2013 2.0L ford leaking coolant, what part is this?

Jayne

Jayne

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2013 2.0L ford leaking coolant at an alarming rate from this spot on the 'back' of the engine:

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I can't seem to find what it is online. Big Tech loves censoring views they don't agree with but they haven't come up with a way to clean useless junk off auto forums. The "wow, that's too many miles, you should just go buy a new car" posts are their very own version of.... well the nonsense that goes on here. :)
 
I've found some (mazda) info that says it's not the plug, it's the plastic coolant assembly right below it, part #16:

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Seems like a posibility, crappy plastic bolted to the block getting hot and brittle over time.
 
Could be a coolant bypass. Can't tell with the other stuff in the way. Is it a pipe or a plug?

If it just looks like a smooth cap inserted into a hole, it's likely a freeze plug.
 
Jayne said:
I've found some (mazda) info that says it's not the plug, it's the plastic coolant assembly right below it, part #16:

View attachment 659662

Seems like a posibility, crappy plastic bolted to the block getting hot and brittle over time.
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That is an extremely common part to leak on those engines. I replaced probably 6 or 7 of them during my last year owning the shop.
 
TRaGiK said:
That is an extremely common part to leak on those engines. I replaced probably 6 or 7 of them during my last year owning the shop.
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Pretty easy fix? I was going to take it to the local shop, pretty sure I can limp it over there by just refilling the coolant reservoir every mile or so. With water, the coolant is all over the road in VA somewhere.
 
"just crack an egg in it"

🤣🤣🤣

Please for the love of God don't use one of those miracle in a can gimmicks. Or crack an egg in it.

Maybe consider using distilled water if it's a car you care about.
 
IF it's never had well or tap water in it you shouldn't be the one to start.

It won't cause anything catastrophic to happen. It won't cause any problem right away. If I were on the side of the road in an emergency I'd use water from a puddle.

If it's a car you plan to keep for a long time I would spend the few dollars on distilled water. When they flush the system they never get it all out. The minerals from well water can cause corrosion in your cooling system over an extended period of time. Eventually it can cause you some real problems.
 
C-doodle said:
If it's a car you plan to keep for a long time I would spend the few dollars on distilled water. When they flush the system they never get it all out. The minerals from well water can cause corrosion in your cooling system over an extended period of time. Eventually it can cause you some real problems.
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I'll crack open a few gallons of food lion distilled for the trip to the mechanic.
 
Jayne said:
Pretty easy fix? I was going to take it to the local shop, pretty sure I can limp it over there by just refilling the coolant reservoir every mile or so. With water, the coolant is all over the road in VA somewhere.
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If you're handy at all, you should be able to watch a YouTube video and replicate their work. Lol
 
I ended up towing it to the mechanic, it was basically dumping coolant (or water at this point) about as fast as I could put it in. Pretty catastrophic failure.
 
Jayne said:
I ended up towing it to the mechanic, it was basically dumping coolant (or water at this point) about as fast as I could put it in. Pretty catastrophic failure.
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IT'S BEEN 5 HOURS ALREADY AND THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!

WHAT'S THE DIAGNOSIS, MAN?

😉
 
Frack N Cylons said:
Was it the plastic part that you suspected?
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That was half of it, the thermostat housing was the other half. I didn't know about that (can't see it) so had I done this myself it would have been half done.

I'm theorizing that when the 'water distributor' failed and all the coolant fled that the plastic thermostat housing melted since it was in contact with the block but had no coolant in it. But I have no direct knowledge of that.
 
Jayne said:
That was half of it, the thermostat housing was the other half. I didn't know about that (can't see it) so had I done this myself it would have been half done.

I'm theorizing that when the 'water distributor' failed and all the coolant fled that the plastic thermostat housing melted since it was in contact with the block but had no coolant in it. But I have no direct knowledge of that.
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Thanks for the updates. I have this motor in a Focus and it's good to know what to look out for.
 
Frack N Cylons said:
Thanks for the updates. I have this motor in a Focus and it's good to know what to look out for.
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The motor itself seems to be holding up well. 143k miles and no oil use, no real leaks (some seepage around the valve cover but it's 10 years old at this point and is pretty minor), oil looks clean for a while after changing so no crazy amounts of blowby or anything. It's all the stuff around it that's falling apart. Some is just planned failures (like all these plastic parts) and some is dumb engineering (like putting the electronics that control the power locks below the key so any water/whatever that comes in goes right into the electronics) and some are just hacks, like having to retrofit a US spec 3rd brake light in because the eurospec doesn't match ours and having the seal on that 3rd light exposed to sunlight always so it dries out and the electronics are wet every time it rains.

