler lines , water pumps on the 13 1.6 were another common issue with them on back order for a while, I waited close to 2 months adding coolant every few days .
finally with no external leaks only the stink ,being found they did a over night pressure test on the system, next morning they pulled the spark plugs and dropped a bore scope down though the hole. low and behold there was drops of orange coolant on top of the pistons. if you look on line for ford dealers selling parts, you will find the cylinder head for 1.6 l motors listed as to 07/24/2013 "discontinued use this number cj5z6006g which is a service long block assembly 2 times superseded to a 2015 number. photos of the engine can be seen in this ebay listing for a price I find way under dealer cost since they list for $3.358.52 plus a $800.00 core Ford Escape 1 6 Egoboost Eng 2012' 2013' CJ5Z 6006 G Under Dealer Cost No COR | eBay
as I was told this is a complete long block engine with injectors. VC, timing belt and cover ,water pump, oil cooler and filter minus the intake and exhaust manifolds. some external parts and flex plate
please let us know how you make out and what is found

 

So a 2014 Ford Escape with the 1.6 engine would have the older version of the the cylinder head?

Technically a 1.6 liter Escape built in 2014 could have head gasket issues down the road, say at 45,000 plus miles?

I'd like to think that I could get many miles out of my ride without a major engine rebuild.

 

The cooling issues on the 1.6ls were from coolant loss and overheating not so much a bad cylinder head design. People were developing coolant leaks from the water pump and other places on the early 2013s. Then they would run the engine till it overheated causing blown head gaskets or micro fracturing of the cylinder head. This happen because of faulty software not activating limp mode or auto shut down. This was corrected by a PCM flash and rerouting coolant lines.
The 2014 came with the cylinder head update and the current software update and hose routing. Another words I wouldn't worry about the longevity of the 2014 1.6ls. They should last a long time if you keep the oil changed and replace the timing belt at the recommended mileage.
Mark

 

I did list what was done and replaced. the list is long as is my pile of repair orders high , the final outcome was a new motor mine was one of many with a bad cylinder head casting, proven with the use both black lamp and dies showing external cracks and a bore scope that showed drops of coolant on the piston tops ,


there has been several major recalls for the early 1.6 ecoboost motors www.safercars.gov will give you the information your looking for. These pretty much cover 1.6 ecoboost motors built from Oct 11 2011 to June 2nd 2013 with coolant leaks and what ford has done for the better and our personal safety.


you state your a gm tech? Then you should well know, We techs can no longer rely on our eyes and simple pressure testing to find leaks. These are now the days and have been for several years, Of adding black light die to a system, while some of these leaks are from parts like a water pump. core plug or loose sealing rings to micro cracks from bad castings that can't bee seen without help. IE black light and bore scopes,
I'm sorry to say this to a fellow tech, your car needs to go into the dealer and be checked as per the many TSB's they have access to.

 

I agree with Ocean48, I always use a coolant hydrocarbon test kit when I have a overheating engine or one I can't figure out where the coolant is going. It's cheap and it works every time if you know how to use it. Their is simply no reason for hydrocarbons to be in the cooling system and if you find them their you have a bad problem.
Mark

 

Oh yes, as long as the dealer is open at 8am tomorrow it's going to the dealer. Made an appointment Tuesday for tomorrow. I almost bought a hydrocarbon tester but decided I'd let the dealer handle it and depending on what they say will determine if I buy one. I can smell the coolant under the hood but no idea where the world it's going. Being FE's have a cover panel underneath I can't tell where the leak is. It hasn't spotted in a parking lot yet, and it has snowed here quite a bit. I'm interested to see what's up. I'll check my build date as well to see if it possibly has a crappy block or head. Being it's a 2013 I'm sure it does.

 

Well due to the snow we have had the dealer wasn't open this morning. So I will call tomorrow to if they're open. If not Monday I will reschedule.

 

Hi 91sonomast,

I wanted to check in with you on how your appointment went. Please let me know if you have any updates.

Meagan

 

Any updates?

 

Dropped it off yesterday at the dealer at 8am. They called me around 10:30am with the diagnosis of a leaking waterpump. Part was supposed to come in today. Hopefully can pick it up tomorrow. They gave us a loaner as well. Our dealer are good people just concerned with the long-term ownership of this thing being it is an early '13 with the KNOWN block/head casting defect that is most likely going to cause issues at some point that I AM NOT going to pay for even if it is out of warranty. @FordService is there anyway you can get me the records of the warranty work performed on my vehicle?

