Hi guys, im a very unhappy person.

yesterday i bought my 1993 escort cossie, this afternoon i taxed it and took it for my first drive.

did about 20 miles or so on some tight back roads, and as it was my first time i was driving it very cautiously. i went to fill up with fuel and as i restarted it i noticed it puffing out some white smoke.
then drove it to my mums about 5 miles to show them my new toy and left it running for about 10 mins.

when i left i got to the bottom of the road and steam started bellowing out of the left bonnet vent from the header tank.

i puilled over and used my jumper to release some pressure, then got in and nursed it home for about another5 miles.

when i got back and opend the bonnet i couldnt even see the engine for all the steam.

i let it run and put the hose on to the rad which did stop it boiling.

restarted it 5 mins later and toped up with some cold water. the hose to the header tank and small turbo pipe were hot but the pipe from the pump to the rad was barley warm????

I think its fairly obvious i have a head gasket problem.

but what about the water, is my pump buggered, cant think why else one of the pipes was cold??

and i assume although stiing running for 10 mins didnt help, the reason it boiled is due to headgasket???

any of this sound familar.

i have a good mate who is a ford mechanic, and im fairly handy with a spanner, so between us we should be able to fix it. but it would be nice to know your thoughts on it. as this was my first ever drive in it and was not a pleasnt one after spending all my hard earned cash

 

lee you have to get the cooling system pressure tested ,what colour is the oil any white sludge in the oil,it could be a thermostat prob u say some pipes are cold whip it out and test it by boiling up a kettle and pouring in a glass to see if it opens ..hope this helps mate good luck........

 

ok now ive calmed down a bit, i feel better. just spoken to my mate whos a ford mechanic. hes going give it a look over.

im not thinking there is a head gasket problem. the oil is very clean, and indeed inside the engine rocker cover it still looks like a new engine.

the white smoke was only on idle for about a minuite and i think (well hope) i was reading too much in to it.

just spoken to my best mate and she also reminded me the car has been sitting in storage for over a year, so i cant just expect it to just drive.

yeh my thoughts at this moment point to the thermostat, and i guess as it was sitting for over a year it makes sence. i will take it off and have a look, opens at 88c doesnt it?

 

ok couldnt sleep last night. took the car for a drive just after 5am untill 7;15.

it ran sweet as a nut.

untill i hit traffic at 7 and i could see the oil temp rising almost to 80.

and as far as i can see the fans have not cut in at all.

as soon as i got going the oil temp went back down to 70.

so what do you reckon, some sort of relay for the fan switch?

i havnt taken off the thermostat yet, as after driving it for over and hour, (and giving it some for a few mins to make it work and try build some temp) the oil temp remaind at 70.

i keep saying oil temp as the water temp guage has no scale, (it was sitting at about 1/4 temp on guage, sound normal?)

 

It sounds like a classic sticky stat to me.
The best thing when they have been sat is to let them run up to 1/2 temp and then run off and leave with the boonet shut, I do this and it always works to make sure they are free, some cars you can even hear them crack as they open for the first time.
It seems as though yours is ok now, the oil temp will rise as it actually does MORE cooling than your water, but not that yours is high, I've had temps around 130/140C so you do not need to worry.
I would check out the fan + switch by bridging the swicth and seeing if the fans run, if they do for peace of mind fit a new rad/fan switch, then RELAY the circuit as the ford circuit is a joke.
tabetha

 

def chk your fan is workin as above and get a new thermostat for what they cost it might save you from cooking it all ...have fun .......

 

had very similiar problems myself car was fine until in traffic or being driven hard the temp would rise and when checking the rad hoses the left hand 1 from the thermostat to the rad was stone cold, it turned out to be a sticky thermostat, have now replaced it and all it 100% again

 

I checked the fans, they do have some life. If you turn the air con on, they cut in about 30 secs later.
but i have yet to see them cut in due to engine temp!?

took it for another drive this morning, aftet 30 mins driving it got to about 95c and started to steam. (i pulled over for 10 mins and then drove slowly home.

touched the left hand rad pipe again, guess what, cold. yet i couldnt touch the right hand one too hot.

so i took the thermostat off, checked it twice in boiling water. did nothing both times. i assume its supposed to open at about 88c (is that correct?)
anyway. ive just put the pipe work back together less the thermo.

so will take it for a drive and see what happens.

im guessing the water temp sensor is on the rad, hence why the fans never cut in as there was no flow through it. the temp needle was at the 'R' of 'norm' when it started steaming, no where near the red, but i guess again if the sensor is in the rad with no flow it wouldnt reflect what was going on in the header tank. as the return flow from the turbo is what i think is making it steam.

anyway lets see if ive cured it? nice to know youve seen temps of 130-40, with no major side effects. mine just went over 100 so thats a little bit of reasurance. Although im in two minds to trust my guages!

 

any joy????

 

duno yet, some divy has had it off before buy the looks of it. and almost striped the ally threads. and there was no gasket present.

so ive hylomared it, just letting it seal now, before i put any water and pressure past it.

if it works, its all good, but means i will have to retap the holes for bigger bolts, and there aint much room down there.

any joy your end m8??

 

The air con confirms that the air con is working, as the fans cut in to cool the condenser for the air con.
The head can be repaired with TIME SERTS, in situ with an angled drill etc, about Ł25/Ł30 should do it.
tabetha

 

drill holes in my head, christ, my hands would be shaking too muck with fear to do that.

well im head as far as i have tested is fine, so hopefully when i fire it up tonight with out the thermostat, the problem will be solved. providing the fans cut in!!!!

yeh i know the air con trick only shows air con working, but its a handy tip i think, to check that the fans have some sort of life in them. and also if you are in traffic and they arnt working, you can make them go buy turning the ac on!




picky775, went for it and took the head off (we have identical problems) and i dont think he found anything wrong with the gasket (did ya?)

so anyway fingers crossed my problems sorted with the thermo.

 

i have a good mate who is a ford mechanic, and im fairly handy with a spanner, so between us we should be able to fix it.

wheres your mate when all this is happening?????-------ford mechanic.

 

Not sure how that comment is supposed to come across?

He lives 3/4 hour away. And we both work long hours, so fixing an old escort cosworth is not top of either of our list im afraid. Hes talked me through a few things on the phone, and gave me some wiring diagrams when i saw him on satuday. Hell i only got the car last wednesday, not even had it a week. Im not even going to have a chance to look at it untill mid next week anyway.

good things come to those who wait you know!

 

My saphire 4x4 had similar issues last year and it was the fan switch not bringing the fans on when needed, only really happened after hard driving. I rewired the the fans with a switch on the dash to bring the fans on if the new switch fails or when I'm driving hard I turn them on.

 

mine turned out to be the stat not openingat least its sorted just got to put it all back together now well when i can be arsed that is lol.hope you get yours sorted fella

 

By the sounds of it if necessary get someone else to rethread the head, not a job for the faint hearted, as all you will do is worry, the inerts are ace though.
tabetha

 

Yes it sounds like a classic sticky stat to me too. or the blades in the water pump has rusted away therefore not pumping the water at the best rate (has been known).