mk1 focus broken down help

[steveo3002]

mk1 focus petty 1600 , was on the motorway this morning , dash lights up and it felt like it was slowing , managed to dive down a exit almost straight away

got out and the header tank was full to the cap and spilling over , fan not on , no obvious coolant in oil or vice versa

ive let it cool down and its lost about an inch of coolant , starts and sounds fine no misfires or rattles from the pump

any ideas im thinking maybe water pump or stat ?? can the stat close up after driving for 2 hrs

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Stat should fail in the 'safe' position i.e. open. Remove and test in a pan of water.

 

[steveo3002]

hmm was thinking that....any ideas what else

does water pump sound likley?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Head Gasket.

Company replacement car was doing that.

When the head was lifted it was blowing by No 4 into water jacket, it was not a full blown. But acting like a bleed/ one way valve.

So new gasket, new stat.( suggested that, so did garage) and it was all ok.

 

[dobbslc]

I had new stat fail in the closed position once so worth checking the easy stuff first, it was in a Vauxhall Frontera though......nearly had to drag the car factors man over the counter to get a refund on it and all the new coolant it PI$$ed over the road. He told me the stat couldn't be tested in a pan of hot water!
It took the head gasket out later but I flogged it like that to a Romanian that wanted to drive it home!
He was still happy and so was I as long it got him through the channel tunnel ......

 

[rikrobson]

It does sound like the HG has gone or is going. Pumps usulally seize or leak when they fail. The 1.6 pump is on the sepentine belt, so if that fails you'll loose electrics too. you'll just loose circulation, but here will be some thermal transfer in the water, so unless there is a blockage and the pump/heat is pressurising the ststem then its a blow by in the head gasket. if you let it run with the cap off it won't pressurise and you should see the current from the pump. if there are bubbles its probably the HG

 

[daedalusminos]

So the dash lit up....What warning lights...Was it overheating?
Stats can and do fail in the closed position...If that's the case, get the heater on max, wind the windows down and take it easy....Keep an eye on temp gauge.

If it didn't overheat, I suspect head gasket as already suggested. When cool, start engine with expansion cap removed and look for coolant movement.

 

[steveo3002]

gauge showed normal , pulled over almost straight away , yes something had got a bit hot as the tank was bubbling over

 

[steveo3002]

can the stats fail in use ...as in we had traveled almost 2 hrs , 1 hr of it being at motorway speeds , so it was all working when we left home

 

[daedalusminos]

Yes stats fail when the expansion chamber leaks. In certain configurations this will mean the stat closes off the rad loop and opens the bypass as per cold start....The only cooling method you have is the interior heater.

But bubbling at the expansion tank doesn't necessarily mean overheating. Yes the gauge could be faulty but I suspect head gasket

 

[steveo3002]

zero coolant movement in the header tank

i just went and started it from cold...gauge shot up to normal within a minute , ran for as long as i dar say 10 mins and no flow in the header tank and neither rad hoses got warm , not sure i ran it long enough but dont want to kill it if it is something minor

 

[God mode restorations]

Check thermostat first...if that is operating properly then it sounds like the start of possible hg failure...as said the water pump would show signs of leaking before failure...

 

[daedalusminos]

I don't know the focus, but alot of gauges now are 'driver friendly' they don't give a true temperature reading but more of processed reading e.g. between 70 and 90 might display 80, and not move until the temp gets to e.g. 100

 

[wookie]

I think most cars have a useless "driver friendly" temp gauge these days, my Mk3 Hilux pickup certainly did but I've modded it so it now accurately displays what the temp sender tells it (you need to swop a zener diode for a resistor). I just wish more cars where as easy to fix but nowadays the temp sender tells the ecu and the ecu controls the gauge so there isn't a lot you can do.

<Edit>
In case anyone is interested here's the site http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/techsite/tempgauge.htm that details the modification required to fix your Toyota's temp gauge.

 

[rikrobson]

the pump is a pita to get to. But saying that you dont need to remove the crank pully as the belt slips round. there is a belt tensioner too, so you can ease that off and spin the pump. that will let you know if its the pump or not.

 

[CKJDJK]

You said the "The fan not on" Check it works. After a fast run the fan should come on as you slow at junctions/roundabouts as the air flow is lost. If the coolant is boiling then the fan should have been running. The switch for the fan could have croaked or the fan seized/blown fuse.

 

[steveo3002]

the pump is a pita to get to. But saying that you dont need to remove the crank pully as the belt slips round. there is a belt tensioner too, so you can ease that off and spin the pump. that will let you know if its the pump or not.

any more info on pump removal please? got lots of bolts out the cam cover , engine mount off , pulley off , looks like all the bolts but it wont budge still so i packed up for the night ,

do i have to disturb the cam belt or what...looks like it ought to wiggle out

 

[dobbslc]

I think most cars have a useless "driver friendly" temp gauge these days, my Mk3 Hilux pickup certainly did but I've modded it so it now accurately displays what the temp sender tells it (you need to swop a zener diode for a resistor). I just wish more cars where as easy to fix but nowadays the temp sender tells the ecu and the ecu controls the gauge so there isn't a lot you can do.

I was going to say the same about lying temp gauges! my HiLux Surf needed a new cylinder head at it had cracked although it ran perfectly I did it before a trip to LeMans and no way was I going to trust the original gauge! I fitted a digital one that's nice and accurate and when you compare the two the original one reads "normal" when the digi one is anywhere between 40 & 99°!

 

[the snooper]

zero coolant movement in the header tank

i just went and started it from cold...gauge shot up to normal within a minute , ran for as long as i dar say 10 mins and no flow in the header tank and neither rad hoses got warm , not sure i ran it long enough but dont want to kill it if it is something minor

that sounds like it had hardly any water in it to heat up that quick

 

[steveo3002]

wondering if the gauge is faulty as well ?

stat checks out in the saucepan and water pump impeller is tight and has all its blades