Coolant leaking/pooling in spark plug wells

[wahl954]

Hello all, New to owning an expedition and have been searching for the right one for over a year. I finally picked one up at the right price, 2008 XLT with 66,000 miles. Truck is in great overall shape. I have been going through the truck trying to find any issues and fixing them as I go. Nothing major yet until I found coolant pooling in the sparkplug/coil pack wells. Please see attached picture.

I have not been able to find too much information on this issue, but from what I can gather it looks like the “heater hose assembly” is leaking. I figure worst case scenario the intake manifold gasket is leaking. I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue and any advice would be appreciated. The part number I’ve found for the assembly is KH509. Please let me know if this is not the right part number. From some pictures I have found online it looks like whoever owned this truck had already changed the part before because the hose coming out of the firewall is one piece. Anyway and help would be appreciated.

 

[Fastcar]

Pressure test the cooling system!

 

[wahl954]

yea im going to do that in the morning. I dont have the tool but Im going to clean all the hoses and let is heat up to operating temperature. I hope I can see the leak then, with as much coolant thats in the wells I should see something.

 

[2007Limited]

Sounds like you got a lemon. Should of got a Chevy!

 

[Mikes05expy]

^^^^^^^^TRAITOR^^^^^^^^ LOL!

Sent from my $amsung $III using Tapatalk

 

[Fastcar]

You can probably get a pressure tester from a auto parts chain. They might test it for you.

 

[ptmares]

Check those hoses right above the manifold. I had the same issue. The top "T" looking hose, right where the rubber meets the plastic, was where mine had a small pin hole leak.

If that is the problem, it is an easy fix with the new hose from Ford. If so, they redesigned the hose to eliminate about a 4" piece that extends off of the fire wall. New hose one piece design.

 

[911jason]

Cost me $900+ at the dealer to fix the same problem. They said they had to replace all the coil packs on that side as well as the leak.

 

[Mangina]

It should be pretty easy to locate. Clean up the coolant, start it up, and trace where the new coolant comes from.

 

[2007Limited]

Cost me $900+ at the dealer to fix the same problem. They said they had to replace all the coil packs on that side as well as the leak.

What reason did they give for replacing the coil pack?

 

[wahl954]

thanks for the responses. This morning I checked it again and there was some fresh coolant at the T intersection of the hoses. Looks like that is where the leak is. I already ordered the hose, hope it was the right one. Until then I rigged up my shop vac with a small hose to reach in there and suck up all the coolant that was sitting there for now. Before I start the job I am going to drain all the coolant so I dont get it all over the engine bay.

And $900 hundred from the dealer is ridiculous. Unless the engine was running like crap or misfiring you should not have to change the coil packs. Even if there were bad they are not hard or change and not to expensive to purchase.

 

[911jason]

Maybe I'm not referring to the right parts, the spark plug "packs" on that side of the engine are what I had to replace. I really don't remember the back & forth with the dealer, but basically they said they had been ruined by soaking in the coolant.

I found the pinhole leak only because my engine was making an odd ticking noise. It was most noticeable when idling next to a wall (drive-thru, etc.).

 

[wahl954]

interesting...dont know what to tell you. A ticking noise is not something the coil pack usually causes. The coil packs sit above the spark plugs and would not be touched by the pooling coolant so I dont know what they told you. The only thing with the coolant pooling is if you dont remove it and it sits for too long it will eventually soak down the spark plug threads and can cause further damage.

 

[911jason]

I really couldn't tell you... I will tell you that I have zero trust for that dealer anymore. I also completely lost faith in Ford extended warranties. After being a loyal Ford customer (this is my 3rd Expedition) for 25 years, I really doubt I'll buy another one.

 

[Sierra Lima1470]

I just had this problem with my 2007 Expedition. I got out of the truck one night and smelled coolant, so I open the hood and see fresh coolant coming out of the heater hose T joint. It was causing a small misfire as well due to the liquid pooling. The correct part number you need from ford is KH509. It cost me $39.16 on Ebay for genuine Motorcraft and $60 dollars labor to install at a local repair place.

 

[wahl954]

yea the dealer should be the last resort and i wouldnt go there unless the problem is going to be fully covered without paying. With a little research you can almost always find the problem, buy the part, and install it. If you cannot do the work yourself then do like SL1470 did and find a local shop to do it. If I cannot do the work I always question the shop how much they charge per hour and for a written estimate of the work. The more knowledge you have the less chance you take on a mechanic taking advantage of you.

 

[911jason]

The reason I took it to the dealer is because I have an extended warranty. Amazing how nothing that goes wrong with my truck is ever covered by the warranty though.

Isn't it sad that you can't trust a Ford Dealer? Funny how their rep here on the forum is always quiet when I talk about this too...

 

[ezeq]

dealer always good in selling their stuff, but not for repairs, either you have to wait for a longer period of time then they're gonna say take it to a different dealer or you have to pay this blah blah blah thats not covered by the warranty, just saying.
Cheers everyone

 

[bedrck46]

The reason I took it to the dealer is because I have an extended warranty. Amazing how nothing that goes wrong with my truck is ever covered by the warranty though.

Isn't it sad that you can't trust a Ford Dealer? Funny how their rep here on the forum is always quiet when I talk about this too...

The rep on here is useless he gets paid to tell you to take it to the dealer I have never seen him offer any good advice to help someone find and fix a problem. Wish I could find a job that would pay me to tell people where to go.

 

[911jason]

Wish I could find a job that would pay me to tell people where to go.

Haha... I guess you could say I already have that job. I even get to tell cops where to go!