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Mk5 Cooling Sytem Problem - Please Help


Guest Jamiepc
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Guest Jamiepc

Hello All,

I post this as a result of four not only frustrating but expensive weeks of trying to fix my Mk5 1.6 Zetec ford escort cabriolet (1995 reg).

I bought this car for my wife as a non runner, with what was described as a faulty thermostatic fan control switch. When I picked the car up the owner had shorted the fan control switch out to make the fan stay on constantly, which allowed me to drive home with the temp gauge staying between 1/3rd and 1/2th of the way up.

After getting the car home and replacing the fan control switch, the car continued to get hot (into the red on temp gauge) but the fan did not cut in. Looking at the expansion tank, when it got hot the tank bubbled and expanded under the pressure that was building up in the system. I borrowed a Co2 presence testing kit, and found that there was Co2 in the water so proceeded to replace the cylinder head gasket.

Whilst the head was off, I had it skimmed (5 thou in total was skimmed), Pressure tested and it showed there was no cracks in the head. I purchased new head bolts, new gasket set, new water pump, new thermostat , new cam belt kit, new auxiliary drive belt and replaced it all.

Guess what, still continued to bubble back into the expansion tank!!!!! So i thought well, the bottom end must have a crack, ill go and buy a new engine for it (second hand one anyway). I changed all of the new bolt on parts (cam belt, water pump, thermostat etc) and dropped the new engine in expecting this to be the end of it!

To be sure I flushed all of the water pipes through making sure there was no blockages , filled the system with water and started the car up.......Still bubbling back into the header tank and the fan not engaging when it gets hot (just before red). I have attached my compression tester and across the four cylinders and it reads 200psi on all. I thought well in for a penny in for a pound and have just come in from replacing the radiator for a brand new one which has done precisely bugger all.

I am now completely out of ideas..... i can only think that it has to be something straight forward, but ill be damned if i can think what it is. I have tried countless times to free any airlocks that may be causing this, but im now under the impression it isn’t an air lock.

What does everyone think? I beg you all for your suggestions before I go insane.....

Or does anyone know a good mobile mechanic in South east London/Bromley?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post

J

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Guest busadaddy

are you sure its got the right temp sender in mate cuz theres no way it can still be overheatin after you changed all that.and are you sure u have the auxilary belt in the correct direction as you water pump could be goin backwards hence its not pumping water round ive seen that done before

cheers andy

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Guest Jamiepc

Hi CHARLZY, yeah its getting beyond a joke now. But secretly i do like working on zetec engines :smile: Im going to get one of my Mechanic mates to have a look should i not be able to sort it soon.

 

Hi busadaddy, The temp sender is all good mate - I forgot to mention i have had the multimeter out and tested all of that aswell. Im intrigued about the idea that i could have put the auxilery drive belt on wrong to make the water pumpo go in the wrong direction. Do you have a picture of how it should go on? as there are no pictures in the haynes manual i have! Or could you take a pic of yours if you have one?

 

Thanks in advance and please keep the suggestions coming

 

J

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Guest busadaddy
Hi CHARLZY, yeah its getting beyond a joke now. But secretly i do like working on zetec engines :smile: Im going to get one of my Mechanic mates to have a look should i not be able to sort it soon.

 

Hi busadaddy, The temp sender is all good mate - I forgot to mention i have had the multimeter out and tested all of that aswell. Im intrigued about the idea that i could have put the auxilery drive belt on wrong to make the water pumpo go in the wrong direction. Do you have a picture of how it should go on? as there are no pictures in the haynes manual i have! Or could you take a pic of yours if you have one?

 

Thanks in advance and please keep the suggestions coming

 

J

no i dont have a pic mate but have seen it before when the belt has been fitted incorectly and spins the pump the wrong way thats why it overheats cuz the fins on the pump cant pump water round cuz there directional.and if youve tried all what you said you have there can be nothin else realy

hope this helps andy

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Guest Jamiepc

Does anyone have a picture or diagram they could post for how my auxilery drive belt should be routed? At the moment i cant see that the belt can be fixed any other way than what it is at the moment. Im looking for a 1.6 EFI without Air con ideally.... Alternatively can someone have a look under ther bonnet and tell me what way their water pump rotates.....

PLEASE, PLEASE , PLEASE.........

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Guest charlie74

pop to fords spares department and ask there,, they can print out a section of the epc,, and the mechanics will be able to tell you the correct rotation/fitment..

 

epc= european parts catalog,,

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Does anyone have a picture or diagram they could post for how my auxilery drive belt should be routed?

