Noticed the typical sweet coolant smell after I got out of the truck one day. Got out, popped the hood and noticed drips of the orange/red coolant on the oil filter. Upon further inspection I noticed the water pump was leaking and my mechanic diagnosed it as a leaking water pump. Thankfully, warranty covered it and the truck was fixed by a local Ford dealer.
Coolant leaks are very common on the 5.0's. It is a shame because the engines are otherwise stout.
My 2013 f-150, small v8 with 38,00 miles has a constant leak in the transmission cooler lines, $427.00. Replaced all new lines . I am constantly putting out money for this rusty piece of junk.
Update from Oct 19, 2018: It also has a rear seal gasket leak
Ford has known about the T- pipe connector to the thermostat leaking after a cold spell due to the o-ring shrinking or flattening out for a few years now. Each year since 2013 they have had these connectors on back order around December thru February because of these either cracking or o-rings failing. I now have a 2013 F-150 that will have to set for a couple of weeks because every parts distributor in the country are out of these connectors and are on a 15 to 20 day wait before they can get anymore. This is my 7th Ford that I have bought and it might just be my last. I would expect stupid things like this from Chevy or Dodge (using plastic parts on cooling system lines) but Ford should have been better at this. I think Toyota or Nissan trucks are starting to look better and better.
Must add coolant each Month. Leak is from the bottom of the engine. Most prevalent during the warmer months. This is 1 of about 15 major problems with this truck.
- aj_andy,
Cedar Grove, US
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Ford sucks, with their 2 different anti-freeze orange & gold, do not mix them together. it will cause significant problems, the system will need to be flushed and this leads to more problems. the cheap o rings on the cooling system will leak antifreeze , ford has some not so good parts people working at the dealers. they will sell you the wrong coolant, that's when the problems start.
Update from Mar 22, 2017: O rings leaking on radiator hoses should be a simple low cost fix , ford does not make replacement o rings. so all the hoses had to be replaced just to fix a small coolant leak. dealer charge was 420.00 $ a true rip off. should have been a cheap repair. NOT HAPPY WITH FORD for taking advantage.
I was towing some coin op equipment in a Uhaul trailer and was several thousand pounds below the rated towing capacity of the truck. I was towing maybe 3500lbs. The radiator cooling fans came on full blast several times that day, but I didn't find it surprising. But then for several days after, with no cargo load, even if it was 65 degrees at 7am, the cooling fans would still go full blast every single day like it was overheating. According to the gauges everything was fine. And when I say the fans were full blast, it sounded like I was driving a Boeing 737. I eventually discovered I was nearly 2 gallons low on coolant and I have had to continue to add coolant every other day. If I wanted to drive a truck that has this kind of unknown coolant leakage (among many other things), I wouldn't have purchased a $30k+ truck. I woulda bought a mid 90's hunk of junk instead.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The first time my 2013 F-150 lost coolant, the dealership replaced my water pump.
The second time my drivers side turbo was replaced.
The third time the same turbo was replaced because the first one was faulty...
- Harold R., Fort Worth, US