Im in Houston as well, and haven't had any issues with this heat. Trip to dealer is in order. Have you checked for dtc codes?

 

I'd just run it down to the dealer to have it looked at. I imagine that should leave some kind of code in the system they could see.

 

Bryan, TX here. 104 yesterday. 106 today. No issues.

 

Vegas and death valley and seen temp reading at 114 with no issues

 

The coolant cant physically heat up and cool down in such a short period of time so it sounds like a faulty temp sensor. Should be an easy fix for the dealer.

 

^^^ Most likely.

 

Could also be your thermostat sticking too.. Go to the dealer on this issue soon.

 

This was the direction I was headed in also. And I agree--get this looked at *immediately*.

Seems unlikely to me that your sender or gauge only fails to work at specific, reproducable times in your drive. But I guess stranger things have happened.

 

Thanks guys. I'll let you know what's up.

 

Three things come to mind...first..its a bad sensor...second, ..your thermostat is opening late which to me seems like it could be ready to stick shut...third and least likely, is that you have an air lock in your system...I say least likely as with airlocks, you wont usually see things go back to normal and you wont usually see it happen time and time again.But have the dealer check it out and let us know what it turns out to be

 

If its in fact his thermostat (I don't think it is), they are designed to "fail" in the "open" position, so, no cause for alarm, in fact, the first sign you have a bad thermostat, is that your car is running too cold..... (and burning tons of fuel because of it)

 

**UPDATE**

My car has been in the shop for over a week now, and they have no idea what is wrong with it.

They say that it is definitely overheating (which I'm still not sure I believe) and that they can replicate the problem. They have replaced the thermostat and temp sensor even though they both tested good. They have pressure tested everything and have found no problems there.

They tell me that they have a call into the Ford hotline to see if help can be found. I think I will probably get better help here.

So, again, any ideas?

BTW... I F'IN HATE the Ford Fiesta I've been driving as a loaner. I can't believe people buy these things after test driving them.

 

If they replaced the sensors, then anything that remains should be checked out. Regardless of probability. Including the engine.

I'm glad I didn't buy a Fiesta - they look cute, but I reckon they're bought by single people or those who don't need the space... And, of course, every loaner I've been in has been hideous to drive compared to mine, though I've never had a Fiesta as a loaner... Maybe you've had better luck with loaners and can decidedly say the Fiesta isn't as good of a ride...

A bad head gasket can blow combustion pressure into the cooling system and cause intermittent overheating. This seems unlikely on a new engine and would be a worst case scenario.

Also, I not familiar enough with this engine design to know exactly what the symptoms would be on a failing head gasket. I have had the symptoms you described with a bad head gasket on V-6 engines.

Even under ideal circumstances, anything can technically happen at any time.

So, its been a few months since I first starting having this problem, and I'm still having it.

Ford will not admit I'm having a problem even though they can see the over temp warnings in my engine log. They have had it for well over a week, and say they cannot recreate the problem.

I have now recreated it multiple times, and here are the steps needed to recreate.
- drive about five miles normally
- idol with A/C on for at least 30 minutes
- drive normally again, and it happens... every time.

Somehow, Ford cannot do this, so I made a video posted here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIigmHEYwkA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Whats my next move? Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Nathan

Wow. If the logs are there, there is a problem. It seems unusual for (the Ford dealer) to see the log and deny a problem exists.

If not the sensor, how about the computer controlling the sensors - a failing circuit or controller could cause problems as well. I've seen stranger things happen...

At least the dealer mechanics did not erase the log. So keep everything documented on paper, just in case we don't live in an ethical society.

Sounds like the reason states adopted "Lemon Laws". This seems like a serious enough issue to qualify. Check your state's laws and start documenting.

I'm interested in fixing the problem, not getting rid of my car.

I hear ya. I love my Focus (even with the blender-noise in the DCT).

If there is a recurring issue, one could still use the Lemon Law to get an exchange for another unit of the same model instead of a refund. Our put the refund (cost of the purchase) toward another Focus. The Focus is too nice a car (IMHO) and the occasional lemon comes off the assembly lines, regardless of how good the assembly line is. Stuff happens... [] Sometimes it's cheaper for them to do the lemon law routine instead of replacing every conceivably bad component...

 

Many cars--I don't know if this is one--have two separate coolant temperature sensors. A "sender" to drive the gauge, and a "sensor" to inform the computer of the temperature.

Other than this, about the only thing that's left is the water pump or the belt or chain driving that pump. And your symptoms don't really fit with an issue there.

I think I'd research whether this car has two temp sensors and then make sure they changed the right one. Your tech (or you, in test mode) should be able to see what the computer thinks the temperature is; see if that jives with what the gauge says.

 

Update

So, its been a few months since I first starting having this problem, and I'm still having it.

Ford will not admit I'm having a problem even though they can see the over temp warnings in my engine log. They have had it for well over a week, and say they cannot recreate the problem.

