So 9 months ago (Dec 2015) I had a major head disaster/overheat, decided to replace both heads at Ford along with a bullet proof EGR and Ford oil cooler, new degas bottle, etc. So fast forward to last week and I see a coolant leak, turns out to be the degas bottle. I figure no big deal it's still under warranty. I take it in (I'm on the road so this is not the dealer that performed the work) and the guy tells me that it appears the dealer that did the engine work after it overheated didn't properly flush the system to get rid of the flushing agent and fuel that shouldn't be in the coolant system. He says to do it right takes 4 to 5 hours of flushing, he says the flushing agent and or fuel ate up the degas bottle - of course he can't replace it under warranty because it was workmanship, not a failed part.


My question is would you take the degas bottle and the mechanic write-up and try and get reimbursed for the amount of the repair? Have them flush again to remove all contaimanents? I mean this is 9 months and 50K miles I've put on this truck since the engine work - at this point I'm not sure what to ask for? Any feedback is appreciated.




See degas bottle that is 9 months appear like its 20 years old, was just ate up.

 

That was a new degass bottle 9 mnths ago?

 

Yes it was -

 

cant see cap but looks like coming from there.

 

There was a crack at the seam of the bottle, where it goes from the orange plastic to the black plastic, that's where it was leaking from.

 

I would guess that the tank blew apart when it overheated it wasn't caught cause it hadn't had time to leak and that's best case plus that's a known leak spotT the seem

If it was flush agent then there's going to be a ton of seals going out if it ate the degass it will eat other stuff I don't think this is the case

Worse case the hg job failed and it's venting there

 

I hear you - but to clarify that bottle was a new Ford degas bottle with the new heads, it got that way after 50K miles and 9 months.

 

Did they put ARP head studs in it when they did the heads?
At the very least you should get a new OEM degas tank, cap, t-stat and do a proper flush. You would be a lucky man if your local FORD service dept would warranty their own work after 9 months.

 

Well not really lucky, I mean Ford is supposed to honor their parts for two years after install. Lucky that they will own up to possibly not flushing the system properly yes. I actually did a flush and fill when I installed the new radiator last month, so the coolant had been flushed to some extent again after they did it. I don't know what else could have caused that bottle to be destroyed like that.

 

I'd make them warranty the bottle and go again I don't think flush additives would do that to the degas bottle. it's just a bad bottle IMHO.

What was the coolant condition when YOU did the flush??

 

The picture is not clear. It really looks to be an original resevoir. But if they're saying the flush wasn't completed correctly and the chemicals ate the resevoir, I would think hoses, heater hose control valve, water pump seal, ect. would be leaking by now or soon. If you're having them do the work have the diagnosis documented in writing with an explanation that backs up their diagnosis. Just in case other stuff starts failing. As soon as you get back to where the work was done, take it in and explain. Supply a copy of the other shops diagnosis.