Oh, berkeley. ..Now it's my turn.
2002 Windstar 3.8, 110K miles.
Took it on a run (30 miles) yesterday and noticed the heat wouldn't get warm.
Temp gauge never got above 1/2 way. Starts and runs as usual. Exhaust does not smell nor does the heater.
Replaced coolant in reservoir. Started and ran again and got under to see WTF was going on. I have coolant dripping down on the firewall side of the engine as well as some on the radiator side, but I think that might be migrating along the oil pan from the back. This coolant is not hot.
Unfortunately my coolant pressure tester doesn't have a Ford adapter.
Anything epidemic to this engine (perhaps manifold gaskets?)?
And dare I use the NAPA blue sealer with this engine...?
There is a coolant bypass hose on the intake that leaks.
Heater cores go bad often.
The intake manifolds can leak on the rear of the #2 cylinder bank (firewall + driver side)
Thanks, John. I did find evidence of leaking behind and slightly lower that the throttlebody but the big problem is it's berkeleying hard to see. I will look in that area tomorrow. (Is that hose rubber or a metal line?)
backflush the heater core. sounds like you have the leaks under control.
Once you get the leaks fixed, don't forget the thermostat.
iceracer wrote:
Once you get the leaks fixed, don't forget the thermostat.
Absitively. Rad (really coolant reservoir) cap too.
John Brown wrote:
There is a coolant bypass hose on the intake that leaks.
And that was the culprit.
Actually it is a metal tube that connects to a rubber hose and then passes under the two upper manifold halves (plastic plenum), makes a 90 deg bend, it then goes into a hole in the metal part of the manifold (o-ring). Right before the 90 deg bend there are two holes slightly larger than the period at the end of this sentence. I'm at a standstill until Monday anyway, whether I try to get it welded or go to Ford and get a new one...
Thanks guys!
