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2001 intercooler leak

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Old 04-15-2001, 09:09 AM
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Angry 2001 intercooler leak

I have 1100 miles on my L, and there's intercooler fluid all over the right side of my motor. I thought they fixed that problem with the new intercooler, but I guess I was wrong. I'll be dropping her off at ford monday. Has anyone else seen this with their 2001 L's?
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 09:19 AM
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Hey Kidd, Sal here. The "leak problem" causes intercooler coolant to leak internally in the motor, you won't see anything leaking from that problem. If you are seeing coolant on the pass side of the motor, that could be coming from the hoses that go to the cooler core, possibily one of the clamps that hold the hoses to the steel lines is not tight, sometimes those type of clamps come from the factory locked open. Also, it could be the heater hose over the #3 and #4 coil area on the rear pass side of the motor, those have been known to leak from untightened clamps.

I also notice you are from Huntington? I am in the Port Jeff area, if you ever want to get together, I can even put a nice chip in your truck and show you what these trucks area REALLY capable of

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Old 04-15-2001, 09:20 AM
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That may not be intercooler fluid. It may be the heater core hose on the firewall above the #4 coil pack. This has been a known issue since day one on Gen II's. The fitting can spring a leak & spew coolant all over the passenger side, including the rear-most coil pack causing it to degrade and misfire. You might check there first.

Lord, please don't let the 2k1's have intercooler probs! (a small Easter prayer)


Great minds must think and type alike. Sal ya beat me by that much.....

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[This message has been edited by Wyldman (edited 04-15-2001).]
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 09:20 AM
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That sounds like a different issue. The 99-00 leak was almost always inside the motor and the only clue was that the coolant was gone. Be nice to the service writer. Give them a chance to fix it. Most likley it is just a loose hose clamp or something simple. If it turns out to be an internal leak, Please let us know. All IMHO

Hope this helps.

Andy
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 09:25 AM
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Holy leaking fluid, Batman, I hope it's just a simple clamp fix!!! Let us know the outcome.

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Old 04-15-2001, 09:27 AM
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Thanks for the info! I'm going outside right now to check those thing's. About that chip, I see people posting that they gain up to 40 rwhp and also get improved gas mileage when cruising. from what i understand about chip's, it's one or the other. Thank's for any more info you can give me on either topic.
-Glenn
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 09:58 AM
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I checked all of those thing's, and unfortunately it does not seem to be just a loose clamp/leaky line. I'll post again later after i'm done cheking out some more possibile causes.
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 10:40 AM
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When I blew a heater hose on my 99 last year I could not tell by looking at the hose that it had fail. If you have anti freeze on the outside of your motor it will not be a failed intercooler tube.
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 11:59 AM
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Whew, reading this title just scared the bejesus out of me. I was all set to go shopping for a reliable tow vehicle, until I read that the fluid was on the OUTSIDE of the motor. This has to be an issue that one of the other folks raised, and NOT a leaky i/c. Jeez, don't scare me like that.

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Old 04-15-2001, 03:23 PM
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Cool

Kidd2001,
My 2001 had a loose clamp on the Intercooler inlet @ delivery. I smelled antifreeze on the 50 mile trip home, but couldn't find an apparent leak. A week later the smell was still there & I found the I/C resevoir fluid low. I began to trace the lines & found the loose clamp, after tightening it, & checking all other clamps, I refilled the resevoir & all has been perfect. It has been a month now & no more smell, & no low fluids, all OK. Good Luck to you.
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 06:52 PM
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I have been unable to visualize any leak. I know it's intercooler fluid because the consistency is 100% different that antifreeze. hopefully it will be something minor. It seems to be splashing off the hood when i'm driving. it is not seen when i power brake it, or rev it at idle. i'll keep in touch after i bring it to ford.
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 06:56 PM
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Kidd, the coolant used for the intercooler is the same exact thing as the coolant used for the motor. It's the same 50%-50% coolant/water mix, it just has it's own system. If you are seeing something other than that, it's not the intercooler.

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Old 04-15-2001, 06:57 PM
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Kid

Intercooler is full of antifreeze. Same as the radiator. It should look and SMELL just like coolant.

Doug
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 07:07 PM
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It seems to have a more oily/heavier consistency, but maybe i'm wrong. my last car was a 69 DZ302 camaro. I've never dealt with intercooler fluid before, but i'm fairly certain it is somehow coming from the area directly around the intercooler reservoir. now that i think about it, maybe it is antifreeze?
 
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Old 04-15-2001, 07:30 PM
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If the inter-cooler tank is not low, It is not inter-cooler fluid.

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