Engine coolant overheating + Powertrain malfunction alerts

[MtnRanger]

16000 miles
Bronco wasn’t driven for 1 and half days, then started driving heading towards the airport to catch a flight. 100 ft from the driveway, it got these two warnings and wouldn’t let me drive more than 10mph. I was able to turn around the block and get back into the driveway. Out of town for few days but want to wanted to find out more about the issue since I’m twiddling my thumbs at the airport. Oil was changed 3-4k miles/4 months ago

• Does this seem like a battery issue because two unrelated errors popped up at once?
• Loose ABS sensor issue?
• Thermostat issue?
• Are there any simple things to check before having it towed off to the dealership?

Sponsored

 

[brkdncr]

Yes, check that the fuse box isn’t loose/ungrounded. I’ve seen this reported here.

 

[Brian_B]

I know you’re out of town, but the warnings all look related. Is coolant level ok? Belts look fine?

 

[MtnRanger]

I know you’re out of town, but the warnings all look related. Is coolant level ok? Belts look fine?

Ah you’re right they are related, in my head I was reading 4x4 error even though it says powertrain malfunction. I’ll check the coolant when I’m back in a few days. This was within 2 mins of starting up, and there are no puddles of any liquid in the garage or the driveway

 

[Chiefonator]

Highly likely ECT sensor or wiring to it as this will kick the fans on high and put the vehicle into de-rate with a wrench light.

 

[Ducati1098]

Definitely a sensor or wiring. Nothing else will cause it to go into limp mode that quickly.
Maybe even rodent damage depending where you live.

 

[MtnRanger]

Just got back from the trip. Coolant was 3/4 inch below the min line. I added Prestone max pre diluted up to the max. It came up to 1/4 inch above the max line. I just ran it for couple minutes without driving it. The error doesn’t seem to go away. I’ll have it towed to the dealership. Now, the coolant looks multicolored and rises to 1.5 inches above the max line when the engine is running. When the engine is off, it goes back close to the max line. Will this cause me grief at the dealership with the warranty?

 

[Gene Dios]

That ain't good. You shouldn't get any grief, you're well within warranty mileage. Is it under 3 years limit as well?

 

[MtnRanger]

That ain't good. You shouldn't get any grief, you're well within warranty mileage. Is it under 3 years limit as well?

Yeah, under 2 years

 

[Incinr8]

Any Solution?

 

[Bigshep]

Any Solution?

For real. Sometimes I hate it when people jump on, build me up with details and then disappear. Leaves us on a cliffhanger.

 

[MtnRanger]

Any Solution?

For real. Sometimes I hate it when people jump on, build me up with details and then disappear. Leaves us on a cliffhanger.

I didn’t want to spam notifications and assumed no one was interested. I had an appointment to go to the dealer but while waiting, I YouTubed some more. I ran the engine on idle for 15 mins and got a bunch of bubbles and again the coolant went down a bit. I added more coolant so that it’s in the middle of low and high lines. Then it stabilized and the check engine light disappeared. So, I cancelled the appointment with the dealer. Added 1k miles over two months and it seems to be fine

 

[Bigshep]

I didn’t want to spam notifications and assumed no one was interested. I had an appointment to go to the dealer but while waiting, I YouTubed some more. I ran the engine on idle for 15 mins and got a bunch of bubbles and again the coolant went down a bit. I added more coolant so that it’s in the middle of low and high lines. Then it stabilized and the check engine light disappeared. So, I cancelled the appointment with the dealer. Added 1k miles over two months and it seems to be fine

Awesome news!

 

[Incinr8]

Awsome, So Low coolant?

 

[MtnRanger]

Awsome, So Low coolant?

Yep

Sponsored