WHERE'S MY COOLANT GOING

[CAMODADDY]

So I have 4 door 2.7 that I picked up the week before Christmas. Since then I've had to fill the coolant overflow bottle up twice. The first time I thought well maybe they it just wasn't full from the factory. This week I took it to the dealer to check for a leak because I could not find one and I never had any drops on the garage floor. They pressurized the system and said they couldn't find any signs of a leak. I'm no mechanic but I thought maybe where was a big air bubble in the system which might explain the first fill up. But now since the second fill up I'm thinking where could it be going except for into the engine from a bad head gasket. I pulled the dipstick and the oil looks clean. I haven't noticed any white smoke from the back and it seems to run just fine. I just turned 3500 miles. Any ideas?

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[Silver-Bolt]

Check all of your hose clamps. It's not uncommon to find not installed correctly. It may on leak under pressure while driving. Or it might just be air in the system.

 

[Black_Stallion13]

Every new side by side I've purchased states in the owner's manual that it is normal for coolant to need topped off during the vehicle break-in period and I have had to do it with both Polaris and Yamaha models for first few hundred miles. I've never really had to worry about it with a full-size vehicle, but figured it might be worth mentioning. Maybe check if the owner's manual says anything about it.

 

[Mike_D]

I’d check the oil, just in case. Coolant in the oil nakes it look like chocolate milk.

 

[Shane78]

This is in no way meant to be condescending, but you know that the coolant tank is gonna look empty when the car has been sitting and not running, right? Coolant expands and shrinks under temperature and pressure, so the reservoir is where the excess coolant collects once it is heated and the engine is running, then it is sucked back into the radiator when it cools down, which is totally normal. Now, if it’s empty after running for a little bit, that’s odd. Bear in mind, this is especially true and noticeable if you live in a colder climate.

 

[Austin Bronco]

I’m assuming I’d get a warning light if coolant was low? Honestly not checking it at 3500 miles usually

 

[MayhemMike]

Do you live where you use the heater regularly? If so, when the coolant level is low or “ empty” does the heater fail to generate heat? I owned a 1989 Ranger that started to lose coolant without any signs where it was leaking from. Pressure test failed to detect a leak. Once the coolant level fell off the heater would not produce heat. Finally it was determined the head or heads ( V6) had minute cracks. Ford replaced heads, and it ran for over 300,000 miles.

 

[TonySTL]

I took delivery of my 2.7 the week before Christmas and noticed the level was about an inch below the min level. I had the dealership check it, and was told it was at the proper level when pressurized. I also had it checked last week at 3500 miles when I had the oil changed at a different Ford dealership from where I purchased it. I received the same response that the level was normal under pressure.

 

[Headsong]

I’d check the oil, just in case. Coolant in the oil nakes it look like chocolate milk.

There was a pic of exactly this last week!

 

[CAMODADDY]

This is in no way meant to be condescending, but you know that the coolant tank is gonna look empty when the car has been sitting and not running, right? Coolant expands and shrinks under temperature and pressure, so the reservoir is where the excess coolant collects once it is heated and the engine is running, then it is sucked back into the radiator when it cools down, which is totally normal. Now, if it’s empty after running for a little bit, that’s odd. Bear in mind, this is especially true and noticeable if you live in a colder climate.

I'm in a colder climate right now and the heater is running and operating fine. I understand your logic and what the overflow bottle is for but in the 20+ cars I've had the level has always been between the min and max lines on the tank. Until i just had the dealer fill it up the level was below the min line whether it was sitting cold or it was hot right after running it. Im going to continue to monitor it.

 

[CAMODADDY]

I took delivery of my 2.7 the week before Christmas and noticed the level was about an inch below the min level. I had the dealership check it, and was told it was at the proper level when pressurized. I also had it checked last week at 3500 miles when I had the oil changed at a different Ford dealership from where I purchased it. I received the same response that the level was normal under pressure.

It's good to know Im not the only one. Hopefully it's just a weird characteristic of this engine. Other wise I love the thing.

 

[calgecko]

That's what the Ecoboost in my Mustang did before the engine blew - it had a bad head gasket and was leaking coolant into the engine which ended up destroying the bearings at 62k miles. That's why I always buy extended warranty - especially with Ford

 

[Shane78]

I'm in a colder climate right now and the heater is running and operating fine. I understand your logic and what the overflow bottle is for but in the 20+ cars I've had the level has always been between the min and max lines on the tank. Until i just had the dealer fill it up the level was below the min line whether it was sitting cold or it was hot right after running it. Im going to continue to monitor it.

Yeah that’s totally fair. I would attribute it to break in + normal evaporation, but I guess if it still keeps doing that it might be worth buying some leak dye and keeping an eye out for a few days.

 

[CAMODADDY]

That's what the Ecoboost in my Mustang did before the engine blew - it had a bad head gasket and was leaking coolant into the engine which ended up destroying the bearings at 62k miles. That's why I always buy extended warranty - especially with Ford

I had an ecoboost mustang and it ripped with the cobb tune in it. I have picture from in car 0-60 test that was under 5 seconds. Unfortunately I couldn't stand the comments about it not being a v8 regardless of how good it ran and got rid of it pretty quick. And I actually kind of agreed but hey it was a play car instead of driving the f150 ecoboost everyday and the price was right.

 

[calgecko]

I had an ecoboost mustang and it ripped with the cobb tune in it. I have picture from in car 0-60 test that was under 5 seconds. Unfortunately I couldn't stand the comments about it not being a v8 regardless of how good it ran and got rid of it pretty quick. And I actually kind of agreed but hey it was a play car instead of driving the f150 ecoboost everyday and the price was right.

Yup, I had a Cobb tuner, but I went with a pro tune on mine instead of the off-the-shelf Cobb tune. 4.7 0-60 times, and an E-30 tune with transmission tune, wastegate actuator, bigger intercooler, intake and exhaust - yep, it was a blast to drive, and I surprised a lot of V8's The Mustang groups are toxic though - I'm glad I'm out of that scene

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