Temperature warning and reduced power on the motorway
- Make and model
- Ford Focus Mk3
- Year
- 2014
- Engine
- 1.0 EcoBoost 125
- Fuel
- Petrol
- Mileage
- 98,000 km
Customer complaint
Temperature warning and reduced engine power on the motorway, with steam from the engine bay when the driver stopped. The coolant had been topped up twice in the previous month.
Fault codes
| Code | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| P0217 | Engine Coolant Over Temperature Condition | Stored |
Measurements and live data
| Parameter / measurement | Measured | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Coolant level | Expansion tank empty | between min and max |
| Cooling system pressure test at 1.2 bar | Falls to 0.4 bar in 5 minutes | holds pressure |
| Combustion leak test (CO2 in coolant) | Negative | negative |
Tests performed
- Pressure test with UV dyeCoolant leaking from a split in the degas hose near the expansion tank
- Compression test after the repairAll three cylinders even
Solution
Root cause
Split degas (expansion tank) hose leaking coolant until the engine overheated.
Repair
Replaced the degas hose with the updated part and the expansion tank cap, refilled and bled with the specified coolant. The combustion leak test and compression test confirmed the head and gasket were undamaged.
Parts
Degas hose, expansion tank cap, coolant
Labour time
1 h
Lesson learned
After an overheat, always do a combustion leak test before handing the car back: the hose is cheap, a cracked head is not.
Training case: the usual fix for this fault, not a confirmed repair on a specific car.
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