Would love some advice on an overheat problem my automatic Focus is having.
Short summary of story so far :
Was advised engine was knackered (as in replacement engine required), but found a place who said they could repair it, 2 new pistons and piston rings. All was well for 3 weeks but then started running rough. Noticed that the temp guage was acting almost like the speedo, anything above 50mph it would hit the end of the red, then when I slowed down it would go back to the normal position. Took it back to the mechanic who checked a few things and said it was OK now, took it out for a test spin and the engine blew. He has since had the car for 6 weeks, replaced all 4 pistons and got a new block. He advised me to replace the oil and filter which I did this morning, then took it out for a test drive. As soon as I hit 50mph the same thing with the temp guage happened again. I drove it home extremely slowly.
I am not mechanically minded (the oil filter change is the top of my abilities!) but have looked online and found suggestions that it could be blocked coolant or dodgy thermostat.
Does anyone have an opinion on if it's something so simple or if this is indicative of impending engine blow up (again)!
If it is coolant blockage or thermostat could this cause the engine to blow again if not rectified straight away, wondering why the mechanic would not have checked it as I told him the symptoms right before it blew last time ?
Not sure if this matters but just let it get up to running temp on the drive then subjected it to sustained revs of 4-5K and the temp guage didn't budge off normal so assume this only occurs when actually driving.
Sent a text to the mechanic today saying I wanted a replacement engine or refund but not sure if this is the route to take if it is only likely to be a minor issue. Any thoughts appreciated.
Dave
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I would have thought that after all that trouble they would have checked the thermostat, that would certainly be first on the list. Secondly would be a clogged radiator although I wouldn't have thought the car was old enough for that unless its done a very high mileage. The only other possibility I can think of is failure of the water pump.
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My Focus suffered from the same problem a few years ago (ie. car overheating under load) and changing the thermostat and coolant solved the problem in my case.
Like Peter, I'd be surprised if an experienced mechanic hadn't checked the thermostat though !
Thermostat and coolant should cost around £30 to buy, so it's not an expensive job.
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I think I'd change the "mechanic".
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All, thanks for the advice, I have bitten the bullet and put the car in to have the thermostat and temp sensor changed, needless to say not with the original mechanic, going to cost me about £80. If that doesn't solve it then it'll be small claims court to get the £800 I paid for the original repair back :-(
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The temp sensor looks like quite easy to replace on a 1.6 as it's between two of the spark plugs on top of the engine block. (It was on the back on the engine block on my 1.8, so a lot harder to get to)
Changing the thermostat and oil should also be a fairly easy job for you I would have thought, if you say you've replaced the oil in the past.
Saying that - £80 sounds like a pretty good price to get a garage to do both of those and will save you getting your hands dirty !
Just be aware that I only replaced the thermostat first because it was the easiest and cheapest possible cause of my overheating problem - it may not help with your's.
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This should almost certainly be the thermostat. Is is very unlikely to be the water pump, as these are quite robust on the Focus, and the only problem is usually leaking as opposed to failing.
If the temp guage is reading the temp steadily, I would say this rules out the temp sensor.
The only grey area left would be why it doesn't overheat while revving it stationary really.
If the thermostat doesn't fix this, there may be some bizzarre blockage in the radiator which is causing the problem, or (I almost forgot) an airlock.
When re-filling the Focus cooling system after a major drain out, it is good to refill the system to start with by using a funnel into the heater hose right side of the engine, just under the air-filter/air intake assembly.
You need to separate the hose where it is joined together with clips and fill untill overflowing, and then fill the rest of the system via the header tank in the normal way.
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Still waiting for the work to be done, should be completed today. I assume they don't need to drain the coolant to change the thermostat, so if the problem continues after the thermostat is replaced I will need to get that drained and refilled too to ensure no blockage ?
Jumping massively ahead of myself - IF this finally sorts the issue, the next problem is that the engine rattles like a bag of nails (it did not do this prior to the rebuild). When I picked it up the mechanic said do an oil and filter change, I assumed that would quieten it down but has done nothing. Basically I just want to get the car into a state where I know it's not going to blow up so that I can sell it. But with the noise it makes now I think I'd have a serious problem finding someone to buy it. Do these things have adjustable tappets as it sounds like my old Escort of 20 years ago used to, just wondering if this could be the cause. If they do, what can I expect to pay to have them adjusted or replaced ?
