khammer

I have a '15 3.5 EB with 59,000 miles. When I noticed the fan running more than usual, I check under the hood. The coolant reservoir was very low. Drove immediately to the store to pick up coolant while watching the temp gauge display the numerical temp (240's). After adding coolant 3 times to reach min level line, the dealer came get the truck (I conveniently was having the door latch and seat belt recall performed that week).

Diagnosis: leaking turbo coolant hoses. Unfortunately, I was told that the hoses fall in the 3yr/36,000 mile warranty so after $400 dollars of labor and $75 hoses I had my truck back with a full coolant reservoir and an oil change. Over the next week I would check to see that the level was still good, and it seemed to be holding.

Three weeks later, out of curiosity, I decided to take a peek just to make sure I still had coolant to find the reservoir almost empty. (On to adding coolant again) It's been in the 20's overnight so I did not notice the temp gauge too high or the fan running (how I caught it the first time).

I park in the same spot and have not noticed leaking coolant. I will be able to get the truck in quick to have it looked at again. Anyone experience anything similar?

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

I have seen turbos leak internally before and into the down pipe before, also radiator hoses ETC

khammer

Update: I finally was able to see coolant dripping from the turbo area. I had the truck back in the shop and they replaced the fittings on the hoses that were replaced the first time. It seems to have fixed the leak and the level has been holding so far.

rngtrtl

how does this not fall into the powertrain warranty???

w00t692

I hope they didn't charge you the second time since they completely failed to resolve the problem.

khammer

Evidently, the hoses and lines are in the 3yr/36K. I was told that if it had been the turbo that failed it would have been in the powertrain warranty. I was confused as well. I assumed the entire cooling system of the car is an essential component in the parts of the car that provide power to the vehicle making it move.

The second visit to the service center was incontestably "taken care of" by them, as well as the loaner they provided for the day.

rngtrtl

Thats weak as hell. If it prevents the engine from working that should damn well be in the "power train". I would have been livid at that situation.

Rambo007

I am glad to hear your truck has been fixed.

I recently have experienced a similar situation with my truck with the 2.7 EB. It has 29,000 miles on it and the first thing I noticed was sometimes when I would come to a stop, the truck would vibrate more than usual. At first, I thought something was wrong with the Auto-Stop/Start function because it didn't seem to be engaging as much as it normally would. It almost seemed as if it were trying to decide if should auto-stop/start but couldn't make up its mind. Interestingly, it did not do this every time I came to a stop or sat idle so I decided to just keep monitoring it. Then, the second issue appeared - I had no heat. Now, I thought I had an electrical issue affecting the HVAC controls and the Auto-Start/Stop. Until the next symptoms became noticeable. First, it was an excessive amount of smoke coming out of the tail pipes. Here again, with the weather changing and it getting cold, I at first shrugged it off. Then I decided to pop my hood and that is when I saw my coolant reservoir was bone dry. I went to my local Ford dealership (the only place around that sells that orange antifreeze) and promptly added the entire gallon. To my surprise, with the whole gallon being added, the coolant level was only brought up to just above the Minimum fill line. But the good news for me was I got my heat back. However, the very next day I checked the coolant level and sure enough, the level had already dropped some. Now I knew it was time to take it in because I could not see any evidence of leaking coolant anywhere, coupled with the excessive white smoke, and the rough idle.

I dropped my truck off at the dealership on Dec.11th and carefully explained the symptoms. After waiting 5 days for them to finish "diagnosing" I was finally told that they found the driver side turbo was the source of the coolant leak and they ordered a new one. Late in the day on Dec. 21st the dealership called me to say that the new turbo was installed and there was no longer a coolant leak or rough idle so I could come get my truck. I asked them what the cause was and they simply said internal failure of the turbo and it it is fully covered under warranty. When I picked it up, I was told verbally and in writing that I would still see some white smoke out of the tail pipes but that it should go away after driving it for at least 200 miles so that any remaining coolant residue could be completely burned out of the exhaust system. I accepted the truck and began my less than 2 mile drive home. I came to 5 stop lights on the short journey and at 3 of the 5 I experienced the rough idle. In fact, at one stop light, it was so bad, that I thought the truck was going to shut off and the headlights were actually dimming. I called the dealership up (they were 5 mins from closing) and told them the issues and that I would be bringing it back to them first thing in the morning.

Since I returned the truck to them on Dec. 22nd, I have only received one update which was on Dec. 26th and I was told that they found a misfire and that the technician "opened up a hotline with Ford for further direction." I am currently waiting to hear back from them. Below are some photos of my coolant reservoir and the white smoke. I am really surprised the truck is having issues with so few miles (and easy miles at that, no towing or harsh conditions) and that it is taking the dealership so long to fix the issue(s). As soon as I get more info, I'll write an update.


Dec. 7th after adding an entire gallon of coolant


Dec. 10th after some light weekend travel and returning home from work (less than 50 miles total) coolant level no longer visible in reservoir

Dec. 10th photo of white smoke

Dec. 10th photo of white smoke

khammer

Rambo007 - I hate that for you. At first I was thinking that due to the system being dry, the level in the reservoir would drop slightly as the dry lines fill back up. But it would seem that you are having bigger issues. I do not have auto stop/start so I cannot attest to that but the excessive exhaust smoke is something I experienced. I first dismissed it to the colder weather but when my driveway looked like I was running a fog machine I definitely noticed it was more than normal. My dog would not even load up on that side of the truck because the exhaust gas was too thick to see through.

Hopefully you can get it straightened out, I know that is frustrating. Keep us updated.

jalcon

I'll show you some white smoke. My 2018 3.5 has been in the dealer for over a month. Been losing coolant as well. Only 5k miles on this thing. Not dropping as fast as yours Rambo, but still. It also smells like it inside the cab when I get on it. I'm currently in the process of a potential buyback.