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Inspection and Verification

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Montego, 2006 Ford Freestyle, and 2006 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
WARNING: Never remove the pressure relief cap under any conditions while the engine is operating or hot. Failure to follow these instructions could result in personal injury or damage to the cooling system or engine. To avoid having scalding hot coolant or steam blow out of the cooling system, use extreme care when removing the pressure relief cap. Wait until the engine has cooled, then wrap a thick cloth around the pressure relief cap and turn it slowly. Step back while the pressure is released from the cooling system. When you are certain all the pressure has been released, (with a cloth) turn and remove the pressure relief cap. Failure to follow these instructions may result in serious personal injury.
CAUTION: The engine cooling system is filled with Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant. Mixing coolant types degrades the corrosion protection of Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant.
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with a degas bottle system have the pressure relief cap on the degas bottle and no radiator cap. Vehicles equipped with a coolant expansion tank system have the pressure relief cap on the radiator.
  1. Verify the customer concern.
  2. Visually check the engine coolant level at the degas bottle or coolant expansion tank when the system is cold.
  3. Make sure the pressure relief cap is installed correctly.
  4. Record any cooling system diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) retrieved. Refer to POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) DTC TABLE  for DTC descriptions.
  5. NOTE: Take note of any coolant odor or steam coming from cooling system components.
    If the system coolant is filled correctly and no DTCs associated with fail-safe cooling are retrieved, verify the customer's concern by operating the engine to duplicate the condition.
  6. Inspect to determine if any of the following mechanical or electrical concerns apply.
    VISUAL INSPECTION TABLE

    Mechanical Electrical
    • Leaks or weeps at:
    • Hoses
    • Tubes
    • Clamp joints
    • Quick connect couplings (if equipped)
    • Gaskets
    • O-rings
    • Thermostat housing
    • Radiator
    • Pressure relief cap
    • Coolant pump
    • Heater core (wet floor or coolant odor in vehicle)
    • Heater control valve
    • Heated throttle body or heated throttle body adapter (if equipped)
    • Coolant crossover manifold assembly (if equipped)
    • Oil cooler (if equipped)
    • Degas bottle (if equipped)
    • Coolant expansion tank (if equipped)
    • Heated positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) (if equipped)
    • Fuel pressure regulator Clayton bowl (if equipped)
    • Cylinder block core plugs (if equipped)
    • Cylinder head core plugs (if equipped)
    • Block heater (if equipped)
    • Inoperative or damaged:
    • Electric cooling fan (if equipped)
    • Electronically actuated fan clutch
    • Electronically actuated fan clutch controller
    • Wiring, connectors, relays or modules
    • Engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor (if equipped)
    • Cylinder head temperature (CHT) sensor (if equipped)
    • Intake air temperature (IAT) sensor (if equipped)
    • Mass air flow (MAF) sensor
    • Vehicle speed sensor (VSS)
    VISUAL INSPECTION TABLE

    Mechanical Electrical
    • Cracked or damaged:
      • Hoses
      • Tubes
      • Hose clamps
      • Heater control valve (if equipped)
      • Thermostat housing
      • Radiator
      • Pressure relief cap
      • Cooling fan
      • Fan clutch (if equipped)
      • Coolant pump
      • Degas bottle (if equipped)
      • Coolant expansion tank (if equipped)
      • Oil cooler (if equipped)
      • Coolant crossover manifold assembly (if equipped)
      • Cylinder block core plugs (if equipped)
      • Cylinder head core plugs (if equipped)
      • Block heater (if equipped)
    • Restricted airflow through the A/C condenser/radiator
    • Drive belt loose, worn or installed incorrectly
    • Broken or weak drive belt tensioner
    • Excessive white or light gray exhaust smoke (may have burnt coolant odor)
    • Coolant in engine oil
    • Engine oil in coolant
    • Coolant in automatic transmission fluid (if equipped)
    • Automatic transmission fluid (if equipped) in coolant
    		  
  7. If the inspection reveals an obvious concern that can be readily identified, repair it as necessary. Test the system for normal operation.
  8. Inspect the coolant condition.
    1. Inspect the coolant color.
      • If Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant has a clear or pale yellow color, this indicates higher water content than required. Test the engine coolant freezing point range with the Battery/Anti-Freeze Tester. The freezing point should be in the range -45°C to -23°C (-50°F to -10°F). If the vehicle is driven in cold climates less than -36°C (-34°F), it may be necessary to increase the coolant concentration to get adequate freeze protection. Recommended coolant concentration is 50/50 ethylene glycol to distilled water.
      • A pale green color indicates incorrect coolant (green in color) may have been added to the system. Use of incorrect (green in color) coolant degrades the corrosion protection of Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant. Flush the system and refill with the correct mixture of distilled water and Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant.
        • NOTE: If Cooling System Stop Leak Pellets are used, darkening of the Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant from yellow to golden tan will occur.
      • Dark brown could indicate a commercially available stop leak may have been used. Flush the system and refill with the correct mixture of distilled water and Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant.
      • A light or reddish brown color indicates that rust may be present in the cooling system. Flush the system and refill with the correct mixture of distilled water and Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant.
      • An iridescent sheen on top of the coolant could indicate a trace of oil is entering the system. For information on engine diagnosis, refer to ENGINE .
      • A milky brown color may indicate that engine oil is entering the cooling system. Pressure test the cooling system. Refer to COMPONENT TESTS . If engine oil is suspected, the cause of the leak may be internal to the engine. Refer to ENGINE .
      • A red, orange or light green colored sheen on top of the coolant may indicate that transmission fluid is entering the cooling system. The cause may be a leaky radiator. Pressure test the cooling system. Refer to COMPONENT TESTS .
    2. If the engine coolant appearance is acceptable, test the engine coolant freezing point range with the Battery/Anti-Freeze Tester. The freezing point should be in the range -45°C to -23°C (-50°F to -10°F). If the vehicle is driven in cold climates less than -36°C (-34°F), it may be necessary to increase the coolant concentration to get adequate freeze protection. Recommended coolant concentration is 50/50 ethylene glycol to distilled water.
      • Maximum coolant concentration is 60/40 for cold weather areas.
      • Minimum coolant concentration is 40/60 for warm weather areas.
    3. Adjust coolant range and level if necessary:
      • If coolant is low, add specified coolant mixture only.
      • If the engine coolant tests too weak, remove some of the engine coolant and add undiluted engine coolant until the readings are within acceptable levels.
      • If the engine coolant tests strong, remove some of the engine coolant and add distilled water until the readings are within acceptable levels.
  9. If an obvious cause for an observed or reported concern is found, correct the cause and test the system for normal operation before proceeding to the next step.
    10. NOTE: Make sure to use the latest scan tool software release.
  10. If the cause is not visually evident, connect the scan tool to the data link connector (DLC).
    11. NOTE: The vehicle communication module (VCM) LED prove out confirms power and ground from the DLC are provided to the VCM.
  11. If the scan tool does not communicate with the VCM:
  12. If the scan tool does not communicate with the vehicle:
  13. Carry out the network test.
  14. Clear the continuous DTCs and carry out the self-test diagnostics for the generic electronic module (GEM).
  15. If the DTCs recovered are related to the concern, go to the POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) DTC TABLE  . For all other DTCs, refer to DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE TABLE .
  16. If no DTCs related to the concern are retrieved, GO to SYMPTOM TABLE .
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