[Mile_muncher]

Fellow BHPians

Background: Your guidance/help is needed. I drive a Diesel Aspire 2018 model. Since it's been 5 years, I also bought extended warranty.

Issue:
1. AC wasn't cooling for last 10 days at lower speeds but would work just fine at higher speeds. My car was due for annual service and I thought that this may be due to AC GAS issue. Thought of getting this fixed with regular servicing

2. Went to Pune (from Mumbai) on Sunday and just 300 meters before my destination, engine temperature reached to 100% and red light turned up

3. I stopped the car and after cool down of few minutes took it to a BOSCH service center which was ~1KM

4. Service center told me that Radiator fan wasn't working at all and they need to order a new fan motor with complete assembly. They also took the radiator fan out and try to run it with a battery and it didn't work. I don't have much technical knowledge so I trusted them (but was wondering how is it possible for a car to move from Mumbai to Pune without radiator fan working)

5. I left the car in Pune and came back to Mumbai (yes office is a priority). Bosch guys got new radiator assembly (Ford original) and installed yesterday late evening. also did complete car servicing

6. Today I get a call from Bosch service center that fan still wouldn't work because car's ECM is not working

7. I don't understand that but could make out that it's a very expensive component

Suggestion needed:
1. Do you guys feel the Bosch guy is trying to take me for a ride
2. Can Bosch guy still charge me for new radiator assembly
3. I am planning to move car to FORD service center for next steps
4. Is ECM covered under warranty

Any help/inputs or suggestions will be appreciated as I am someone who just loves to drive but lack basic technical knowledge

Thanks

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by Mile_muncher

(but was wondering how is it possible for a car to move from Mumbai to Pune without radiator fan working)

The fan doesn't run all the time. When the car is moving and there is good airflow through the radiator, that is enough to avoid overheating. Fan comes on only at slow speed driving, like in city traffic.

When my fan failed, I noticed rising engine temperature only when slowing down to pass through some town 50km from home. Since we'd started early morning, there was no traffic to slow me down. Similar thing with bike, I almost never use it in city, so when I did get stuck in traffic, it immediately threw a warning and shut down the engine.

[Mile_muncher]

Hi Bravo - Thanks a lot. This helps

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Mile_muncher

1. AC wasn't cooling for last 10 days at lower speeds but would work just fine at higher speeds. My car was due for annual service and I thought that this may be due to AC GAS issue. Thought of getting this fixed with regular servicing

AC is the first thing which shuts off when the temperature of the engine starts to go over certain limits, its basically to protect your engine/head gasket from overheating. So it is a preventive measure to arrest subsequent damage.

2. Went to Pune (from Mumbai) on Sunday and just 300 meters before my destination, engine temperature reached to 100% and red light turned up

Slow moving traffic and insufficient cooling without fan working will increase the coolant temperature to dangerous levels within minutes.

(but was wondering how is it possible for a car to move from Mumbai to Pune without radiator fan working)

As said above by other BHPian, its very much possible till you have good airflow on the radiator, you don't need the fan to help in force induction, natural air draft does its job of cooling.

6. Today I get a call from Bosch service center that fan still wouldn't work because car's ECM is not working

ECM not working, that's too much to digest. If at all, It would be the coolant thermal sensors which could have gone bust and not giving the correct signal to ECM, but that would be the last thing to investigate as that would be labor intensive because it will need change of thermal sensors for the coolant.

I would first look at the damaged wiring, blown-up fuse, short circuit for fan motor, damaged capacitor or contactor coil.

Long back, In my case when my radiator fan stopped working (unknown reasons), the mechanic put it on direct connection, meaning it will always be in running condition whether the air flow is needed or not needed and I drove the car for few years in the same condition without any further hiccups. And guess what, It happened in Mumbai too.

Hope this helps a bit.

[vinodh_eee]

I am roughly 600km away from home (BLR) in another city. Unfortunately my Skoda Laura 1.8 Petrol developed a coolant leak. After the dashboard error lit up it topped up with distilled water. I have driven 100km in this condition and had to top up water twice. The coolant temperature never moved past the middle level in the gauge.

The leak is in a hard to reach place and I can see a wet area in the engine guard cover. Local mechanic said it will be a 3 day job and no guarantee that parts will be available.

I need to travel back to my city and have no way to fix the leak. A local mechanic gave 5L can of premixed coolant and said that I can drive back (600 km) provided I turn off the AC, set it to heater and not exceed 2500rpm. And of course keep a keen eye on the temperature gauge. On the plus side the weather is mild.

Is there anything else that I can do to improve my chances of reaching BLR safely. I cannot avoid travelling back on Sunday.

Thanks in advance!

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by vinodh_eee

I need to travel back to my city and have no way to fix the leak. A local mechanic gave 5L can of premixed coolant and said that I can drive back (600 km) provided I turn off the AC, set it to heater and not exceed 2500rpm. And of course keep a keen eye on the temperature gauge. On the plus side the weather is mild.

Is there anything else that I can do to improve my chances of reaching BLR safely. I cannot avoid travelling back on Sunday.

Your safest option is to leave your car at an ASS there for the repair and return via air/rail/road. You can fetch it later at your convenience.

