"Engine Coolant Over Temperature" issue alert

[gohorns79]

Was driving my 2022 Wildtrak with about 7K miles on it when I noticed the cabin heater was not blowing hot air. It was about 19 degrees outside so I just though the engine was still heating up. It never seemed to blow warm air and the engine seemed to be much louder than normal. Then about a mile from home I got an "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" alarm. Got home and turn the engine off to let it cool off. I then noticed a wet spot under the car - clearly a coolant leak. I got my wife to pick up some coolant on the way home, filled it up, made a service appointment, then drove it to the Ford dealership for service (Big Star Ford in Manvel, Tx). This was last Friday, 12/23. I have gotten zero feedback from the service department except that the tech has not had time to assess the car. So it's been a week without a car. I've never had a Ford before. Is this what I should expect going forward. Also, do you think that there is permanent damage to the engine due to low coolant? Either way, it's pretty frustrating.

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[2020FordRaptor]

I would reach out to them and Ford requesting a rental vehicle. Was the coolant low?

 

[Jason]

Sorry to hear. You did the right thing though. Under warranty, you drive the car home. Out of warranty, pull over as quickly as you can safely do so and shut it down. Even one mile could be 0.9 miles too far.

There’s no way to know for sure, but this is the internet. It was built for baseless speculation. If the engine was much louder, then I’d guess you need a new one, which is what I’d want in this circumstance.

 

[gohorns79]

yep - I filled it up to the max line before I drove it to the service department. It was clearly low. This was hours later. Luckily, the shop is only 1 mile away.

When you say to reach out to Ford, do you mean the company directly? How does one do this?

 

[BBSas]

From my experience with 2 ford dealerships, it’ll be a while before you hear anything and the only one in a hurry will be you. Sorry to hear of your problem but Ford service is at a snails pace, warranty or no warranty.

 

[Lil Red Broncette]

Was driving my 2022 Wildtrak with about 7K miles on it when I noticed the cabin heater was not blowing hot air. It was about 19 degrees outside so I just though the engine was still heating up. It never seemed to blow warm air and the engine seemed to be much louder than normal. Then about a mile from home I got an "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" alarm.

In my experience not getting heat is caused by two factors. Engine thermostat stuck open or low coolant. Obviously in your case it was a coolant issue. The insidious thing about low coolant is often engine temperature gauge will show low because coolant isn't circulating to the temperature sensor. As a result over temperature may not be detected as early as it should as well.

The loud engine is concerning as that suggests something different in its running. Hopefully that may just be caused by the air/fuel mix being messed up because temperature reading did not accurately reflect real engine temperature. I had engine coolant sensor fail which caused engine to run funny and tank my fuel economy, but fortunately no damage.

 

[gohorns79]

In my experience not getting heat is caused by two factors. Engine thermostat stuck open or low coolant. Obviously in your case it was a coolant issue. The insidious thing about low coolant is often engine temperature gauge will show low because coolant isn't circulating to the temperature sensor. As a result over temperature may not be detected as early as it should as well.

The loud engine is concerning as that suggests something different in its running. Hopefully that may just be caused by the air/fuel mix being messed up because temperature reading did not accurately reflect real engine temperature. I had engine coolant sensor fail which caused engine to run funny and tank my fuel economy, but fortunately no damage.

How would I know if there is damage?

 

[gohorns79]

yep - I filled it up to the max line before I drove it to the service department. It was clearly low. This was hours later. Luckily, the shop is only 1 mile away.

When you say to reach out to Ford, do you mean the company directly? How does one do this?

Also - the error went away the next time I started the vehicle with replenished coolant. I was able to make it to the service department (~ mile) without the error showing up.

 

[Ground_zero298]

What was the temp when it triggered the warning?

 

[stickshifthappy]

How would I know if there is damage?

In my experience with engines that are aluminum, and or have aluminum or even composite valve covers, overheating is the kiss of death.

I wonder why there isn't an audio alarm when an engine reaches a certain temp. so you have a chance to shut it down before major damage is done.

 

[Lil Red Broncette]

How would I know if there is damage?

Did it sound loud when you started driving again? Did it seem/feel normal? Typically the head is most likely to get damaged and exhibits itself fairly clearly like damage to the head gasket causing coolant leak to one of the cylinders or crankcase. The former will result in overheats, the latter more severe damage.

I have come to treat an over temp as a critical event requiring stopping the car as soon as practical to let it cool. When less experienced I got away with some over temp events and was lucky so am cautious now. Sometimes it is only a little over temp, but sometimes the overheat is from a severe event. I rather sit on side of the road giving the engine 20 minutes to cool before driving that mile home or to someplace I could get coolant.

My son-in-law had an over temp on a 12 year old car and decided to look at it after he got home. In those few miles the engine started running rough. After cooling and topping off the coolant it would barely run. Coolant was leaking into one of the cylinders indicating the head gasket failed or head was cracked. The cost to repair exceeded the value of the car. The coolant leak that caused the over temp was a hose. Had he stopped he wouldn't have lost an engine.

 

[SuperDave150]

It’s the holidays. After (during?) a panic-pandemic. No surprise that you don’t have news yet. All service providers are short staffed. All of them.

Patience is a virtue.

 

[gohorns79]

Did it sound loud when you started driving again? Did it seem/feel normal? Typically the head is most likely to get damaged and exhibits itself fairly clearly like damage to the head gasket causing coolant leak to one of the cylinders or crankcase. The former will result in overheats, the latter more severe damage.

I have come to treat an over temp as a critical event requiring stopping the car as soon as practical to let it cool. When less experienced I got away with some over temp events and was lucky so am cautious now. Sometimes it is only a little over temp, but sometimes the overheat is from a severe event. I rather sit on side of the road giving the engine 20 minutes to cool before driving that mile home or to someplace I could get coolant.

My son-in-law had an over temp on a 12 year old car and decided to look at it after he got home. In those few miles the engine started running rough. After cooling and topping off the coolant it would barely run. Coolant was leaking into one of the cylinders indicating the head gasket failed or head was cracked. The cost to repair exceeded the value of the car. The coolant leak that caused the over temp was a hose. Had he stopped he wouldn't have lost an engine.

It seemed to drive like normal on the way to the service department. I didn't notice an odd sound.

 

[gohorns79]

It’s the holidays. After (during?) a panic-pandemic. No surprise that you don’t have news yet. All service providers are short staffed. All of them.

Patience is a virtue.

Yeah - I figure it is a tough time. I haven't been overly pushy or demanding..... just waiting and waiting. I do need a car though.

 

[gohorns79]

Just an update to fill everyone in on details since I received so much useful info from the forum.

Got a call from Ford saying that my vehicle was ready on 1/3. Immediately went to pick it up. Here is the writeup of the issue as printed on the invoice ($0):

Verify customer concern found no coolant in degas bottle
Added coolant pressure tested coolant system found coolant leaking from heater hose no clip in all the way re clip heater hose re test and res test drive concern no longer present at this time

The engine seems to run just fine now. It only has 8K miles so if the engine did overheat, I hope to see evidence of this before the 50K warranty is up.

The warning came on when the coolant temp was "high" so I don't know the exact temp it hit. I was able to turn off the engine before it got to the "red" mark on the gauge.

Thanks again!

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