Hello there!
I live just East of Dallas.
My wife's car is a 2014 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost with about 100,000 miles on it (which we bought used 3 years ago).
For the past 6 months or so, we have been fighting an issue where the coolant slowly seems to evaporate from the vehicle. The weird part is I haven't found much rhyme or reason to when this occurs. Based on visuals, there is no coolant coming from any hose or the tank, nothing noticeable on the undercarriage, and nothing hitting the ground. Sometimes we have to refill the tank every 3 days, other times it goes for 2 weeks or more without issue. Seems to empty slightly faster when it's hot out or when we drive short distances, as when we took a 1000 mile road trip, we didn't encounter the issue. Based on that, my best guess is it's either an issue near the engine block, or a leak that forms in lots of stop-and-go traffic with the vehicle warmed up and moving around.
For some more background on the car, there was a "misfire cylinder 1" code that appeared about 2000 miles ago. We had a mechanic replace the spark plugs at that time (since it was due), and he did find cylinder 1 was cross threaded, and said he had to rethread it. Since then, this code has come back sometimes, but doesn't stick around. (I'm using the Blue Driver tool to scan it). I'm not sure if this is at all related to the coolant issue.
I've seen nearly all Scotty's videos over the past 2 years. I'm about ready to add some Bar's leak seal to the radiator to see if it helps. If that doesn't work, what's the best course of action? Maybe a headgasket test kit?
I'm trying to avoid taking it back to a mechanic unless absolutely necessary. (Trying to learn to do it myself as well).
Thanks!
@mulder42
I have a 2014 Escape SE 1.6L and having the same coolant problem. I had a mechanic stick a borescope down each cylinder and found coolant leaking into the #1 cylinder.
He captured pictures of droplets of coolant on the cylinder walls in #1 cylinder. This was causing the misfire in my car.
After much research online, I've found that this is a common occurrence for the 1.6 L EcoBoost engine.
Now I'm needing to replace the engine.
Just this evening, I posted a question asking Scotty whether or not I can pull the engine from above the car with a hoist, as all the videos I could find show them removing the engine from below the car. If I can pull it from above, I can do it myself at home.
I'm going to buy a low mileage motor from LKQ as a replacement.
Hello,my name is shelby I'm a 20 year ford Master tech,
The first thing I would check is pull your spark plugs and check for signs of coolant,in the cylinders,this is common problem in the 4cyl,eco boost models.
If this found unfortunately you may need a new engine block.
@f25062liter
There has been a lot of controversies around 2018+ Ford Mustang GT's 5.0 engine and 10 speed automatic transmissions. I have a 2019 Mustang GT with the same configuration. It was originally $37,000 and has already depreciated by $7000 in the first year. Should I bite the bullet and trade-in the car or should I keep the car with maybe an extended powertrain warranty? I don't have the common issues people are reporting and I'm at 7000 miles now using it as a daily driver. Thank you.
Here are my suggestions in order:
1) Rent from an auto parts store a coolant system pressure tester
2) Google and find where the water pump and thermostat is on your car/engine. The Escape is popular so someone likely has made a YouTube video.
3) Run the pressure test and see if any coolant is weeping/leaking from the water pump or thermostat areas *when engine is cold*. If it does, those would be the first to replace to try to resolve. A slow leak from either of these places tend to hit the hot engine or other parts of the car and evaporate (remember coolant is normally 50% water).
4) The misfire likely isn't connected, but to be sure you can pull the spark plug back out and check the tip for any fouling from coolant or other fluids. Again, a quick Google search will provide image charts to compare different types of spark plug fouling to yours to get an idea if anything is wrong there.
5) If the pressure test comes back positive, really double check the overflow reservoir (most are plastic now and are known to crack with heat/age and a hairline crack will allow a very hard to detect slow leak) and or around on in the fins of the radiator. Where coolant leaks, it normally leaves a crusty looking crystal residue.
6) If you still can't find something, your best bet may be to go back to the mechanic, but consider finding one with a good reputation and knowledge of your make/model in your area. Facebook and NextDoor groups for your neighborhood are excellent sources to ask for references in this situation.
I would really avoid using a coolant system leak additive like the Bar's Leak as those tend to gum up other parts of the coolant system too. This can cause additional repairs costs sooner down the road and or a sudden overheat leaving you stranded.
I agree with all above. The most likely problem is a head gasket leak. Scotty has a great video on how to test for a head gasket leak. He uses a chemical that interacts with the CO2 in the radiator to determine if CO2 from inside the combustion chamber is getting into the coolant. Take a look at the video! Will save you some money even if it turns out to not be the problem.
