03 focus zx3 overheated, weird though?

[03FocusZX3]

Hey guys, so ill try to keep this as short and sweet as possible. My mom was in the hospital for a blood clot in her leg, well when she was discharged she called me to come pick her up, so i was my way (my focus has never overheated in the 3 years ive had it) i told her the wrong floor to get off at, story short i had to drive all around the hospital to find her, well i find her, pick her up and on our way to her house, which is maybe 3 miles away. I pull into her driveway (btw ive had my ac on the whole time) i notice my needle is in the red, im like holy crap, i turn it off real fast, i then look under the hood, i see steam and antifreeze dripping out on the left hose that goes onto the radiator connection, i let it cool down, and ever since then i haven't had any trouble (knock on wood) no leaking, nothing... Im really confused. When i do turn on the ac for the first time that day, the ac compressor will make a clunk and start cooling. Could this off made it overheat. Bad ac compressor?

[Sponsor]

[pasta]

get the system pressure tested

[amc49]

For sure. If you didn't imagine the steam it WILL happen again. Up to you if the car is worth looking after. Be really dumb to torch a motor just because it didn't seem to happen again.

AC could be fine, the antifreeze that sprayed on it could easily make it sound funny until it burned off belt and clutch.

[03FocusZX3]

True, if you guys think i dont take care of my focus, you are wrong, if it makes in sort of weird noise, i diagnose it, and fix it. I just dont know why this occured, anyone else? Ima look on rock auto and see how much a AC compressor is, because when i first turn it on that certain day, it makes a clunk/pop sound, and is quite loud imo.

[amc49]

Crawl up under the front and look at the front plate of the a/c clutch. If any of the 3 rubber shock absorbers are destroyed or gone, there is your noise. Common ailment. Ford used to carry that part alone for about $20 but I'd bet by cracky that they have 'unitized' it to make you buy the entire clutch for quite a bit more money.

[03FocusZX3]

Oh ok, thank you AMC, i just dont know why it overheated that day, it was really hot outside...

[chrisgreen]

My car will start to overheat after driving more then a few miles. Seems to cool down when driving but will overheat after awhile. I've had all fluids changed, thermostat changed, temp sensor changed, and fuses look good. Fans turn on when ac is on. I'm stumped here an don't know what to do. Car only has 94,xxx miles an it's a nice car but seems to have this problem. I need help bad. Cars bout to go off a cliff soon.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Originally Posted by chrisgreen

My car will start to overheat after driving more then a few miles. Seems to cool down when driving but will overheat after awhile. I've had all fluids changed, thermostat changed, temp sensor changed, and fuses look good. Fans turn on when ac is on. I'm stumped here an don't know what to do. Car only has 94,xxx miles an it's a nice car but seems to have this problem. I need help bad. Cars bout to go off a cliff soon.

It's better for you if you start your own thread. You might have similar problems, or problems that seem similar but point to other culprits through diagnosis.

First off, use the electronic odometer trick to see if your fans come on at 116C, which is I know is high, but from what we can tell that is the temp at which the fans come on low speed. High speed is not much further after that at about 118C. The AC turns the fans on high speed. It is possible that the resistor is out on your vehicle, and that keeps the fans from coming on low speed.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Originally Posted by 03FocusZX3

i see steam and antifreeze dripping out on the left hose that goes onto the radiator connection,

I'd closely inspect that hose, and if it wasn't all the way up on the radiator, then I'd loosen the clamp, loosen the hose and slide it up. I'd at least want to be sure there wasn't any small crack there in the hose. If there is, you'll have to replace it or at least cut that cracked part off and reconnect. Also, wait until the engine is warm sometime, then pop the hood and check out the hoses. Look for bloated spots in the hoses. If the hoses are swelling up, that's a sign that you'll soon be on the side of the road with a busted hose. You should have plenty of time to order new hoses and anything else you can think of from RA, then get some coolant (IDK if there's a HAZMAT charge to ship it), and do a good flush and replace hoses. FYI: If you're really froggy, remove the fans and radiator, then use water to flush the bugs out of the condenser. A typical cleaner like the purple stuff will loosen the bugs before you spray. That will help out your AC like you wouldn't believe. I'd also take the time to double check the fan resistor operation using the electronic odometer trick I described above to make sure you still have low speed. That's usually the cause of overheating while driving at low speeds or idling. At speeds over 30 or so, the fans don't do anything.

Where is Anniston? Near N. AL? My parents live in Elkmont. I'll be there this weekend.

[03FocusZX3]

Thanks whynothinkwhynot, i totally forgot about the odo trick, I have inspected the hoses, and they all seem fine, doesnt leak from where it was leaking when the car was overheating, had the radiator flushed when i installed a water pump. Hasnt overheated since that day, ive tested it, was sitting where i park, with the ac on, for atleast 15 min's and it never went past the middle on the temp. gauge. weird!