I dont know if this is a talk thread but I really need your help at the moment. My fathers 99 Cobra started to leak oil and we found that there was a pin hole in the block like a sand hole I was wondering if any of you guys know what the factory powertrain warranty on 99 Cobras and would ford fix this problem. If any you guys can help me I would really appreciate it thanks.
is it in the block or in the oil cooler??? also does this hole face downward toward the front of the engine?? I ask because i had an oil lieak a little while ago from my "oil cooler" it connects the filter to the engine as a third pice of the puzzle so to speek the leak seemed to be coming from that hole but what actually broke was the seals inside to cooler when i got the part shipped to me the hole i thought was the problem was on the brand new cooler as well. check and see if you have a radiator hose leading toward where this hose is if so that cooler might be your problem. not sure if this helps but its worth a shot
Wow that make all kinds of sense. I am not to familiar with the 4.6 stuff I am a 5.0 guy but I did see a radiator hose on it so that has to be it thanks a bunch you saved the day.
honestly have no clue i got a great deal on the cooler from a dealer in califronia so just gid the swap
Yup, sounds like the oil cooler or seals within. Check out the following threads for more info (searched for keyword "cooler"): http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=589159 http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=564304 http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=525653
Strange thing. I just got done looking for a leak on my 2001 Mustang Cobra and found this pin hole you speak of. After finding and reading this thread it all makes perfect sense now. All I have to do now is give this back to the dealer and have them fix it under warranty. Infact I took a picture of this that I will post. Wonder if this is an issue with '99 and 2001 Cobras.
Its not a very common problem at all for the cooler itself to be leaking. Good thing its under warranty because they are pretty expensive.
Wow, just an amazing coincidence that I happen to see this thread the day I found this problem then. What a trip. Actually I've noticed an oil consumption more then usual on my car for over a year now. I took it in to the dealer with my concerns and they said the oil consumption is normal. Now it seems I have the smoking gun, lets see what they throw at me this time...."Umm..yeah...it's supposed to leak oil from that weep hole...yeah...that's the ticket". Anyway, thanks to Stangnet and the well informed members, you guys put me on the right track again.
Ok, so I just got back from the dealership tonight about my oil cooler leaking out of the weep hole. I get the call that the oil was leaking out of the oil filter...total crapola So they changed the oil and charged me a diag fee..pretty much a really expensive oil change. Before I picked up my car I brought the picture I took (the one in my previous post). I showed it to the service rep and I said "no way this is leaking from the oil filter". He saw the pic and still denied that there is a weep hole and argued with me. I'm pissed now of course. Told him that lets take a look. Put the car back up on the rack and yeah...he said...I never new that was there. Damn thing was leaking and now he believed me. Now I just need my two other problems fixed. My parasitic drain on the battery from an unknown source and front end clunking which they claimed is the bushings from having my car lowered. The battle goes on and on to get my few things fixed under my extended warranty plan.
Don't feel bad. I had a similar leak... http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=589159 Anywho, I took the cooler off to change all the o-rings, and surprise, there was another one in the middle of the shaft. HUH? Looked it up in the Haynes, no mention of it, took it to the dealer, nope, no idea. So I replaced the 2 end o-rings, and put back the old middle one. I even made him show me the computer spec.'s that show a smooth oil cooler shaft as mine had a machined groove for the "non-existant" o-ring.
Well got my car back from the dealer and luckily got Cooler replaced, electrical prob fixed. But drove not two miles and the Water temp started to hit the H. I shut her down and now looking at another trip back to the dealership. Wonder if they just filled the reservoir with water and not the radiator. Could that be the problem? Or did not wait till the thermostat fully opening when putting coolant back in?
I'm betting they refilled it improperly! If your car is back home at your garage, you might as well do it yourself. It's not too difficult. Just drain the coolant already in there at the radiator. There is air trapped in the system. You MUST refill the cooling system at the coolant crossover tube location (remove the plug directly in front of the alternator with a 1/4" ratchet end). Keep pouring in coolant until it starts to flow out of the top (with the car off). After coolant is poured into the system, start the engine. You will need to "burp" the air bubbles (by running the engine with this plug removed, allowing the trapped air to surface and exit into the atmosphere). Allow the engine to cool, and repeat as necessary.
Did a search on Stangnet and found your link to Coral on refilling the radiator. I'd like to do it myself, but being this is all warranty stuff I want to make sure they touch it. Just incase anything else is damaged they have no excuses. I don't know. What would you do (considering this is warranty work)? I'm at my wits end. P.S. Oh yeah, about the air trapped in the system. When I released the resevoir cap all the water lines shutterd violently. Could this be an indication of air trapped in the system?
Unscrewing the resevoir cap "de-pressurizes" the cooling system. The coolant system holds 16psi (should be written right on the cap itself I think). That is normal. In a nutshell, here is what it "boils" down to (no pun intended LOL). The cooling system must be refilled at the highest point in the cooling system. The highest point of the cooling system on our cobras is located at the coolant crossover tube (right in front of the alternator, via the plug I mentioned earlier). Air trapped inside the sealed cooling system will find its way to the highest point in the system, which is why the "burping" process is necessary. You could have the dealership drain and refill the cooling system properly for you, but I would be wary of driving the vehicle for a long distance if you need to get it to the dealership because it could overheat on the drive there to the dealer. You could have it towed there as well I suppose (have the dealership cover this for you or use insurance/warranty if available). I think you might be able to get by without driving the car all the way to the dealership. Give the following a try: Don't drain the radiator, but just remove the plug on the coolant crossover tube. Start the engine, allow it to warm up if the plug is difficult to remove - you don't want to strip the insert/thread on the plug! With the plug removed and the engine running, allow the cooling system to burp itself. You may have to do this a few times and hopefully this will resolve the problem. Watch for air bubbles escaping. It might be a good idea to place a catch can/bucket underneath the car directly below the area of the alternator so you can catch any spilled coolant (don't want animals to ingest ethylene glycol!). Crank up the heater to the floor panel and full blast. Let the engine come up to temperature. Shut down, keep the plug uncapped on the crossover tube. After the engine has cooled off, add in some coolant at the crossover tube location (as much as it will take). Re-start engine and re-burp once or twice more, as necessary. If the above does not work, then perhaps it is another problem that just happened to coincide with your recent dealership service (maybe a plugged radiator, bad thermostat, etc). Give the above a try first, it should fix it up.
Cobra90GT, First off: Thanks so much for taking the time for a detailed write-up. I copied and pasted for future reference. Secondly: I did take my car back to the dealership for documentation sake (incase of legal actions). I wanted them to complete what they started under warranty work. Get this, when I told them it was overheating they asked me if I wasn't looking at my fuel gauge which was empty BTW. I told them, I think I know the difference between the fuel gauge and the temperature gauge. So this is the second time I told them the problem in order for them to get it fixed; they are so incompetent. You where right, they did not fill the coolant system correctly, burping the air out and making sure it's throughout the system. They did that eventually and the car is back in good shape. Thanks again for the help that you gave to me for free and from someone that knows what they are saying. They need to clone you for their service department mechanics.
Where are you located in Socal. What dealership did you go to so I can stay clear of it. If you are close to the San Diego area let me know, I might be of help.
You don't have to worry, It's 160miles from you. Vista Ford in Oxnard, California Yes, stay very clear of this dealership and never let them even set eyes on your car. I wouldn't trust them with puting air in my tires, they would manage to mess that up to.
