I've got an 02 TDDI Focus and I've just noticed that its lost about 1/2 pint of coolant recently (probably in the last 2 months) In the previous 12 months its never lost a drop.
Is it normal for these to lose a bit of coolant over time? In all my previous cars the coolant has remained at a constant level for years.
I've checked the oil which seems clean and theres no overheating etc - is there anything I can check to pinpoint a forthcoming problem?
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You could have a garage pressure test the cooling system,a small hand pump and pressure guage is fitted to the system which is pressurised and left for a while.If the pressure has dropped then there is a leak somewhere.
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Thanks, that might be worth a try.A friend of mine had a similar problem and it was his water pump seeping very slightly.
I'm just hoping its not the beginnings of a failed head gasket! I would be very disappointed on a 3 year old car!
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Get a garage to sniff the coolant for HC.
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TDDI and waterpumps are quite a common problem, especially after about 70K, they can go at anytime.
I reckon that's what it's most likely to be if there are no other signs of HG failure. We used to replace loads of tghem where I used to work.
Blue
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Thanks for your help.
Its now lost about another 1/2 pint since yesterday - no sign of any leaks that I can see, but I guess if its the water pump then the drips would evoporate pretty quickly.
Is the water pump a straightforward job on this car? Its run from the fanbelt rather than the cambelt I believe.
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I have a Focus 1.6 Zetec 53 Reg. Had exactly the same symptoms as you had with your TDDI. Couldn't see any leaks under the car, and was concerned that it may be a gasket problem. Took it to the Ford Dealer who diagnosed a very small leak from the water pump. They could see a stain where the coolant was escaping. They changed it under guarantee. The job took 2 hours. I asked to see the pump when they removed it and there was a sign of small leakage from a core plug in the pump assembly. All sorted now. Worth getting a dealer to diagnose.
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Well the leak has got a lot worse today as I lost over a pint just on the inward journey.
Took it to a local garage who also reckon its the water pump - its actually visible where its leaking now!
Pretty poor build quality for the Focus, a '53 and '02 reg car having a major engine component fail so early.
If the dealers hadn't put me off buying another Ford,this certainly has!
Now, where my nearest Toyota dealer.....
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My dad's 51 plate Micra with less than 20K on the clock needed a new waterpump because of a leak about 8 months ago, which would make the car really quite young. My last L reg Mondeo was still on it's original waterpump. :-)
Blue
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Well, its had a new water pump fitted today - £180, ouch! That seems a little high but I gather its a 3-4 hour job on these diesels.
Only problem is, now the flipping thing squeals all the time - the old fanbelt noise that will not go away!
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Then they have not set the tension correctly!
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