I bought a Ford EcoSport 1,0 EcoBoost in May 2015. I took the car in for its 20 000 km service at Ford’s Eagle Corner dealership in Johannesburg and received a call later in the day informing me that the engine overheated and sustained terminal damage while at the dealership. To cut a long story short, the engine was replaced under warranty and I had the vehicle back three weeks later.
Shortly thereafter, I stopped for fuel at a service station and the petrol attendant informed me that the coolant was boiling in the coolant reservoir. This was witnessed a few times after the vehicle was switched off when I investigated the coolant reservoir after a drive.
Because of the first engine failing, I am now very worried about over-heating. According to Ford, this is normal and I should not be worried.
LAUREN HAWORTH
Parktown
The water and antifreeze mixture in the cooling system should never boil. As the cooling system is under pressure, the boiling point is normally above 110 degree Celsius. This means that, if the coolant does indeed boil, the temperature in the system is above the threshold displayed on the engine-temperature gauge. The normal coolant temperature is around 90 degrees Celsius when the engine has reached its operating temperature.
Problems normally encountered on a cooling system include a stuck thermostat, faulty engine-temperature sensor, electric fan problem, low coolant level or air in the system. A blown head-gasket can lead to combustion gases in the cooling system. As this is a brand-new engine and Ford informed you this is normal, we posed the question again and received the following answer:
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa: “Be advised that the coolant isn’t boiling. The 1,0-litre EcoBoost engine is fitted with an electrical water pump that circulates the coolant through the turbo after the vehicle has been switched off and this creates bubbles in the overflow bottle”.
