Clogged Heater Core after Coolant Replacement

EMEIMA1

MEMBER
FORD FOCUS

We've got a 2001 Ford Focus with around 80,000 miles on it. About a month ago we had the coolant replaced. Now we've noticed that the heater isn't working well. I took it back to the same repair shop, and they said that we have a partially clogged heater core.

I'm suspicious that the heater core started having problems so soon after the coolant was replaced, and I want to make sure that the repair shop didn't somehow cause the problem when they were doing other work. I read online that a clogged heater core can come from particles in the coolant.

Is it possible that the shop did a poor job with the coolant flush and caused a clog in the heater core, or is this just completely coincidence?

5 Replies

BOOTDOG

MECHANIC
665 POSTS

What kind of service did they do? Did they just do a drain and fill on the radiator or did they do a complete coolant flush? If they just serviced the radiator then the heater core was already clogged and just so happened to show the symptoms afterwards.

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Saturday, April 7th, 2007 AT 4:01 PM

EMEIMA1

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Wow, thanks for the fast reply! The bill says we were charged for:

DEX-COOL
LABOR FLUSH & FILL
COOLING SYSTEM KIT

So, that is probably just a drain and fill, right? Which means that the problem isn't related to what they did?

Thanks!

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Saturday, April 7th, 2007 AT 4:09 PM

TAURUSWHEEL

MECHANIC
718 POSTS

Does Ford recommend Dexcool, do a search for that stuff, there has been some issues with it sludging up. I've only used green in my cars

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Sunday, April 8th, 2007 AT 2:00 PM

EMEIMA1

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Great question

they recommend Ford Premium Cooling System Fluid, which is Ford Part number E2FZ19549-AA. With an owner's manual for Mustangs. This manual recommends the same Ford Coolant and also says:

Use only Ford Premium Engine Coolant E2FZ-19549-AA (in Canada, Motorcraft CXC-8-B) or a premium engine coolant that meets Ford specification ESE-M97B44-A.

DO NOT USE Ford Extended Life Engine Coolant F6AZ-19544-AA (orange in color).

DO NOT USE a DEX-COOL engine coolant or an equivalent engine coolant that meets Ford specification WSS-M97B44-D.

This makes me think that Dex-Cool should not have been into our Focus either, and that the shop should have known better. Do you think I should make them flush the Dex-Cool and put in the recommended Ford coolant?

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Sunday, April 8th, 2007 AT 4:33 PM

BIGJAKE_THE1

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Dex cool does not belong in a 2001 ford focus. When dex cool is mixed with anything other than dex cool and distilled water. If you do not get every bit of the old fluid out, if you use regular water out of the tap, or if air is in the system, you will end up with a gooey mess.

Your car should have green coolant with a specification of ESE-M97B44-A. This coolant and dex cool cannot be mixed. Mixing these 2 products can possibly cause a premature failure of the heater core, and many other components.

I am not sure why anyone would have attempted this procedure. I am an ASE certified master technicion, but I don't claim to know everthing there is to know about coolant. I am only saying that the 2 coolants can not be mixed, and your car is not designed to have long life coolant. It it were, you would use fords long life coolants, not GM's, unless they met the same specifications.