 

I'm glad to hear your dealer's been great. Since I'm not a technician, I don't have access to that information, however, your dealer would be able to let you know. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Meagan

 

I picked it up tonight after hours. Haven't even had time to pop the hood or look it over. It will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. I will try to talk to the service department tomorrow and get the warranty records.

 

And just when you brag on someone they mess it up. Picked it up after hours and we used the wife's key. They were supposed to leave my key in the car, didn't see it in the cupholder or door pocket so figured they forgot. Called the dealer, "left it under the floormat." I get home, of course after they've closed, checked under every floormat, every seat, no key. Called hoping to catch the service writer, he's out, they call him, he says, "under the floormat." I assured them it was not under the floormat, I will be going up there Monday and figuring out where my **** key is. He told the lady that called him, "have him check under seat it probably slid under there." Good try buckaroo but the floormats are clipped in place and a key with a ring and a rubber tag on it aren't simply going to slide out from under it. Not real impressed with this situation, I foresee him somehow trying to turn this on to me, it's not going to happen.

 

On the subject of the leaking water pump. At how many miles did you start noticing coolant loss?


I have a 2014 with the 1.6 liter engine and even though it is a late model 2014 build last June and has low mileage it seems to have used up some coolant.


I took a look today and noticed the coolant is below the "Minimum" mark on the over flow bottle. When new the level was above the "Max line". This is with a cold engine that has sat for a couple of days.


I'm wondering if the water pump leak is common with the 1.6 Ecoboost engines?

 

Idk if it's common but I am by far not the first with this issue.
Our vehicle has 47k miles, they had to top off the coolant when we bought it a 41k miles so I'm assuming then. But I had been noticing a coolant smell for a week or so when I made this thread.

 

The water pump replacement seems more like a band aid fix as other members on this forum have had their water pumps replaced and the coolant still continues to burn up and out the exhaust pipe.

If you continue to lose coolant I would press the dealership further to look into the possibility that the engine head has micro cracks.

Again this seems to be only affecting the 1.6 Ecoboost engine. Some 2014 owners are also loosing coolant. I've noticed the level of coolant in my late model 2014 1.6 is also well below the minimum level and needs to be topped off with only 3,000 km's on the clock.

 

My sister in laws 2014 Escape SE 1.6 L just turned over 17,000 km's

I had a look just for the heck of it at the coolant level. To my surprise the coolant container was almost completely empty. I'm really surprised that there isn't some sort of check engine light that hasn't turned on yet.

I told her to get it to the dealership first thing in the morning.

She had an oil change done on her Escape at the Ford dealership at about 9,000 km's. I'm surprised that the technician did not notice the low coolant level, or maybe they did and topped it off. and it has since used up the entire coolant overflow bottle of coolant.


There is no way that a new vehicle with only 17,000 km's should have lost that much coolant. Luckily for her it's only a lease and is paid for by her work.


I guess this is the last hint I need to trade in my 2014 1.6 Escape for 2015 with the 2.0

I don't put a ton of mileage on my vehicle but plan on keeping it for at least 12 years. With my current 1.6 Ecoboost there is no way that I would be able to get 12 years out of it with coolant loss.

 

...(snip) .....


I guess this is the last hint I need to trade in my 2014 1.6 Escape for 2015 with the 2.0

I don't put a ton of mileage on my vehicle but plan on keeping it for at least 12 years. With my current 1.6 Ecoboost there is no way that I would be able to get 12 years out of it with coolant loss.

Now you don't know this. I put over 30,000 miles (about 48,000 km if my math is correct) in just about 16 months or so on our '14 1.6 without ANY coolant loss.... But as good as an excuse to buy a new car as any, I suppose!

 

So my sister in law has an appointment to take her 2014 Escape in to the dealership this week.

She stopped by an independent garage and the mechanic told her to take it to the dealership as the vehicle is still under warranty. He told her not to have Ford fill the coolant, but to find out why so much coolant has disappeared. He told her that a new car with low mileage (17,000 km's) should NOT be using up any coolant.

I am pretty sure Ford will fill the coolant up and send her on her way without even trying to find out if the water pump is leaking, or if there is something else going on.

 

So my sister in law has an appointment to take her 2014 Escape in to the dealership this week...

Thanks for the update, CND_Escape.

