coolant leak...somewhere?
 

Hello. I have a 2005 Escape 3.0 that I've owned since new.<br />
For about a year now I've had to add coolant periodically. <br />
It started that I'd have to fill a dry reservoir approx once a month or longer and now it is approx once a week to a week and a half. <br />
Also, with this more frequent coolant usage, just in the past week or so, when the vehicle sits overnight or over a span of many hours, it has to crank longer to start and will sometimes stall quick and then start right up and then run fine. I live in the NE and it has been very cold for the past couple weeks.<br />
My 1st thought was head gasket, but I don't have classic signs such as a sweet exhaust smell, overheating..etc. <br />
This car has been great to me. I've put minimal $$ into it although it has 147k mikes on it. Alternator was biggest repair. Body is mint, handles like new. Never been beat on or towed with. Any ideas? Thanks.

Have you seen ant traces of coolant leaking under the vehicle? Sometimes the coolant recovery bottle can leak and not show it unless you look for it. It might be a good idea to have a shop try a coolant pressure tester and see if it loses any pressure. Sometimes you can remove the spark plugs and see telltale clues of coolant getting into the combustion chamber.

Here's my 39 cents worth...You cold weather start scenario is basically the same that I had on my 4.2 last Feb when it was single digit and below temps. Replaced the IAC to fix that. As far as coolant loss, I had that issue with my .42 for about 3 years, but could never track down a leak. Suspected one of the rubber gaskets for the radiator, so I installed a bottle of "NO LEAK 2000 Cooling System Treatment" from Autozone about 4 years ago. No more leakage and no coolant/cooling issues since.

Just saying, this worked for my 4.2 issues.

Thanks for the replies. Someone at work also mention the coolant recovery for these Duratec motors aren't known for head gaskets going.
As far as the IAC valve. Wouldn't I have an erratic idle if that was faulty? I'm glad it worked for your case, but I'd be risking a $100 part maybe for nothing.
Did you have any heater core blockage from the No Leak 2000? I'm hesitant to dump that stuff into my car unless I was going to sell it. That's just me. I remember how the old Stop Leak used to block everything up!

Maybe this could be the coolant issue...I hope. I noticed, today, that the coolant reservoir tank overflow hose was wet at the hole and coolant on the motor mount soon after I drove into work. Reservoir was less than half full. Maybe a faulty cap? I'm thinking simple 1st and hoping!

I never had an idle problem with my IAC issue. Only when it was real cold 20° or lower, I would get a start, stall problem until the IAC actually kicked in. It started showing itself with the occasional cold start stall, then progressed to the point that I would have to hold the RPMs up around 1500 before it would kick in. Above the 20° temp, everything worked normally. I bought a "NO-NAME" brand IAC last year off of EBAY for about $50 (included new gasket)and it's been working just fine for the past ??? thousands of miles. Your call on the IAC.

As far as the "NO LEAK 2000" I mentioned, I've haven't had any issues since adding it back in 2008. The van pumps out heat in the front and rear like an oven. Never had any overheat issues either. Your call there also.

Just letting you know what I've experienced.

Prepare to go crazy second guessing. It is likely a high pressure leak and won't show unless you've got it to full temp and full up on coolant (make sure the system has been bled of air too.)
One of my first on-my own car problems was from a coolant hose with a pin-hole leak in it. That was at the top of the system so the obvious leak would dissipate relatively quickly. But the "steam" release would still result in additional coolant loss with time run.
Check all the hoses and replace with any suspicions. Oil spills and leaks will damage hoses so if any hoses so signs of oil/hydraulic fluid contamination should be highly suspect. Fix the cause of contamination first then replace the hose.

Update
1st thanks for the replies. Greatly appreciated.
Okay, so far I'm happy but confused. Three days of the reservoir staying at the full line! First day was the day I took the cap off, noticed it was rattling(this was while the new cap was on order) and tapped it on the shock tower a few times. Next morning (yesterday)put the new cap on and check level as soon as I got to work(about a 25min drive) and level was perfect. Lossened the cap to check pressure and the coolant level raised with the pressure release(1st time I've seen that since having problems). Now I'm on day 3 and level is still perfect.
I will be psyched if this was a $22 fix(I bought a Stat cap), but not being that knowledgeable on how cooling systems work, it baffles me.

As for the hard starting, I cleaned my IAC and it got a hair better. Very cold I still get start/stall and then starts right up. I'm gonna check fuel line pressure before changing out parts. Maybe weak fuel pump pressure?

Let tell of two experiences I've had with cooling systems, which may or may not help:
I had a radiator where the top structure (glass-filled plastic) had a hairline crack in it. Under pressure, it would leak. This crake was imperceptible when dry. I only caught it when walking away from vehicle and just barely noticed 1 drip.
Second I had a thermostat housing fail. the inner rim that contained the seal blew out. However it would sometimes still seal. Once it "barfed" coolant. So I refilled and figured I would pinpoint the leak. Well it didn't leak again right off. Went another month with good levels in coolant before it dropped of again.
While a blown hose can be frustrating when it happens, they're not frustrating to diagnose!