If that's impossible, buy as much coolant as you can find, it's cheaper than an engine. So long as there's coolant in the reservoir (and hence the cooling system), the temperature won't rise above normal. So stop and check regularly, top up as required.

If the temperature gauge rises even a bit above normal, pull over immediately and turn off the engine.

I had to do this about a long time ago, and the engine is still running fine today, so if done right, you can pull it off too.

If you run out of coolant, use distilled water.
If you can't find distilled water, use tap water.
If the cooling system doesn't have enough fluid, you will be stranded on the highway with a dead car, so keep that reservoir full and one eye on the temperature gauge.
The cooling system is cheaper to replace than an engine.

Once you're back home, flush out the cooling loop with distilled water; coolants of different brands can have adverse reactions so should not be mixed.


I could be wrong, but I don't think using the heater will help in cases of coolant leaks, only in cases of fan failure.
Same for AC usage. While there's more load on the engine and hence more heat generation, it shouldn't be a factor since the problem here is the leak itself, not the ability to transfer heat from engine to the radiator.
Coolant leakage is dependent on coolant flow, which is dependent on engine rpm.

[vinodh_eee]

Originally Posted by bravo6

Your safest option is to leave your car at an ASS there for the repair and return via air/rail/road. You can fetch it later at your convenience.

Thanks for the help. I ended up towing to ASS and returning back via bus. The problem became worse that I ended up having to fill distilled water every 15km or so in city traffic. The leak was probably becoming worse. If the coolant error comes every 50 km in the highway, and I wait 30 mins for the engine to cool down before filling coolant/water, then it would have taken me > 15 hrs for the 600 km trip. As you rightly mentioned, it was too much of a risk.

I hope that the Skoda ASS doesn't try to rip me off.

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by vinodh_eee

Thanks for the help. I ended up towing to ASS and returning back via bus. The problem became worse that I ended up having to fill distilled water every 15km or so in city traffic.

Good call, that leak sounds really bad!

I hope that the Skoda ASS doesn't try to rip me off.

Even if they fleece you, it will still be cheaper than if you had decided to drive back lol
Don't forget to have the entire cooling system flushed 2-3 times with new coolant when you go to collect the car.

[Mile_muncher]

Folks - A quick update

- Bosch guy told me that since you drove the car while radiator wasn't working hence FORD will not cover ECM replacement under extended warranty
- He said that he will send ECM for diagnosis which will cost me ~4500 and then repair may cost me another ~25-30000. He emphasized that this would still be better than paying for new ECM
- Since car was in Pune and I was in Mumbai, I decided to go ahead with whatever Bosch guy recommended
- Friday night I got a call saying everything was done for just 4800 and car is working just fine
- My BIL drove the car till Lonavala and am so happy to have my aspire back

Still in love with the way this car drives and performance it offers. Thanks a lot everyone who bothered to guide me

Cheers!

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Mile_muncher

- Bosch guy told me that since you drove the car while radiator wasn't working hence FORD will not cover ECM replacement under extended warranty

I didn't actually understand this, how a malfunctioning radiator fan damages the ECM, beyond comprehension. It might damage your engine or some rotating parts due to overheating, but ECM, how/why ?

- Friday night I got a call saying everything was done for just 4800 and car is working just fine

Can you ask the guy, what kind of repairs were carried out for the payment you made ?

[vinodh_eee]

Originally Posted by bravo6

Good call, that leak sounds really bad!

Even if they fleece you, it will still be cheaper than if you had decided to drive back lol
Don't forget to have the entire cooling system flushed 2-3 times with new coolant when you go to collect the car.

I got a prelim quote after diagnosis. It seems there is a leakage near the Thermostat. This was suspected by the FNG as well, prior to giving to Skoda ASS. They are quoting 47K for Thermostat. It sounded too expensive. Online price are all under 8K. Any idea why a thermostat could be so expensive.

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by vinodh_eee

They are quoting 47K for Thermostat

I got a brand new radiator for a JDM vehicle for this total quote. All the way from Japan! I think they added an extra zero. Ask them to check again. Else they are trying to fleece an outstation customer.

Get the part number and check with another ASS. If they too quote a similar amount, buy it online and get it replaced at a FNG. For reference, Tata Tiago thermostat costs 436 (Soft failure of thermostat in the Tata Tiago, Tigor & Nexon). While a 10-20x "European tax" is understandable, it can't be 100x mark up.

Either way, decide ASAP, don't let the car sit there. If someone is openly trying to fleece you, I'd be worried of them stealing genuine parts and replacing with cheap ones.

And why does the Timing Cover need replacing due to coolant leak?

[NutHead1270]

When we were in Mangaluru, while coming back home from weekend city rounds in our beloved 800, there was smoking coming out from the bonnet. We stopped and filled some distilled water and kept going, after 15 mins or so, the bus driver pointed out something and suddenly there was a very big thud sound (Coolant cap burst out) and smoke started coming out again. We pulled over and didn't know what to do(I was 10 or something and my dad wasn't very good with cars). Two mechanics in bike stopped by, inspected and told the fan isn't working, as it was getting dark, we parked the car nearby and took an auto and got it repaired the next day. My dad felt dumb, as it was obvious the fan wasn't working