Hey guys-

'06 150, 5.4l 66k miles.


I just got back to Cincinnati from a trip to the beach in North Carolina. On the way back, in the hills of Virginia, a guy signaled to me that I was leaking something. I pulled over and popped the hood. I could smell that sweet coolant smell. No steam, no obvious signs of anything. I did see a few drops of a fluid near the coolant reservoir.

I drove slowly from there about 20 miles or so, my eyes on the engine temp gauge the whole time,didn't move. Then I pulled over at a truck stop.

Again no sign of anything dramatic. I'm not mechanical at all. I called my brother in-law and he said that sometimes the cooling system will overflow and purge some coolant when pressure builds up, and he recommended I keep on driving and just keep my eyes on the temp gauge.

That's what I did, going 200+ more miles. The temp gauge never moved from the normal 12:00 position. I would never have noticed anything if the guy on the road hadn't alerted me.

So, this morning I checked the fluid level with the engine being cold, and there wasn't any coolant in the reservoir. I had an oil change the week before the trip, so it should have been at the proper level.

So... should I worry, or just fill up the fluid and go on with life?

Thanks-

PC

 

You are assuming that when you had your oil change, they would have checked your other levels? Did you pop that cap and see if the radiator was also low? I would fill the bottle to the correct level and monitor it. I'd also check passenger side carpet to make sure it's dry, i.e. heater core isn't leaking.

 

Ah the plot thickens!

Unfortunately, in a more expensive way. While driving around at work today, I got an alert chime, the message center read "Check Gauges", and the temp was high. I was able to pull over only about 150 ft. down the road, and then had the truck towed to a service station.

Bummer. A small amount of steam came from the back of the engine, some coolant came out onto the pavement. A guy from work who knows a little bit about mechanics thought it was a manifold gasket. Fun stuff. Time to change my budget plans.

I am lucky though, that the worst of it came when I was home, in my local element. I could have been stranded paying for a hotel in West Virginia.

Anyone have this problem?

Thanks-

PC

 

sounds more like your water pump

 

Water pump is in the front of these engines and a bad intake manifold gasket usually manifests its failure in a more severe manner (oil thinned out, yikes!). There are several coolant lines running around the back of the engine, including to the heating core. Hopefully you've got a bad hose with a slight leak.

 

I'm in your camp, Bridge!!!

I vote for a faulty $2 clamp

 

Quick update-

I know you have all been at the edge of your seats for days now, wondering how my issue would turn out.

$103!!!

Yes!!

Bridge was right, it was a bad hose going to the heater core. Ford's special hose cost $50, some coolant had to be added, of course, and the shop only charged $35 for labor!

It almost was like getting it done for free.

Thanks for the replies.

PC

 

WooHoo!!! Good to hear it turned out to be a leaky hose. I wish I could find a good mechanic that only charges $35/hour for labor.