Just had a coolant leak scare on a 2017 Ford Escape that wasn't what it seemed

I was doing a pre-purchase check on this Escape for a customer last Thursday. The coolant reservoir was bone dry and I saw pink crust all over the lower hose neck. My brain went straight to a cracked plastic thermostat housing, which is a common job on these. I quoted the guy for the housing and a flush, about $400 in parts and labor. But when I got the air box off to get a real look, the housing was fine and dry. The leak was actually coming from a tiny split in the heater core return line, a cheap rubber hose tucked way up behind the engine. The crusty coolant had just dripped down and made the thermostat area look like the source. I swapped that 8-inch hose in 20 minutes for a $15 part. Saved the customer a ton of money and myself a bunch of time. Has anyone else had a coolant leak that was way easier to fix than it first looked?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_price11d ago

My buddy had a weird one like that. His car was losing coolant and we were sure it was the water pump. Tbh it was just a loose clamp on a hose behind the alternator. Took five minutes to fix.

gavinb9710d ago

Ugh, I swear I've done that exact thing. Spent a whole weekend convinced my water pump was toast, and it was just a stupid hose like @tara_patel said. I mean, I'm a master at making easy fixes hard.

tara_patel11d ago

That pink crust can be such a liar, it always points the finger at the wrong part.