[Habriant40]

So ive got 700 miles on my new turbo build and everything has been smooth thus far.
I replaced all of the gaskets/washers connecting the oil and coolant lines to the turbo.

I have custom made grill shutters in place for the winter. since AGS were removed. I will be removing these now since temps are apparently too high.

Just last night, I noticed my in cabin heater cutting in and out during idle at stop light.. indicating the coolant was low. I grabbed the right orange coolant and topped off the expansion tank. Got heat back in the cabin. temps seem all good.
I did a WOT pull on the highway on my way back home.
the car hit 237°F which is much too high. When I got off the exit ramp, there was some steam coming out of the passenger side. smelling like antifreeze.

I jacked it up, dropped the belly pan, started it up to let it get warm to check for leaks.
it took forever. this car stays cool at idle. I brought the rpms up to 2k for a while and hit 195°F. cool. the thermostat is now open. the rad fan is now on. There is antifreeze condensate near the BPV area and along that side of the engine/ fire wall from the steaming last night, but nothing dripping. All I can see is a little dampness on the coolant banjo bolt. so I tighten it a little more. ( now over spec but not by much). I check everything again. no leaking.
I disconnect the fan to let it get really hot. got it back up to problem temps +230°F. nothing. no leaks anywhere. no problems. coolant staying fine. I plug the fan back in to let it regulate back to safe temps and shut if off. Put everything back on and go for a drive.

after one WOT, we see 220°F.
get to destination, check expansion tank. coolant is low. Very very slight vapor coming from radiator area. like near the oil filter. but all of the hoses looked fine. I checked the heater return block, Iines around top of the bell house, stuff along the top of the rad, and turbo lines. nothing is leaking. the only way it must be leaking is when the water pump is really spinning (High RPM) and the temps are near/above boiling.

Does anybody have any recommendations?
no, the exhaust does not smell of antifreeze.

 

[Mzdrati]

I'm sorry that you are having this issue, and I am not experienced enough to assist you- but I have to say- you certainly were thorough in your diagnosis, testing and investigation. I will be monitoring this posts to see what the resolution is. Quick question, though- are you running the stock radiator? I believe it's a metal core pressed onto plastic end tanks, and I have heard of builds creating high temps and high pressure in the coolant circuit that causes the plastic and metal radiators to separate and leak. A build such as yours may require something less pedestrian. Just a thought.

Best of luck!!!

 

[Habriant40]

Thanks!

Yeah I'm hoping my grill shutters didn't bring it to this point.
I have plenty of airflow through the bottom. the whole intercooler area gets good flow. I just blocked off the top for a little more warmth. charge and oil temps are fine.

On my way home I'm going to try to recreate the steaming situation and pull over and pop the hood. hopefully this will allow me to see where its coming from.

 

[beretta96]

Kinda sounds like an air pocket in the coolant system.

 

[SSgtjrobertson]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H7YX6M...abc_32BB1BNGKTD9DVMWFMZB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Work smarter here.

Another thing is to pick up some UV coolant leak dye and light. That helps to pinpoint really small spots.

The other thing to consider is air pockets trapped in the cylinder head. This will cause temperatures to skyrocket.

 

[Habriant40]

Well fellas. I may have outdone myself this time.

The 'manual' grill shutters that I made seem to be the cause of it all.
My coolant system was responding exactly how it should by venting excess pressure.
what a boneheaded move. I was just overheating my car intentionally.

driving normally is fine with air restrictions over the radiator.
flogging the car makes big coolant spikes that normal AGS shutters respond to. at 100mph, it really helps to have that air cooling off all the heat you made to get there.
Even though the air is cooler in the winter, mass of air flow over the heat exchanger is necessary to remove large amounts of heat, not just temp difference.

The source of the leak is just the expansion chamber cap vent. Doing exactly what its supposed to.
The leaking coolant just runs out underneath the tank. and spills all down the frame rail and the belt area. exactly where the smell/vapors were coming from.
Really like this design. you can open the cap when its blazing hot and not get burned! I was all ready with a thick towel. no need.

 

[TurboGT]

Good find. REPLACE YOUR CAP RIGHT AWAY. I learned Recently that this style ford cap does not only weaken over time, but is only designed for ONE pressure relief event and is essentially junk after that.

 

[SSgtjrobertson]

Good find. REPLACE YOUR CAP RIGHT AWAY. I learned Recently that this style ford cap does not only weaken over time, but is only designed for ONE pressure relief event and is essentially junk after that.

Can confirm 👍

 

[MtnMan]

Any multi-event capable aftermarket caps recommended?

 

[Habriant40]

Any multi-event capable aftermarket caps recommended?

what he said.
I'm running to the ford dealership for something else today. But if the cap goes bad after one use I wont pick one up.

 

[MtnMan]

Also wonder if aftermarket bling caps relieve properly?

 

[Habriant40]

have you seen any? all i saw was the stupid boomba cap cover. not an actual cap replacement

 

[MtnMan]

I don't know of any.
Hope someone does 🍿

 

[TurboGT]

It doesn't go bad after one use, it goes bad after being blown off once. Some cars will go an entire lifetime without having that happen.

To answer your question, i know aftermarket caps exist, i dont know if any are advertised as being able to take multiple pressure relief cycles though. that would be a question for a company like Stant.

 

[Habriant40]

Well. I took my grill shutters out, put a new cap on. And its still doing the same thing. Slowly consuming coolant, hitting 220°F after pulls. Still smelling like antifreeze under the hood.
I think its time for a pressure test and some UV.
has anybody had a water pump go bad on one of these?
The coolant is in this area

 

[isohi]

You could have a slow leak on one of the heater core hoses behind the intake? I just came across this on my car and ordered the parts. Let me know if you need the numbers. Removed the wipers and cowl cover to get a good look.

 

[Habriant40]

hmm.. might agree with the cabin heater dropping temperatures at stoplights.

I took a look back there, but maybe I missed something. I was mostly looking from underneath

 

[isohi]

The hoses are on top right behind the air intake so you'll have better luck with the cowl off. Run the car with the heater on. You should see a slow drip. Then once you shut the car off you'll see a faster leak.

 

[Habriant40]

yeah kinda thinking this might be my problem. I ran my water methanol tubing through the heater block grommet in the fire wall. probably damaged something.
Have had a busy week haven't had a chance to get back there. Just driving it softly till then. It sits at good temps when driven like a pedestrian vehicle

 

[20XX]

has anybody had a water pump go bad on one of these?

I'm a little late but I had a water pump go bad while on the interstate and nearly cost me an engine. (ended up blowing the engine later anyways 🤦‍♂️)

Basically, if i remember correctly I had a small leak but couldn't really find it and then on my way to work got the flashing CEL and reduced engine performance. I couldn't tell what had happened because the ground was wet but i got it towed to some of my friends that work a the Ford dealer. Left it with them and they said that it looks like all the sealant just gave way all at the same time.

I believe it was the day after new years and I had just passed 100k miles (classic).