Potential blown headgasket?

[Macman45]

Losing a lot of coolant, non of it hitting the ground. How common is a blown head gasket between water jacket and combustion chamber on these cars? Ordered a hydrocarbon tester but let me armchair QB here til it comes. Car runs great, doesn't overheat but is high mileage. I lose half a tank in the reservoir in 15 minutes of idling...

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

The 4.6 3V engine rarely blows a head gasket. A far more likely reason for your coolant loss is a leak from the elbow of the heater hose that sits under the intake manifold in the valley of the engine. Shine a flashlight in there and see if there's a small pool of coolant.
If you did have a blown head gasket you'd either see coolant in the engine oil in which case the oil would look like chocolate milkshake, or coolant coming out of the exhaust tailpipe in the form of steam even with the engine hot.

 

[Macman45]

The 4.6 3V engine rarely blows a head gasket. A far more likely reason for your coolant loss is a leak from the elbow of the heater hose that sits under the intake manifold in the valley of the engine. Shine a flashlight in there and see if there's a small pool of coolant.
If you did have a blown head gasket you'd either see coolant in the engine oil in which case the oil would look like chocolate milkshake, or coolant coming out of the exhaust tailpipe in the form of steam even with the engine hot.

That's what I'm hoping for. Shined a light and there's definitely evidence of burned off coolant (white stains on all 3 connector points (both ends of elbow and metal line to crimped rubber line) as well as white residue in the valley, but nothing currently wet...

Watched the reservoir drop 2 inches at least in 15 minutes of idling after shut down...

 

[JC SSP]

You can have an internal and external coolant leak.

Internal into the oil, as Dino stated will cause a “milkshake” cream color under your oil fill cap or on the dipstick. If water is getting into the combustion chamber, then white smoke out of the tailpipe and to confirm just pull the spark plugs. The one that’s bleached white is your washed out cylinder.

External and this is probably your issue… put a pressure tester on the coolant system while the engine off and cool. Look and listen… usually it’s that pesky hose under the intake that weeps out of the presses fitting. It’s an easy repair.

Good luck and let us know what you find…

 

[whitmanink]

maybe a leaky heater core?

the coolant dropping 2 inches in 15min after shutdown would rule out a head gasket imo.

if it were and the coolant really dropped that much that quick, the engine would either,,
run like crap,
or smoke like a mofo out the back, and most likely cause overheating quick..
an most likely a rough idle for sure

id say the elbow or heater core

 

[JC SSP]

Heater core would be wet passenger side floorboard and coolant oder inside the car?

 

[Kev555]

Every chance as Dino already said its possibly the coolant hose in the engine valley. it will run down and out at the bell housing. Mine elbow only leaked after I stopped the car for some reason.

 

[Macman45]

That's it. Leaking both ends of the elbow, and both crimps. I'm seeing conflicting reports on a "fix" involving a 90 degree molded hose, and two hose clamps, or the replacement elbow and a section of heater hose...

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Thread 'Another "sneaky" coolant leak thread' https://www.s197forum.com/threads/another-sneaky-coolant-leak-thread.151687/

Part number is in this thread....

 

[Macman45]

Thread 'Another "sneaky" coolant leak thread' https://www.s197forum.com/threads/another-sneaky-coolant-leak-thread.151687/

Part number is in this thread....

I wanted to fix it that way, but BOTH of my crimps are leaking. will need to replace everything from the metal pipe up to the flange on the crossover. Going with a Dayco 90degree premolded and 2 clamps.

 

[whitmanink]

Heater core would be wet passenger side floorboard and coolant oder inside the car?

you should be able to , but thats not to say it is and just isnt noticed .

if the elbow is leaking the block will be discolored on top of the block where the hose is and goes through, if it is on top the block you might see that steam or smell the coolant.,
also on the block there is a weep hole (back of block) so it (coolant) can travel quite a bit and evaporate ..

for what its worth , my coolant gets a little low only if i run the heater ..
if not , than all summer i loose none,,, the minute i turn on the heater,, a few days later ill need to add like a cup or two of coolant to get it back up to the cold fill line..

but im still holding my ground saying its not a head gasket

 

[Kev555]

That's it. Leaking both ends of the elbow, and both crimps. I'm seeing conflicting reports on a "fix" involving a 90 degree molded hose, and two hose clamps, or the replacement elbow and a section of heater hose...

I went to a hydraulic hose repair shop and I got a piece of moulded hose nearly perfect for the job.

 

[whitmanink]

I went to a hydraulic hose repair shop and I got a piece of moulded hose nearly perfect for the job.

View attachment 111251

welp if thats not a permanent fix ..
imo shoulda just done Sumthing like that from factory

 

[brasil]

I went to a hydraulic hose repair shop and I got a piece of moulded hose nearly perfect for the job.

View attachment 111251

WAYBETTER than the OEM solution from Ford. Simple.. cheap..and bullittproof

 

[GriffX]

What I found for such repairs, if you don't have a bead on the metal pipe to prevent the hose from slipping off, simply use two hose clamps

 

[Macman45]

 

[GriffX]

View attachment 111274

Looks better than OEM

 

[Macman45]

Looks better than OEM

Agreed. This was the mess I was met with before:

 

[Midlife Crises]

When I wrestled with a coolant leak in that area it turned out to be the steel tube that slips onto the fitting sticking out of the water pump. The two “O”Rings were leaking and I replaced them with Viton. So far so good!

 

[Blue03Cobra]

View attachment 111280

Agreed. This was the mess I was met with before:

Ugh, just like how mine looked. Looking at that the "dirty gym sock" smell comes back from memory...