 

 

 

 

Hi Mate,

 

 

 

I have no idea if they are but I would guess that the 1.6 ZETEC Drive Belt is the same as the 1.8 and 2.0 Drive Belts BUT DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT !!! :excl:

 

 

 

The First pic is for a ZETEC without Air-Con, the last one is with Air-Con !!! :biggrin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DriveBeltDiagram-Focus20ZETECwithou.gif

 

DriveBeltDiagram-Focus20ZETECwithAC.gif

 

 

Hope this helps,

CHARLZY

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Guest kevspireites

i'll jump on here as i posted the same problem on my bro in laws mk 6 but my description wasn't great lol.

 

anyway symtoms are exactly the same we have replaced both sensors which has eased the problem a bit but it still overheats, the fan doesnt kick in at all this we think is the only reason its overheating as its much better have tried bridging the fan but still fan doesn't work so we connected his fan to my cab and it worked fine :msg3: any advice would be great as now the fan worked on mine we are baffled :help:

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Guest Jamiepc

Charlzy - Nice one fella, that puts my mind at ease. Unfortunantly my belt is on right! so the mobile mehanic has been booked for Thursday! will let you all know what the problem end up being.

 

kevspireites - Sounds like your fan control switch is not getting power, check the fuses to see if this one is blown. Alternatively trace the wire to see if these are damaged. Lastly and i hope its not this one, your ecu may be faulty. Hope this helps.

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Guest Jamiepc

Right Guys n Gals, the saga continues! :smile:

Well, I had the mechanic come round to diagnose the problem. He said that it looked like i had tried everything that he would have, so clutching at straws he suggested that it may be the head gasket gone on the new enginr i had just put in. He did a test for c02 in the water, and it was! Hows about that for bad luck!

Well i have just come back in after trying to fit the old head to the new engine (as i have had it compression tested and skimmed before giving up on the old engine to fit the new one) and guess what, its a different head! The only way i know this is because the pistons connect with the head when i try to turn over the bottom end by hand!

So here i am back to square one :throw: The next step is eiother to get the new engines head tested and skimmed or get another engine! But this time i will get it from a car that i have seen running first :wacko:

Any one fancy coming round to mine for an Escort repair party? i have beer and pizza! :tongue:

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Guest kevspireites

sounds like its the head gasket then on bro in laws car as syptoms were same changed all sensors for new ones fan kicks in now and it runs fine but water still bubbling up in tank. cant wait to tell him he'll be looking forward to doing that lol

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Guest SteveB
Right Guys n Gals, the saga continues! :smile:

Well, I had the mechanic come round to diagnose the problem. He said that it looked like i had tried everything that he would have, so clutching at straws he suggested that it may be the head gasket gone on the new enginr i had just put in. He did a test for c02 in the water, and it was! Hows about that for bad luck!

Well i have just come back in after trying to fit the old head to the new engine (as i have had it compression tested and skimmed before giving up on the old engine to fit the new one) and guess what, its a different head! The only way i know this is because the pistons connect with the head when i try to turn over the bottom end by hand!

So here i am back to square one :throw: The next step is eiother to get the new engines head tested and skimmed or get another engine! But this time i will get it from a car that i have seen running first :wacko:

Any one fancy coming round to mine for an Escort repair party? i have beer and pizza! :tongue:

 

 

 

where are you ? if your my way will come help ya bud

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Guest Jamiepc

Hi Softopste, Unfortunantly mate im in Bromley, Kent. So about a 5/6 hour drive, thanks for the offer mate.

 

Hi kevspireites, yeah sounds like he has some fun to come! Get him to get the head pressure tested and Skimmed, buy new head bolts and obviously a new head gasket set. I found the cheapest place to buy the head bolts and gasket set was e-bay.

 

Im starting to think i should put a bigger engine in the escort! why go through all this bother and not see some bhp out of it? hmmm maybe a 2 litre Zetec mondeo lump........the mind starts to wander

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Guest paulsteveo

did you get this sorted i have a mk5 1/6 zetec and som mechanical nouse and im in croydon sanderstead not far from you , be glad to help you out ,match parts up etc ,cheers paul !

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Jamiepc

Hello All,

Right well heres an update on the saga, i have had the new engine head tested and skimmed, new bolts and gasket.....oh and also found out that the supposed 1.6 zetec engine i have fitted is actually a 1.8! Well atleast its an extra 200cc :convertible_mazeguy:

Well after all of that the problems were still present and i was running out of ideas...... Thats when i though i should just have a look at the new waterpump i fitted and make sure its all as it should be..... well it wasnt! the impeller wasnt actually fixed to the shaft, so when the end of the shaft was being turned, the impeller that was supposed to move the water wasnt!

So anyway i assume that this is the problem and have in my possesion another spanky new waterpump that should put this to bed! I will keep you posted once i have fitted the new one!

Paulsteveo: nice to know you know there is someone near by, thanks for the offer mate ill let you know how it all turns out. Let me know if i can provide any help for you mate.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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