Let us know the outcome, and if your sister-in-law needs further assistance. Don’t hesitate to contact my FordServiceCA colleagues here.

Most likely, they will give her a new water pump - saying that is the source of the leak. But check it very carefully every couple weeks because if it is like mine the leak will still be there. I had the big recall done on this issue, then the new water pump, and now I can see the slow leak is still there...

Tbudjobs,

If your vehicle is still experiencing symptoms, let me lend a hand. What’s the mileage?

Tricia

 

Most likely, they will give her a new water pump - saying that is the source of the leak. But check it very carefully every couple weeks because if it is like mine the leak will still be there. I had the big recall done on this issue, then the new water pump, and now I can see the slow leak is still there.

Good luck to her, and yes luckily it is just a lease! Other than the 1.6 engine issues, I absolutely LOVE this car!

 

Yes my sister in law is having the coolant loss in her 2014 Escape with the 1.6 engine.

I'm not sure of the build date, but I'll find out.


I thought the new engine/head was a 2015 thing only??

 

I checked the VIN on my sister in laws Escape and it was built March 28th, 2014




I though the new head part number for the 2015's

 

Maybe it was only a 15 thing. I thought 14's got it as well.

 

So my sister in laws 2014 Escape spent two days at the dealership. They had to order a part.


They changed the cap on the degas coolant bottle as they said the gasket under the cap was faulty. They topped off the coolant and sent her on her way.


I checked the coolant bottle a couple weeks ago and did not notice any leaking coolant unless it was evaporating?


I still think the water pump leaking may be to blame.

 

Thanks for the update, CND_Escape!

Just a friendly reminder, if need anything don’t hesitate to contact my FordServiceCA colleagues here.

Have a great weekend!

Tricia

 

2013 2.0 FWD Coolant loss mystery

55,000 miles in and "engine fault, service now light". Dealer says it was an over temp code caused by 1 gallon of coolant missing. Powertrain warranty would only respond if the issue was internal. The dealer has had the vehicle for 3 days and calls to tell me to come pick it up. They cannot find the issue. They have pressure tested the coolant system. And used a scope to look in the cylinders. I have found many issues regarding the 1.6 motor and coolant. Nothing on the 2.0. The Ford dealer wants me to come get the vehicle as they cannot find where they system is loosing coolant. The only time I have ever though there may be any issue is after long trips. When getting in the garage and out of the vehicle there is a smell that could be coolant. I always passed this off as possible adhesive or rubber getting warm.

Where do I go from here? Being that this vehicle is still under warranty, do I push the issue? What further testing should be done on this issue?

 

55,000 miles in and "engine fault, service now light". Dealer says it was an over temp code caused by 1 gallon of coolant missing. Powertrain warranty would only respond if the issue was internal. The dealer has had the vehicle for 3 days and calls to tell me to come pick it up. They cannot find the issue. They have pressure tested the coolant system. And used a scope to look in the cylinders. I have found many issues regarding the 1.6 motor and coolant. Nothing on the 2.0. The Ford dealer wants me to come get the vehicle as they cannot find where they system is loosing coolant. The only time I have ever though there may be any issue is after long trips. When getting in the garage and out of the vehicle there is a smell that could be coolant. I always passed this off as possible adhesive or rubber getting warm.

Where do I go from here? Being that this vehicle is still under warranty, do I push the issue? What further testing should be done on this issue?

Welcome to the forum.

I merged your thread with this existing thread on coolant loss. There are a lot of other threads on this, if you can't find the information you need here. Just have to do a quick search.

 

Well, I will jump with my tale. 2013 SE early built. 84000 or so kms. Well maintained. Had coolant lost when new, after 2 or 3 overhear/coolant related recalls the car did not loose a drop of coolant.
During test under Ford dealer due to a horrible drive train sound car heated up. Ending in several parts ordered under a TSB which is coolant system related. After that, cars starts loosing coolant a liitle every month or two. Luckyly, reservoir level sensor works and car warns at "min" level. Dealer can not find the source. They pressure test and purged all system.
There's is one thing, car idles poorly at some starts, then smooths... It still have plenty of power (1.6T speaking). Turbo, PTO, drive shaft, engine/trans mount all replaced.

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idles poorly at some starts, then smooths[/B]...

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This should be a clue if the dealer was made aware of it. A borescope into the combustion chambers after an overnight will likely reveal coolant therein. Good luck.