Car overheated...TWICE in 2 weeks

[mossdahaus]

So 2 weeks ago, sitting in 95 degree weather in traffic with A/C on, I noticed my temp light on and my temp gauge all the way to the H. I glance at my AP to check coolant temp and see its around 250. Pull over, max defrost on, A/C off, open hood and let her idle then turn the car off with the acc on to keep the fans running. I took it into the dealership where they had the car for a week and could not replicate the issue with no answer...gave it back. Yesterday, in the same scenario and weather, the car decided to over heat once AGAIN. This time, I see smoke billowing out from under the hood. Same steps as before but this time I notice that coolant is sprayed all over the driver side engine bay near the battery. Temps reached 248. I did switch from 5W-20 to 5W-30 last week after I got the car back from the dealer thank God.

Called Ford and had it towed into the same dealer last night. Dealer could not replicate the problem again and stated the there was a plastic coupler leading to a metal coolant hose that blew. Ford tech line had no answers just like last time for the dealer after all tests were ran and completed. What to do?

I am worried that the coolant line that blew was the turbo coolant feed...should I be worried? Service writer did not know if it was or not when I asked.
Dealer is thinking its a possible cooling system restriction. What are your thoughts?

I immediate worry is the long-term dependability of the car with it overheating like this twice. Should I be worried?

 

[kvetcha]

No issues here. I feel like I've seen another user post of similar issues - might want to see what you have in common. AP? I imagine not, but you never know.

 

[Sekred]

I would be very concerned. Your turbo should be ok, the main concern when a engine overheats is warping/cracking of the cylinder head and head gasket failure. Obviously your vehicle has a problem if it is overheating from just sitting in the traffic.
I have dealt with a lot of overheating issues working on heavy vehicle/plant machinery operating in extreme environments over the years so hear are the 2 main causes.

Block Radiator core, externally-not enough air flow through the core, can also be caused by slow cooling fan. I know this vehicle runs a variable speed cooling fan, I wonder if this is working correctly. Both top and bottom radiators hoses boiling hot.

Block/ restricted Radiator or cooling system internally (could be faulty regulator/water pump). What happens here is coolant can not circulate through the radiator fast enough to regulate the coolant temp. One of the easiest ways to check this is when the engine has reached operating temp or if it does overheat again is to VERY carefully touch the top and bottom radiator hoses with a finger or better still, use a temp measuring gun. The top hose will be boiling hot and the bottom hose will be cool or even cold because of the lack of circulation.

 

[DaveSignal]

I don't know what the cause of this on your Fiesta is, but considering that it happens when the car is not moving, it must be a problem with the amount of air getting to your radiator. When my last car had a similar overheating issue, it was due to the failure of the radiator fans.

 

[iso100]

I too have read another post over on fiestast.org where someone had similar issues and ended up getting another engine.

Post #4:
http://www.fiestast.org/forum/fiesta-st-discussions/1716-post-your-warranty-claims.html

http://fiestast.net/threads/my-fist-overheated-today-has-anyone-had-this-problem.1369/

 

[sikedsyko]

Regardless of the issue and what causes it, I would make sure it is well documented with Ford that the engine had issues when it was fairly new. My last car developed a rod knock about 6 months after it overheated, that I'm pretty sure was the cause. Heat like that is not good for the main bearings.

I'd hate for you to get out of warranty and then have issues that might be traced back to it overheating,but Ford not want to cover it.

 

[rooSTer]

Next time if it happens take our your phone a video document the problem and escalate it to Ford.

 

[FordService]

So 2 weeks ago, sitting in 95 degree weather in traffic with A/C on, I noticed my temp light on and my temp gauge all the way to the H. I glance at my AP to check coolant temp and see its around 250. Pull over, max defrost on, A/C off, open hood and let her idle then turn the car off with the acc on to keep the fans running. I took it into the dealership where they had the car for a week and could not replicate the issue with no answer...gave it back. Yesterday, in the same scenario and weather, the car decided to over heat once AGAIN. This time, I see smoke billowing out from under the hood. Same steps as before but this time I notice that coolant is sprayed all over the driver side engine bay near the battery. Temps reached 248. I did switch from 5W-20 to 5W-30 last week after I got the car back from the dealer thank God.

Called Ford and had it towed into the same dealer last night. Dealer could not replicate the problem again and stated the there was a plastic coupler leading to a metal coolant hose that blew. Ford tech line had no answers just like last time for the dealer after all tests were ran and completed. What to do?...

I'm here to help, mossdahaus. Is your Fiesta ST still with the dealer? Please let me know, and also send a private message with your full name, updated mileage, servicing dealer information, VIN, and best daytime contact number. I'll get this escalated to the regional customer service manager for your area.

Brittany

 

[KentRatke]

Hey mossdahaus, did the problem get sorted out? I didn't have as severe a problem as you, but I am really curious as to how yours was solved (if at all). I started a thread of my issue, (http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/threads/9998-Overheating-Issues-for-Fiesta-ST).