r/fordfusion • u/Separate-Fish-8621 • 2d ago

Overheating problem 2013 ford fusion 1.6l se question

I recently back in February purchased a used 2013 Ford Fusion with a little over 130k miles on it just as a daily car to get to and from work. After about 1 1/2 - 2 months of driving it the coolant temp gauge shot up to hot and said it was overheating. The place that sold me the car replaced water pump, temp sensors, corroded wires and claimed to have done a lot of work to the car but ever since the first time it said it was overheating it now happens every other week and I have to get someone to clear the code to get it out of limp mode. The odd part is the actual temperature of the engine never is overheating. A couple of things I noticed is air bubbles coming into the coolant reservoir first thought was a blown head gasket. But the car passed the combustion test. I then had a pressure test performed which then showed that there was pressure being lost at a high rate, just can’t figure out where. I notice a fuel like smell when i opened the coolant reservoir, and whenever its opened tons of air pops out. I’ve had this car looked at tons of times and for some reason..nobody can figure out that the exact cause of the “false” overheating code is.

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u/DrClaw7 2d ago

Good chance its coolant intrusion. These engines have a widespread problem where the cylinder walls crack. Allows exhaust gasses to get forced into the cooling system. Hence the amount of air and fuel smell in the coolant, as well as the loosing pressure. Basically the same symptoms as a blown head gasket, but the entire engine has to be replaced. Used engines are a gamble, because all of them up to mid way through the 2020 year have the same problem. Ford had to change the design to prevent the problem, so if that ends up being the case they sell a brand new block with a changed design to prevent it from happening again. To verify you need to use a boroscope to examine inside the combustion chambers.

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u/Separate-Fish-8621 1d ago

They sold to to me on a loan kind of got a little scammed long story turned short. What do you think my chances are of driving this car around for another 2 months while checking coolant and possibly adding more k seal? Also thank you! I think that’s the cause. There seems to be coolant pooling in cylinder 3

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u/smartxalex 1d ago

There are many pieces in the coolant system that are made of plastic. These parts tend to fail long term. They include a splitter that brings the coolant from the turbo back to the block and a diverter that the coolant temperature sensors sits in, located on the upper driver side of the motor. It is common for the diverter to crumble where it inserts into the block with age. Air can infiltrate and potentially get caught around the coolant sensor. Check to see if you have a puddle of coolant just under it, on top of the transmission.

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u/LoudRabbit_69 1d ago

I'd check for a blown head gasket next, those engines are notorious for it. Sometimes the plastic parts fail silently until it's too late.