Coolant Leak

[dacmile]

2013 Edge SEL with 3.5 engine 4300 miles....noticed coolant leak which appears coming from head gasket. Dealer & Ford says 3.5 engine does not have that problem so will not tear it down! Dealer guesses leak from internal water pump? Dealer checks with Ford parts and they respond Ford has no replacement water pumps because of problems with supplier....suggest it could be 6 months before available!! This is totally ridiculous! What the heck is going on with Ford??? Dealer told me to go ahead and drive it till the engine burns down....that may get some attention at Ford parts!! HELP!!!

[ls973800]

2013 Edge SEL with 3.5 engine 4300 miles....noticed coolant leak which appears coming from head gasket. Dealer & Ford says 3.5 engine does not have that problem so will not tear it down! Dealer guesses leak from internal water pump? Dealer checks with Ford parts and they respond Ford has no replacement water pumps because of problems with supplier....suggest it could be 6 months before available!! This is totally ridiculous! What the heck is going on with Ford??? Dealer told me to go ahead and drive it till the engine burns down....that may get some attention at Ford parts!! HELP!!!

I looked at my calender to make sure it isn't April 1. Wow is all I can say about this post and the "service" being given by Ford and the dealer.

[wlepse]

Wow that is terrible. At least with the MFT issues I have they seem to at least be working on it. I would contact a lawyer and find out what your lemon laws are...then do what ever you can to meet the requirements and force their hand. Sorry to hear about this experience and sad that the dealer would even recommend doing that. But I would not follow their suggestion because I am sure Ford will come back and say it was your responsibility to keep the coolant level high enough not to cause damage. So if you drive this and it overheats and warps a head they will likely leave you with the bill.

[Crusty]

You might try http://www.ford.com/help/contact/

[akirby]

Are you sure that was Ford's response and not just the dealer's response? Sometimes the dealer gives bad information. Not saying that's definitely the case but I would either check with a different dealer or check with Ford corporate. I can't believe Ford would not do something to accomodate this repair under warranty even if there was a parts shortage.

[dacmile]

I have been busy most of day checking on internet for confirmation from other sources....it is absolutely true....Ford or Motorcraft has NO water pumps and does not know when any will be available. I also tried to subscribe and download TSM from Motorcraft to try and figure out where leak may be coming from....their server is not working. I have never worked on a 3.5 DOHC as I imagine that is the case for many Ford Techs even....however I have lots of experience with other engines and head gasket or water pump leaks. I need a manual or picture to see just how that internal pump mounts up and how possible it could be for coolant to leak down front of head from the internal water pump....sounds ridiculous...but maybe!? I agree I will keep pouring blended correct orange coolant into engine...it is a slow leak...for now anyway! I will not name dealer for now......they did try to get Ford to cooperate......however Ford told them they could not tear it down until they knew where leak was coming from and they expected it was from water pump and they did not have any or know when they would so of course dealer not wish to tear down and let it sit or be stuck with situtation.....so said drive it!! And as for lemon laws, yes I am checking into that just in case. I had a 2011 Edge and really liked the AWD and overall drivability. I guess this one is just a LEMON....but I have been reading that these internal water pumps are a ticking time bomb....they of course do it for engine compactness. However the very situation being that Ford has no water pumps in stock for an engine that has been around since 2008 would apper to tell us all something!!!! Thanks for you info and concern.

[autom8r]

Here are some pictures.

 

http://green.autoblog.com/photos/ford-ecoboost-3-5l/#photo-1002813

 

One of the pictures shows a front view of the engine. That 's the water pump behind the timing chain guides. There is another picture that shows the back of the water pump and impeller.

 

The water pump may be available from a source other than Ford. Getting Ford to install it for you is another matter.

 

There are also tons of used engines out there too, you may be able to buy and install for less than the cost to replace the water pump.

Edited December 15, 2012 by autom8r

[Crusty]

Either I don't understand the problem, or I'm just a dumb-azz (most likely choice). Why did they rule out a bad gasket? I've only had one on a new car before, but I did have one. I would keep my receipts for coolant to present to the arbitrator.

[dacmile]

Big thanks to Autom8r...those 3.5 engine photos are just what we needed to understand how everything fits together! I also was able to purchase a Motorcraft TSM subscription to detail the coolant system tear down and test process. Long story short that water pump repair is about as bad as a head gasket repair....those internal waterpumps are going to be a real future disaster for future owners and Ford.

[autom8r]

Dacmile

 

You're welcome.

 

The 3.5 ecoboost turbo motor that they put in the F-150 trucks is based on the same motor that they put in our Edges. There is a well documented test where Ford beat the ecoboost turbo engine through various torture trials and then tore down and inspected the engine in front of an audience. http://youtu.be/PG6xZ3e4_pI There are 6 parts I think.

