Ford recalls 440k vehicles due to fire risk

[me32]

Dont most people check there fluid every 2-4 weeks or has that all gone away with most people today?

 

[Capri to ST]

Dont most people check there fluid every 2-4 weeks or has that all gone away with most people today?

I check mine every 4 weeks or so, always a good idea to keep up on how your car's doing. My girlfriend's son turned 16 recently, and I taught him to do that.

 

[XuperXero]

Your leaking hose looks different to type of material fitted to my OZ spec ST,

That's quite interesting... Your hose connector looks a lot more stout and well built. Yours also made in Germany?

They are re-plumbing the coolant return line from the turbo to bypass the head as part of the recall. So one of those lines might ultimately be replaced under the recall but your leak itself is not what the recall has been issued for.

In other words the recall might resolve your leak but only due to coincidence. The dealer might have just seen a recall for coolant loss and assumed it was a coolant leak. I've had to argue with Service Reps many times about what a recall is actually issued for (mostly with GM products though).

Good info. I wonder how the re-plumb routing goes. This leak is ridiculous and I may actually DIY a fix myself soon.... Ford states replacement parts ready in 4th quarter of 2017, we're still a month away from even entering 4th quarter.

 

[SmokinPanda]

Got my notice a few months back, checked my coolant level regularly and the car ran fine......up until yesterday. Out of the blue my car started smoking(coolant burning but no overheat from temp gauge) from the head area. I immediately pull over and look for leaks, popped hoses, etc....nothing. I drive off the freeway and bam the temp gauge shot all the way max and goes into limp mode.

So now here I am, praying that this is related to the recall:

 

[zanethan]

Got my notice a few months back, checked my coolant level regularly and the car ran fine......up until yesterday. Out of the blue my car started smoking(coolant burning but no overheat from temp gauge) from the head area. I immediately pull over and look for leaks, popped hoses, etc....nothing. I drive off the freeway and bam the temp gauge shot all the way max and goes into limp mode.

So now here I am, praying that this is related to the recall:

If you were burning coolant that sounds like a bad head gasket and has nothing to do with the recall.

The recall has nothing to do with burning coolant or even leaking coolant. It is localized overheating causing coolant to vaporize. The expansion in volume places extra pressure on the head and causes it to crack on the exterior wall which causes an OIL leak. The oil can then come in contact with the hot exhaust and result in a fire.

 

[Joker328]

If you were burning coolant that sounds like a bad head gasket and has nothing to do with the recall.

The recall has nothing to do with burning coolant or even leaking coolant. It is localized overheating causing coolant to vaporize. The expansion in volume places extra pressure on the head and causes it to crack on the exterior wall which causes an OIL leak. The oil can then come in contact with the hot exhaust and result in a fire.

This is not necessarily true. The worse case scenario is the oil leak and potential fire resulting from a cracked head, but the actual recall notice mentions a general lack of coolant circulation and suggests customers "see their dealer if their vehicle exhibits a coolant leak, overheating or frequently needs coolant added." Also, the "fix" is just installing a coolant level sensor, so that implies that a coolant leak is a precursor to the "oil spraying out of the head and igniting" scenario and should be examined in light of the recall. It may not be a result of the same issue, but worth mentioning to the dealer in case they aren't already aware of it.

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...-recalls-and-one-safety-compliance-recal.html

 

[RAAMaudio]

Not on the forum much lately and did not know about this issue as never had a problem on my early 14 built car with big radiator, real oil cooler, ducting and locations for max air flow through coolers, etc...also a Mishimoto coolant tank and upgraded AN oil and water coolant lines to turbo, custom return manifold to fit AN lines to water cool the waste gate etc...

But as posted on a thread I started a hose clamp loosened on a road trip and the coolant got low enough to take out the water pump and blow the head gasket with the dash temp gauge never going past the middle mark and the AP display showing perfect oil temp. No warning at all though grossly overheated though nothing gave any indication while cruising at 60MPH on a 60 degree day.

I would of never had this problem if the factory temp gauge had worked as I monitor temps all the time. There is a bit more to the story in the thread I started.

I am going to sell the car as is or find a 2015 engine to swap into it, something I was planning eventually since they are cheap and I expect to blow an engine or two on a highly modded car running stock engines way beyond original power numbers, cheaper than a built engine by far.

 

[CSM]

Any update on this? My recall notice from Ford earlier this year said that a fix kit would be available by Q4. Has anyone received a notification about this or has anyone gotten the recall work done?

 

[Ronbo]

Any update on this? My recall notice from Ford earlier this year said that a fix kit would be available by Q4. Has anyone received a notification about this or has anyone gotten the recall work done?

Still waiting. I've been wondering about this myself.


