8k Miles, coolant leak, and Now a replacement engine

[untamedspeed]

I just noticed a leak yesterday on mine. The coolant is dripping from the differential and coolant level is now just below the min mark, but I can't see where it's originating from. Going to the dealer tomorrow. 7750 miles.

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[PhoenixRanger]

This is not good. I smell coolant every once in a while but always assume it’s the old van or truck in front of me. I’m going to take a look at mine today. 15k miles.

 

[Chassis N2531]

I was intermittently smelling coolant after shutting the truck off, and took it into the dealer this week.

They were having trouble diagnosing it, and finally figured out that it was leaking coolant at the back of the motor, and dripping on the exhaust which is why no puddle was to be found.

Now, 3 days later they've brought in a factory tech and have determined that there is a casting /machining issue with the passenger side head and at a minimum it will need to be replaced, or swap the entire motor.

I'm obviously not thrilled about a dealership tech getting that deep into the engine with only 8k miles. This now apparently lies with an FSE (field service engineer) to determine the next course of action, and they expect to have the truck for a couple weeks.

Has anyone experience similar? Is there any recompense to push for an extended warranty, etc?

This is the first new vehicle I've ever bought, out of the 15+ that i've owned. What a bummer.

Any mods? Like the Ford Performance Tune or other?

 

[ClickClickBoom]

Bone stock.

 

[Blue Ridge Raptor]

Hopefully these are isolated issues.
I just changed my oil & filter today so I was all over, under & in the engine compartment. No evidence of a leak & coolant level is stable. 7550 miles, 2nd oil change, bone stock.

 

[BigAir]

I was out playing in the snow yesterday. Oil temp got up to 240 degrees, but coolant temp never showed high on the gauge. I could smell coolant when I parked it. I figured it might be boiling over even though the gauge didn't show it being hot, but now I wonder if it has a leak.

 

[ClickClickBoom]

Without dye in the system, if it's the same as mine I doubt you'd ever find it. It sounded like they couldn't find it / didn't happen during a pressure test, honestly surprised they kept chasing it.

It's literally on back passenger side of the head, and you can't even see back there until you take the airbox and other stuf off.

They had a piece of wire pointing at the leak it was so hard to see.

No complaints about the dealer so far, and still not sure if it's getting a new head or motor, they're waiting on parts before tearing it down more. Should know more this week.

Just bummed to get that deep into a brand new motor. Need to contact ford about at extended warranty.

 

[Lvscott]

It didn't drop an appreciable amount, at least that I noticed. Never saw a drop on the ground.

The tech is likely wrong, which is typical of those dealer doo-doo balls. There's no way he went that deep in the engine. Here, it's easy = if there is truly coolant in your engine, you'd be blowing WHITE SMOKE; are you in fact, blowing white smoke? If not, there simply isn't coolant in your engine, so it can't be a head issue - It's more likely an issue with your turbo's interchange cooler.

 

[Lvscott]

Without dye in the system, if it's the same as mine I doubt you'd ever find it. It sounded like they couldn't find it / didn't happen during a pressure test, honestly surprised they kept chasing it.

It's literally on back passenger side of the head, and you can't even see back there until you take the airbox and other stuf off.

They had a piece of wire pointing at the leak it was so hard to see.

No complaints about the dealer so far, and still not sure if it's getting a new head or motor, they're waiting on parts before tearing it down more. Should know more this week.

Just bummed to get that deep into a brand new motor. Need to contact ford about at extended warranty.

Get a picture of it - have them prove it to you. Many of these dealer techs GUESS at crap.

 

[T-Rev]

Depending on the location and severity of the leak, it might not produce noticeable smoke, and other factors like the engine's operating temperature and the type of coolant can affect how much smoke is visible.

 

[ClickClickBoom]

The tech is likely wrong, which is typical of those dealer doo-doo balls. There's no way he went that deep in the engine. Here, it's easy = if there is truly coolant in your engine, you'd be blowing WHITE SMOKE; are you in fact, blowing white smoke? If not, there simply isn't coolant in your engine, so it can't be a head issue - It's more likely an issue with your turbo's interchange cooler.

Think you're reading into something I didn't post.

Never said there was coolant in the engine, etc.

 

[hand-filer]

The tech is likely wrong, which is typical of those dealer doo-doo balls. There's no way he went that deep in the engine. Here, it's easy = if there is truly coolant in your engine, you'd be blowing WHITE SMOKE; are you in fact, blowing white smoke? If not, there simply isn't coolant in your engine, so it can't be a head issue - It's more likely an issue with your turbo's interchange cooler.

It's "intercooler" by the way. Further, it's an air to air intercooler so no coolant involved in the heat exchange process.

 

[josefmd]

Bone stock.

Never answered! When was your rig built? Early build or late?

 

[Blue Ridge Raptor]

To OP:
kudos to your dealer for chasing this down. Agree that most would do a pressure test and call it a day. Please update post as this plays out and here’s hoping it gets resolved to your satisfaction.

 

[ClickClickBoom]

Never answered! When was your rig built? Early build or late?

WOAH!

It's apparently impossible to get a build date from a VIN, and I don't have a picture of the trim tag, so not sure.

But, bought it off the lot in May, so I'd assume early.

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