Ford Focus - Black "gunge" in coolant expansion ta

[hajima]

Hi all,

I would appreciate if anyone could help me out here.

I have a 3 year old Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi diesel. Just out of warranty!

I checked my coolant level today and discovered that the expansion tank is full of very thick black gunge. I have no clue what the problem could be, I have "googled" it and head gasket failure comes up a few times. I have checked my engine oil cap and it is clean. The problem is only with the coolant expansion tank. There doesn't appear to be any leaks and I have not noticed any oil puddles under the car. The engine temperature gauge is always set at normal.

Any ideas what the problem could be and whether this is a DIY option?

 

[JohnD]

I agree with google.

You could do it yourself if you don't mind taking the engine apart.

You garage can probably do a pressure test to look for a leak.

If you've had it regularly serviced you could ask your garage why they didn't notice it before the warranty expired.

 

[breezer]

i know some one that happend to, (no not me) but there was never any oil on the ground because it was in the expansion tank

 

[Stozzer]

take it to a garage and ask them to do a sniffer test on it.

They will fill a rubber/glass syringe with a blue liquid, turn the engine on then sniff the gas from the coolant tank with the syringe.
If it goes from blue to green then you have exhaust gas in your coolant system which normally shows a head gasket problem.

i tried doing a few searches for the tool, to see if its diy-able but couldnt find the right words to find it.

 

[hajima]

Thank you all for the replies. I am going to take it to the garage this weekend, but I am afraid of being overcharged. I think a head gasket replacement would be around £1000 to change!

Would taking the expansion tank out and flushing it with "GUNK" be worthwhile? Then if the system fills up with oil again I know for sure its a leak.

 

[JohnD]

Would taking the expansion tank out and flushing it with "GUNK" be worthwhile?

no.


You already know

 

[stuartinlancashire]

Has the vehicle been serviced by a Ford dealer (or an independent dealer to Ford's spec)? If so then I think there's a good chance you be able to pressurise Ford into carrying out the work as a goodwill gesture either for free or for a reduced cost seeing as this happened just outside of warranty.

 

[cjbigboy]

Hi

Ford have a sliding scale for goodwill, depending on the age and mileage of the vehicle, they may offer to pay all or part of the repair costs.

Service history is a factor that helps them decide.

I used to work in the service Dept of a Ford dealer and found that customers who telephoned Ford Customer Assistance and laid it on real thick often got better results

CJ

 

[hajima]

Hi all,

The car is in with Ford at the moment and they are investigating the cause of the leak. Spoke to the technician working on the car yesterday and he cant say a 100% sure but he thinks its the oil cooler thats leaking.

There has been no mention of cost from Ford, works for replacing the oil cooler include flushing the system out a few times. Will call them today to see whether they have a firm diagnosis of the problem.

Is replacing the oil cooler a major job?

 

[^neo^]

Damn........... ford beat me to it.......... oil cooler was gonna be my guess!

Not sure where they are on fords, but usually they sit just above the oil filter with a couple of water pipes going to them. Pretty straightforward job and the cooler shouldn't be much

 

[hajima]

just had a call from ford, its def the oil cooler. they want £600 for the work. I've explained that the warranty just ran out and that its got a full service history, but in their opinion its not full as I was a few 1000 miles over each scheduled service interval. What a load of rubbish! I'm now going to pick the car up and their asking a £35 investigation charge. I've had it with ford!

How difficult is it to replace a oil cooler? Where can I get a oil cooler part? Would a breakers yard be able to get one off a old focus?

 

[^neo^]

£600 for an oil cooler
Have a ring around some local motor factors and get prices, someone must do a pattern one by now.