Coolant leak near exhaust

[dlubin]

My 2013 FFH has developed a small leak near the exhaust port on the driver's side of the engine. It started out being very small, only perceptible when a drop would fall on the exhaust and produce a puff of steam that might be seen if stopped. Now I'd say it is probably using a quart every 500 miles.

 

This is not a location I would expect to see coolant unless there was a serious problem (photos attached).

 

Anyone with any experience or knowledge on the subject?

 

[Thomz Fusion]

Have you determined the source of this leak?

I have been smelling antifreeze occasionally when I get in my vehicle. It doesn't persist. I took the vehicle to a local shop and they pressure tested the cooling system. I suspect, however, that they only tested the normal cooling circuit--not the inverter cooling system.

A leak on the driver's side, such as yours, would suggest that it involves the inverter cooling system, so I'm quite interested.

I haven't yet found any evidence of a leak, but do seem to be slowly lowing fluid from the main reservoir. Are the two systems interconnected in any way?

Any help appreciated.

[dlubin]

I have not determined the source of the leak but after replacing the cap on the overflow tank, the coolant consumption went down at least 10X.  As far as the inverter coolant goes, mine has always seeped a bit around the push on reservoir cap.  It does not leak very much.  I top it off less than once a year.

[billford]

On 7/29/2018 at 2:12 PM, dlubin said:

My 2013 FFH has developed a small leak near the exhaust port on the driver's side of the engine. It started out being very small, only perceptible when a drop would fall on the exhaust and produce a puff of steam that might be seen if stopped. Now I'd say it is probably using a quart every 500 miles.

 

 

 

 

The exhaust manifold has a coolant passage in it. Its used to speed up the interior heater temperature. 

The manifold comes in an assembly with the catalytic convertor. 

Expensive.

 

You can probably bypass the manifold by joining the 2 heater hoses together. 

[dlubin]

Thanks for the tip.  If it starts leaking again, I'll check it out.  Perhaps one of the hose clamps is loose.  Whatever it was, it seemed to have something to do with the radiator cap.  After this problem had been going on for a while, I went to unscrew the cap and it fell apart.  I got a replacement cap and the problem mostly went away.  It currently is using the amount of coolant it takes to go from the MIN mark to the MAX mark every 2,500 - 3,000 miles.

[Thomz Fusion]

On 1/15/2020 at 11:03 PM, billford said:

 

The exhaust manifold has a coolant passage in it. Its used to speed up the interior heater temperature. 

The manifold comes in an assembly with the catalytic convertor. 

Expensive.

 

You can probably bypass the manifold by joining the 2 heater hoses together. 

Bill,

 

I took my car to the dealer today to diagnose my coolant leak. After an hour of testing, they determined that I have a leak in that exhaust manifold assembly. They quoted $2,500 for replacement, which has me gulping. The leak is very minor--more of an annoyance than anything. Still, I'm concerned that it could become worse over time and lead to other issues.

 

I like your bypass solution, but it would be nice to have a diagram of some sort to make sure I know what I'm doing. I have been amazed at the cooling circuits on the vehicle, which seem to be running all over the place. I've looked for a drawing of the cooling circuits but haven't found anything. Can you provide any information on the best way to bypass the exhaust manifold?  Any help would be most appreciated. 

[Thomz Fusion]

As noted, my 2013 Fusion Hybrid experienced a small coolant leak in the exhaust manifold assembly. It took the dealer a long time to find it. They quoted about $2,500 for replacement of the manifold assembly. In searching the web, I discovered that it is indeed an expensive part and difficult to replace. This exhaust manifold appears to be a fairly unique innovation that Ford introduced in order to help get cabin heat as soon as possible (recognizing that the IC engine runs intermittently).

 

I considered a number of remedies, including bypassing the coolant passages from the manifold, and trying to seal the leak externally. Eventually, a friend and former Ford engineer suggested using radiator stop leak. I used a half bottle of Bar's stop leak and I am relatively certain that the leak has been plugged. I used to get a coolant smell when starting the vehicle, and experienced a very small loss of fluid over time. Both issues have ceased. I'm hopeful that it has resolved the issue. I'll report back if it resurfaces.