 

I think the industry is building "cartridge" engines that you unbolt from the transmission and toss. There are no user serviceable parts inside [or outside]. The wiring harnesses are all quick connect, there's a stretchy belt that you need a special tool to get on and off, the front of the motor is baby-butt smooth. No water pump or other driven stuff in sight. Just my 0.02 cents.

 

I've got 103k on my engine. So far so good.

 

I agree that yours should have held up a lot longer than 4300 miles.

 

Good Luck.

[MrHappy]

We just had our 3.7 torn down for a leak (well, leaks). So far the problem is gone.

[blankster]

My 2011 Edge LTD with the 3.5 has a slight smell of coolant but the coolant level in the tank has not gone down. I assumed it was from a breather or something like that. Maybe I need to look closer.

[jwax]

BEWARE!!! We own a 2011 Edge with 91,000 miles on it. This weekend we were driving back from a wedding and got an overheat warning. We quickly pulled over and had it towed in. BLOWN ENGINE!!! We had no indication that we had a problem of any kind. Had even had the oil changed the week before. We literally drove less than half a mile after the warning went off. Our dealership AND the dealership where we had the car towed (since we were out of town) both recommended that we call Ford to see if we could get any assistance. No luck....they said if it was really a serious problem that the dealership would have called! I called my dealership back and they are checking on it, but the service manager said that he had not heard of that before (He knew that he could call but didn't know that Ford would take it "more seriously" if they called. He also indicated that it was only customary for the dealership to call if they had sold the vehicle and had done all of the service on it.) I find it absurd that a vehicle would get a blown engine with NO WARNING!!! And now, FORD wants nothing to do with providing support! Anybody else having similar issues???

[TGM]

I was just told that the engine in my 2008 Ford Edge engine is toast because the internal water pump failed. This happened amazingly fast with no warning to a properly maintained vehicle. If you have had this pump fail on your Ford contact this firm and add your name to the list.

 

read the paragraph in this link related to the pump

 

http://www.consumer-action.org/index.php/alerts/articles/have_you_purchased_these_products

 

contact Bryan L. Clobes of the Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel law firm by phone at 215-864-2800 or by email at BClobes@CaffertyClobes.com.

[macbwt]

My special tool to remove the stretch belt was a pair of hose scissors. Not really a special tool. The special tool to install was two zip ties. Just sayign simple process as far as a stretchy belt. As far as water pumps. Mine has 267,000 miles on it...........

Dacmile

 

You're welcome.

 

The 3.5 ecoboost turbo motor that they put in the F-150 trucks is based on the same motor that they put in our Edges. There is a well documented test where Ford beat the ecoboost turbo engine through various torture trials and then tore down and inspected the engine in front of an audience. http://youtu.be/PG6xZ3e4_pI There are 6 parts I think.

 

I think the industry is building "cartridge" engines that you unbolt from the transmission and toss. There are no user serviceable parts inside [or outside]. The wiring harnesses are all quick connect, there's a stretchy belt that you need a special tool to get on and off, the front of the motor is baby-butt smooth. No water pump or other driven stuff in sight. Just my 0.02 cents.

 

I've got 103k on my engine. So far so good.

 

I agree that yours should have held up a lot longer than 4300 miles.

 

Good Luck.

[frederick1390]

I was just told that the engine in my 2008 Ford Edge engine is toast because the internal water pump failed. This happened amazingly fast with no warning to a properly maintained vehicle. If you have had this pump fail on your Ford contact this firm and add your name to the list.

 

read the paragraph in this link related to the pump

 

http://www.consumer-action.org/index.php/alerts/articles/have_you_purchased_these_products

 

contact Bryan L. Clobes of the Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel law firm by phone at 215-864-2800 or by email at BClobes@CaffertyClobes.com.

I had the same situation with my 2011 Edge... and will need to replace it! At 88k miles! I contacted the law office listed above, and they are no longer pursuing any action at this time.

[macbwt]

144,000 on my 2011 Edge, running strong.

[Dylly2253]

On 5/25/2016 at 4:41 PM, frederick1390 said:

I had the same situation with my 2011 Edge... and will need to replace it! At 88k miles! I contacted the law office listed above, and they are no longer pursuing any action at this time.

Same happened to mine no warning just pop then no more car says head gasket leak which was coolant- so many complaints yet no recall yet????!?

