Slow Coolant Leak

[thesocalexplorer]

After two days the coolant has the same level. Anyway, the Bronco is heading to the Ford dealer in Tucson for an oil leak at the timing chain cover and coolant leak inspection.

Hey there, did the dealer find anything from your coolant leak inspection? Was checking my coolant level before a long roadtrip this weekend and had to add a few oz. to bring it back up to spec. No signs of a leak anywhere (internally or externally).

Ended up throwing in some UV dye this top off, to see if will make any weeps more apparent.

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[Beemerman]

2023 bronco wildtrak 2.7 l. 8100 miles. Noticed today coolant reservoir is low. Upon inspection found coolant on the outside of the reservoir. Appears to be cracked. Will pressure test tomorrow. Looks like a visit to the dealer. If the reservoir isn’t to expensive may do it myself. Not that I don’t trust the dealer. Just Have always done my own work.

 

[Nibroc99]

Wanted to bring this thread back to life to ask, has anyone here fixed their particular coolant loss problem? I've got a '22 Wildtrak (comes with the 2.7) and since I bought it certified pre-owned in April I've had to periodically add maybe 4-8oz of coolant every 2 months or so. I just noticed it's at the min line again. Laaame lol.

 

[CalvinT]

I just read this thread. A few thoughts come to mind.

You'll smell coolant if you over filled the radiator expansion tank. The excess will be expelled next time the engine reaches operating temperature.

If that's not the problem...

1. If under warranty let the dealer find/fix it.

2. If not under warranty or the dealer can't/won't fix it, buy some cooling system UV dye and a UV light. It's easier to see the glow from a leak at night.

3. If a minor leak that's too difficult to fix, or you still can't find the leak, try Subaru cooling system condtioner SOA635071. The stuff is amazing. I used it to seal a crack several inches long in a plastic radiator tank. Later I tore apart the radiator to look for clogging. The core was clean. Use ONE bottle. More isn't better. Not all dealers will have it but it's available online.

Here's the SDS.

 

[Nibroc99]

I just read this thread. A few thoughts come to mind.

You'll smell coolant if you over filled the radiator expansion tank. The excess will be expelled next time the engine reaches operating temperature.

If that's not the problem...

1. If under warranty let the dealer find/fix it.

2. If not under warranty or the dealer can't/won't fix it, buy some cooling system UV dye and a UV light. It's easier to see the glow from a leak at night.

3. If a minor leak that's too difficult to fix, or you still can't find the leak, try Subaru cooling system condtioner SOA635071. The stuff is amazing. I used it to seal a crack several inches long in a plastic radiator tank. Later I tore apart the radiator to look for clogging. The core was clean. Use ONE bottle. More isn't better. Not all dealers will have it but it's available online.

Here's the SDS.

Thanks a ton. I've got the premcare warranty so it'd be nice if they'd cover looking into this. For now though I'll put some UV dye in the system and periodically check for leaks. If I do find one at least I'll know where to direct the Ford techs to look lol!

 

[thesocalexplorer]

Wanted to bring this thread back to life to ask, has anyone here fixed their particular coolant loss problem? I've got a '22 Wildtrak (comes with the 2.7) and since I bought it certified pre-owned in April I've had to periodically add maybe 4-8oz of coolant every 2 months or so. I just noticed it's at the min line again. Laaame lol.

No fixes on my end. Had the dealer pressure test overnight, not a single PSI lost. Topped off about 5-6 oz. in the past year. Nothing found with my UV dye that I added either.

Just topping her off as needed and enjoying the ride now.

 

[Nibroc99]

No fixes on my end. Had the dealer pressure test overnight, not a single PSI lost. Topped off about 5-6 oz. in the past year. Nothing found with my UV dye that I added either.

Just topping her off as needed and enjoying the ride now.

I will say - I noticed that when my vehicle was cold, the coolant was below the min mark. But when it was hot yesterday after driving, it actually was just over the full line. Checked again this morning when it was below freezing, and again, below the min mark. After my 12-mile commute to work, just above the full line. So, I think my coolant level is actually fine, and perhaps when I top it off while cold, it's draining excess fluid. Furthermore, I think maybe there are just so many hoses in this system that theyre expanding and contracting a lot. But I'd expect the level to go up when the rubber hoses contract as they cool. Idk... There must be some physics I'm missing. Not sure where it drains though, so I am tempted to put UV dye in it to test this theory. Will report back if I do!

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