The transmissions are the weak link in this, it's a 'van' so you can be tempted to load it up with all sorts of heavy stuff but in the end it's just a focus and not meant for that much weight. Putting 2000 pounds of bricks in a work van seems reasonable, but no one would try that in a 4 door.
 
Jayne said:
The motor itself seems to be holding up well. 143k miles and no oil use, no real leaks (some seepage around the valve cover but it's 10 years old at this point and is pretty minor), oil looks clean for a while after changing so no crazy amounts of blowby or anything. It's all the stuff around it that's falling apart. Some is just planned failures (like all these plastic parts) and some is dumb engineering (like putting the electronics that control the power locks below the key so any water/whatever that comes in goes right into the electronics) and some are just hacks, like having to retrofit a US spec 3rd brake light in because the eurospec doesn't match ours and having the seal on that 3rd light exposed to sunlight always so it dries out and the electronics are wet every time it rains.

The transmissions are the weak link in this, it's a 'van' so you can be tempted to load it up with all sorts of heavy stuff but in the end it's just a focus and not meant for that much weight. Putting 2000 pounds of bricks in a work van seems reasonable, but no one would try that in a 4 door.
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The Focus DCTs are absolute trash, it's why you hardly see any on the road anymore.

Otherwise, pretty solid motor and peppy in the Focus.
 
Pogue said:
Might pay 5 hrs labor. Doesn’t even take 2 though :)
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I used to get upset at this kind of stuff...if the books say 5 hours and you get it done in 2, then why do I have to pay 5 hours labor?

As I got older, doing a lot of my own maintenance and repairs along the way, what I learned is that I'm actually paying the shop for their expertise which allows them to complete the job in a shorter amount of time.

Not to mention if it's a 5 hour job, then it's very likely going to take me 5 hours at a minimum, since I don't have the truck load of tools and whatnot that an outfitted shop does. Not to mention lifts and such. So what it really boils down to is "how much is MY time worth?"

The flip side, of course, is that if it takes the shop 10 hours to do the job, then I still only pay 5 hours in labor.

I do a lot of basic maintenance myself. Oil changes, plugs, brakes, alternator/battery, filters, lights, charcoal canisters, radiator, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, there really isn't anything I CAN'T do provided I have the time, place, and tools (plus an alternate vehicle). The question is what am I willing to do and why.
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
I used to get upset at this kind of stuff...if the books say 5 hours and you get it done in 2, then why do I have to pay 5 hours labor?

As I got older, doing a lot of my own maintenance and repairs along the way, what I learned is that I'm actually paying the shop for their expertise which allows them to complete the job in a shorter amount of time.

Not to mention if it's a 5 hour job, then it's very likely going to take me 5 hours at a minimum, since I don't have the truck load of tools and whatnot that an outfitted shop does. Not to mention lifts and such. So what it really boils down to is "how much is MY time worth?"

The flip side, of course, is that if it takes the shop 10 hours to do the job, then I still only pay 5 hours in labor.

I do a lot of basic maintenance myself. Oil changes, plugs, brakes, alternator/battery, filters, lights, charcoal canisters, radiator, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, there really isn't anything I CAN'T do provided I have the time, place, and tools (plus an alternate vehicle). The question is what am I willing to do and why.
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I get it. I’m hourly so it doesn’t actually benefit me financially to be fast. As the only mechanic here other than my 67yr old employer (who basically derps around all day on his hand picked simpleton jobs) I just can’t afford to be slow.

Ironically, despite being the only one making the shop $$, I don’t make any myself. So yesterday I took the afternoon off to troubleshoot an electrical problem at my house. Can’t afford to pay an electrician so I became the electrician. Despite this old house’s craptastic wiring, I was able to find a loose neutral wire on the 9th outlet I pulled on the problem circuit and get the house back together before the wife got home. No more drop cords ran to fridge and freezer.
 
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RetiredUSNChief said:
As I got older, doing a lot of my own maintenance and repairs along the way, what I learned is that I'm actually paying the shop for their expertise which allows them to complete the job in a shorter amount of time.
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Yep. I'm not 'upset' that it might have taken them 10 minutes to do, I paid for them to solve it and they did and charged me. They told me up front what it would be so I got to make the 'should I attempt this myself' call, and I chose to pay.

My time isn't worth anything, but my sanity is. I have enough going on right now that I have to deal with myself, throwing a little money at a problem to make it go away was the right move at this time.
 
Jayne said:
My wife has started playing golf with me, but still hasn't seen that movie. She really needs to get on that to understand half of what is said on a golf course.
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Wait.

You play golf?
 
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