 

Was driving short distance, car never overheated. Didn’t show any indication it was bad. And then head a pop, pulled over seen no leaks- checked oil night before was fine , checked oil after pop and it was showing normal oil level, opened oil cap and a bunch of steam came out looked it was all milky. And no more coolant. 
what exactly are the proper steps to repair head gaskets. I’m assuming water pump as well and maybe timing chain? Are you suppose to do an engine flush before you remove gasket or are you suppose to do one at all? Any help I’d appreciated- yea I hear about this happening all the time with these vehicles especial this motor in particular, I live in Canada and for some reason no recalls have been issued.

thanks again for your tips opinions and help 

[Hurley68]

Hi,  

 

We just had this happen to our 2011 Edge with only 145000km on it, its been taken care of and had a tune up with oil change the week before.   We were couple hours into a road trip and temp was normal then and minutes later had extreme temp warning come on and we pulled over right away. We checked and no coolant in fill box, pulled dipstick and steam came out and oil was all milky.....blown head gasket.  The motor has never been overheated and was running great no signs of leaks.

Ford said no recalls or problem and its out of warranty so no help and looking about $6000 to repair, so now we are looking for a new vehicle and will not be a ford again. 

 

[DILLARD000]

On 9/9/2023 at 1:24 PM, Hurley68 said:

...had this happen to our 2011 Edge with only 145000km

...taken care of and had a tune up with oil change the week before

...temp was normal then and minutes later had extreme temp warning...pulled over right away

...no coolant in fill box, pulled dipstick and steam came out and oil was all milky.....blown head gasket

...never been overheated and was running great

...Ford said no recalls or problem and its out of warranty so no help and looking about $6000

Your avatar\profile does not note your Engin, but if it's the V6~3.5L\3.7L~DOHC,

then you likely had a failure of the InternalTimingChainDriven WaterPump;

notorious for failing at the outer PumpGasket &\or at the inner PumpBearing, then dumping Coolant into the OilPan,

making that Coolant+Oil "MilkShake", which if run for more than a very short time destroys the Engin.

Heard of people being able to flush out the MilkShake, replace the Pump, & get the Engin running again; I'd still be afraid of serious Engin\Bearing damage.

Edited September 11, 2023 by DILLARD000

[Furious Ford Owner]

2011 Ford Edge coolant leaked into engine oil and destroyed the engine on a well maintained SUV. There were no warning lights, no warnings by Ford about maintenance or preemptive solutions. They have not recalled for the issue despite huge numbers of people experiencing this and being told it is now a 10 thousand dollar replacement engine! We just bought another Edge weeks prior to the issue being diagnosed and are furious that we own another. Thinking of reselling it, although, they swear the problem has been solved by a new engine design. We have owned Fords for 50 years in the family and could not be more disappointed in their refusal to take responsibility for their failure and poor communication that could have avoided the very expensive demise of our SUV. We will never buy another Ford and will let our family, friends, and every online site know our story. You should run, not walk from the Ford dealership. If Ford wants to make this right, RECALL these engines and fix the problem! They clearly know the issue exists as many class action suits have been filed. You may not have known upfront about the issue but you created a clearly faulty engine and water pump seals, take responsibility for your improper design flaw. Help your customers so they stay loyal. Yet, no recall. Shame on you Ford! You may take a financial hit recalling but it is better than going out of business because no one will purchase a vehicle from you based on your terrible customer service. Right the issue, don't destroy the name Ford that used to mean quality and integrity!

Edited December 2 by Furious Ford Owner
Grammar corrections

[garycrist]

It appears Ford has fallen back into the '80s again. Designed obsolescence so that it

might make it to the end of the "Payment Book" (I bet the younger group does not know

about Payment Books with "coupons"). This is the reason people started buying Japanese!

 

[enigma-2]

On 12/2/2024 at 12:44 PM, garycrist said:

It appears Ford has fallen back into the '80s again. Designed obsolescence so that it

might make it to the end of the "Payment Book" (I bet the younger group does not know

about Payment Books with "coupons"). This is the reason people started buying Japanese!

Unless of course you made the mistake of buying one of these Japanese models:

• Mazda RX-8 (engine failure, power steering jerks, excessive oil consumption and numerous recalls)

• Mitsubishi Eclipse (rims damaged easily, tires wore out quickly, interior was cheaply made, which caused interior parts to break, and there were problems with  automatic transmissions, power train components, and steering. 1999 model in particular.)

• Honda CRX Del Sol (roof leaks, noisy cabin, brake rotors warped easily. Owners rated it  nothing short of a lemon.

• Suzuki Samurai and Suzuki X-90 (which had the cute habit of flipping during sharp maneuvers.)

• And from my own experience, I bought one of the very first Toyota Celicas in the US (Still on the truck when I bought it.) It had the wonderful idiosyncrasy of burning out points every three thousand miles. (I got to be an expert in replacing points on the beast. Could do it in five minutes, start to finish.) Other than that, I loved that car, until I totalled it.