Thanks,
Dave
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Jumping massively ahead of myself - IF this finally sorts the issue the next problem is that the engine rattles like a bag of nails (it did not do this prior to the rebuild).
You would need to drain some of the coolant to change the thermostat.
If your engine rattles badly, this is a bit iof a problem on the Focus, as they are overhead cam with 'bucket and shim' ie, non adjustable tappets.
It sounds like the mechanics you used may have induced another problem as if they just re-fitted the same head to your engine, and it was quiet before, it should be quiet now. Suggesting an opil and filter change to quieten a really noisy engine is a bit optimistic I would have said.
If the noise is valve/tappet related, the head will have to be re-shimmed, I cant think what else would be rattling unless it is a problem in the lower engine, it is hard to diagnose such things on the web !
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I was obviously far too optimistic, £80 and a new thermostat later the problem still remains. The car has gone back to the original mechanic (really not what I want to do but can't afford a major repair bill from somewhere else) who is going to check for a blockage in the cooling system and also replace something to do with the cam that is causing the rattle ??? He assures me I will have the car back by the end of the day so will let you know the outcome.
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I was obviously far too optimistic, £80 and a new thermostat later the problem still remains. The car has gone back to the original mechanic (really not what I want to do but can't afford a major repair bill from somewhere else) who is going to check for a blockage in the cooling system and also replace something to do with the cam that is causing the rattle ??? He assures me I will have the car back by the end of the day so will let you know the outcome.
Please HELP, How did you solve the overheating on your ST170. Mine is doing the same. Everyone is at a loss as to how to fix this...
Pieter Erasmus
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Please HELP, How did you solve the overheating on your ST170. Mine is doing the same. Everyone is at a loss as to how to fix this...
Pieter Erasmus
ST170 ? The OP's car was a 1.6 (as in the thread title), so I'd imagine the two engines will be pretty different.
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Hi - I have at long last found the reson for my ST170 overheating... Resolved by:- 1) Changed the thermostat that was stuck "closed" which recirculated the water only through the head... 2) set the cam timing properly - turn engin ONLY clockwise to TDC- If you miss the spot turn another 2 turns for the crank before setting the cams. 3) The FLYWHEEL TIMING SENSOR (Engin speed sensor) BRACKET was loose allowing the timing to be irratic, causing RAPID heating and cooling of the head. This seems to have been the root cause. HOPE this will help others. She now run VERY well - lots of power, good on fuel and not overheating!
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try this - my post from another thread.
I am posting this in the hope that I can save others from expense of going through what I have. If you want to just skip to last para the solution is there. Over the past month I have had the same probelms with my 2001 Focus 1.6 Zetec. I have owned the car from new and various members of the fmaily have used it so its taken 11 years for this issue to come out. The temp gauge would shoot to the red mostly when on a motorway or climbing a long hill but it gradually got worse to the extent that even on short journeys it was an issue.
Cut a long story short, change thermostat, then temp sender, then full flush of rad, then had water pump examined by camera, then garage found that head was an issue when tested at high tempertaure as gas was discoulouring test liquid they used. Head was warped probably due to overheating.
After rebuild no better so garage spend hrs on the interent to find solution (I had tried and not found one). like above everyone says they have an issue but no one says what the solution is!!! So thanks to my garage (an independent) here it is for those who feel there is no end to the problem.
Ford in 2001 issued a bulletin on overheating 1.4L and 1.6l Zetec engines. Bulletin TSB 005/2001 which was updated by bulletin no.5 dated 17th may 2001 (1 month after I bought the car). The fix involves new expansion tank and cap, new 74degree thermostat and new coolant hoses to splice into exisiting. Thanks to my indepedent garage they found this - when they spoke to Ford they knew nothing but went and investigated and parts were delivered in 24hrs once they had agreed it was the fix. Ford should be ashamed of themselves for not informing drivers better as there many many drivers out there who seem to have the issue but no one seems to know the fix. Hope this helps, my car to date has not overheated despite my best efforts in testing the garages work.
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