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[me32]

Won't be till 2018 for the recall fix. There was no offical date when j went to my dealer for the pre check

 

[me32]

Won't be till 2018 for the recall fix. There was no offical date when j went to my dealer for the pre check. Mine has not had any coolant loss since new. From the factory it was low that I had to fill a cou9ke times but since then no issues

 

[Bames_207]

So found an interesting tidbit today. The RS has been reported that the incorrect head gasket was used from the mustang. Wonder if it’s possible it was done with the 1.6. A lot of platforms have it. Or is the issue known and I missed it? Here’s the article. http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/...cus-rs-head-gasket-issues-has-been-discovered


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[Truth in Ruin]

So found an interesting tidbit today. The RS has been reported that the incorrect head gasket was used from the mustang. Wonder if it’s possible it was done with the 1.6. A lot of platforms have it. Or is the issue known and I missed it? Here’s the article. http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/...cus-rs-head-gasket-issues-has-been-discovered


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That’s ridiculous.

 

[Alkoran]

So found an interesting tidbit today. The RS has been reported that the incorrect head gasket was used from the mustang. Wonder if it’s possible it was done with the 1.6. A lot of platforms have it. Or is the issue known and I missed it? Here’s the article. http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/...cus-rs-head-gasket-issues-has-been-discovered


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There's a guy who did a pretty good video about the HG failure of the RS.
[video=youtube;Nan3LURIq3k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nan3LURIq3k[/video]


Ford supposedly already solved the issue from 2016 model by modifying the coolant passageways (new part # for the head) so there's no hotspot causing failure.

 

[me32]

There's a guy who did a pretty good video about the HG failure of the RS.
[video=youtube;Nan3LURIq3k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nan3LURIq3k[/video]

But it's completely different from the issue with the 1.6 as the FiST engine is close decked as seen here: [video]https://youtu.be/tnnaL8F6cio?t=14m36s[/video]

Ford supposedly already solved the issue from 2016 model by modifying the coolant passageways (new part # for the head) so there's no hotspot causing failure.

Sounds like the issues they use to have with the 03-04 cobras and machs.

 

[Stargate69]

I have a '16, I'm good wohoo!

 

[worker88]

But it's completely different from the issue with the 1.6 as the FiST engine is close decked as seen here: [video]https://youtu.be/tnnaL8F6cio?t=14m36s[/video]

Ford supposedly already solved the issue from 2016 model by modifying the coolant passageways (new part # for the head) so there's no hotspot causing failure.

The 1.6 Ecoboost is an open deck block.

http://dsportmag.com/the-tech/ford-ecoboost-1-6l-analysis-turbocharged-direct-injection-ccvtc/

 

[Alkoran]

The 1.6 Ecoboost is an open deck block.

http://dsportmag.com/the-tech/ford-ecoboost-1-6l-analysis-turbocharged-direct-injection-ccvtc/

You're right, my bad. On the video I posted above the HG was on, I looked too fast and thought it was a closed deck engine.

But the cause of failure remains different from the RS engine even if they are both open decked. Most 1.6 fails due to the coolant hotspot and Ford knows it as they modified the head in lat 2015 as Sourskittle pointed out before on this thread.

 

[Jamie Ross]

The open or closed deck thing is poor excuse.

Anyone ever heard of a Honda K-series? It’s open deck. And they make in the 750whp range on a fairly regular bases.

While I agree, I’d rather have a closed deck. It’s not a deal breaker or un-fixable design.

Old school SOHC Honda guys would simply “post” the engine blocks. Which means they would actually drill a hole from the outside of the engine block and run a bolt/hex screw from the outside of the block, to the upper part of the cylinder sleeve. It keeps the cylinders from walking around under big power. And that’s why they developed “block guards” that are/were CNC machines plates that would press into that entire area and support it. The first company that builds a “block guard” could prob make a mint off these Ford Focus RS guys to fix an issue that likely isn’t the real problem.

Lots of people talk about how it’s just part of the deal when your making 350hp with ONLY 2.3L of engine. To those people, I point towards the rarely noticed AMG 2.0L in the GLA45. It’s a smaller engine making 380hp that pulls around a heavier body, yet.... it doesn’t randomly break cylinder walls or head gaskets in stock form.

Fact is.... the RS is another ford with a lot of greatness but also a lot of big short comings. And people will still ignore those short comings and buy them. Bitch about the problems. Then go buy another ford. I’m reminded of how crappy ford’s build quality is every time I start my car and TWO HVAC actuators click for 15 seconds.

Ford is going to wait out the warranties on the 1.6L over heating thing. Once they are clear of all warranties, they will sell you a fix for the cylinder head hot spots. Why fix it now and pay out on warranties ? Just wait till the customer has to pay for it.

 

[Intuit]

Per Wiki 380hp is concept design. 355hp is production, which nearly matches the Focus RS 350hp. There's a near 20% difference in starting price between the RS ($41k) and GLA 45 AMG ($50k).

Before assuming perfection on a build, it's always a good idea to check the forums.
http://www.glaowners.com/forum/mercedes-benz-gla45-amg-forum/