I have now recreated it multiple times, and here are the steps needed to recreate.
- drive about five miles normally
- idol with A/C on for at least 30 minutes
- drive normally again, and it happens... every time.

Somehow, Ford cannot do this, so I made a video posted here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIigmHEYwkA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Whats my next move? Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Nathan

 

So, its been a few months since I first starting having this problem, and I'm still having it.

Ford will not admit I'm having a problem even though they can see the over temp warnings in my engine log. They have had it for well over a week, and say they cannot recreate the problem.

I have now recreated it multiple times, and here are the steps needed to recreate.
- drive about five miles normally
- idol with A/C on for at least 30 minutes
- drive normally again, and it happens... every time.

Somehow, Ford cannot do this, so I made a video posted here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIigmHEYwkA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Whats my next move? Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Nathan

Sounds like the reason states adopted "Lemon Laws". This seems like a serious enough issue to qualify. Check your state's laws and start documenting.

 

Somewhat amazing to see the temp gauge spike that fast under light acceleration.

Last time I saw something comparable was in a truck that had thrown the belt on the water pump (ZERO water circulation and no cooling fan). Think this can be partially ruled out in your case though.

Assuming the water pump is doing what it should and the dealer has changed the temp sensor(s) and the thermostat, any idea if they've checked the cooling fans for proper function?
I've noticed mine seems to have a variable speed depending on engine load, A/C on/off, outside temp, etc...

For example, when it's 110 outside with the A/C on and I pull into the garage, it sounds like a tornado. From there, I shut the A/C off and let the engine idle for say 2-3 minutes to cool off, and (based on sound) the fan seems to go through at least 2-3 gradually lower setting. Eventually it's either a quiet hum or undetectable (possibly off?).

So my question/suggestion is, when the overheat light comes on, does your fan sound like a tornado in a trailer park? It should still be at max if the gauge is anywhere above normal, and if not, that may be your culprit.

 

I had high temp warning too. It turned out it was faulty fan. The fan would switch on only when my coolant temp needle hit red line, however turn off as soon as it falls below the red line. It only occurred after driving few miles and then prolong idling for a few minutes. ( IE freeway then stopping for traffic... that's how I found out I had a problem)

 

The temperature gauge is hardly a gauge at all. It's programmed to show actual below ~160F? (not sure the exact number but it's not the actual normal temp) and then it just sits in the middle all the time after that. It won't go above until the actual temp crosses a threshold value.

My 99 explorer had an oil pressure "gauge" that was operated off a simple switch. It was either 0 or 50%.

 

The gauge never shows the actual temperature. It sticks at cold for a while then jumps to somewhere below the middle, then sticks to the middle unless its over heating. By that point it might be too late. However at that point it might be too late.

The car knows what the actual temperature of the coolant is, but the gauge is just for show. If you were to play with the test mode you can watch the actual temperature reading from the coolant temperature sensor.

 

this car is not overheating IMO. If it was I doubt it would still be running. This seems to be an electrical issue. I have never seen an engine in the red come down once its there. When the temp gauge goes to the red, does it run any differently? is there a bubbling sound coming from the coolant reservoir? Is any coolant coming out the overflow tube? Any abnormal steam, sounds, smells or car actions(other than gauge)? If they wont fix it i say pound it long n hard and when they have to replace the engine you can say..."I told you there was a problem".

 

That is my whole thought process. I've had my share of clunkers that overheated. This is not exhibiting any of those traits. That's why I just keep driving like nothing is happening. It is very worrying though.

 

I had a same exact problem, getting the Engine Temp High, Stop Safely signal, I went to the dealership and problem was somebody left the degas valve lose while changing the oil. So that could be your problem or faulty sensor.

 

degas valve

WTH is this?

 

Might be worth checking if there is problem with the Active Grille Shutters

 

Thanks for the reply's.

Just to clear things up... My car runs perfect. No problems what so ever, even when I get this spike. No burning smell, no weird noises, no heat if I turn off the A/C. I do get an ozone smell from the A/C, but this always happens when I idle for a bit.

Last time I took my car in, the dealership told me they replaced some items, but when I questioned them further they admitted they didn't do anything. It seems they had some ideas what the problem was, but couldn't replace anything since they couldn't replicate the warning. I was pissed to say the least. Then they tried to charge me for a week of a rental car since they couldn't charge anything to Ford.

I like the idea of a faulty fan, it makes the most sense. I'm going to try my luck with a different dealer (benefits of living in a big city), and see if they can reproduce the over temp.

Can a dealer charge Ford for repairs based off of my video, or do they have to do it in their shop?

 

I didn't read it like that... [cheers]

 

-UPDATE-

Got my car back yesterday after 4 more days in the shop.

They replaced the radiator and inlet hose. So far so good.

Thanks for the help Crystal.

 

I am having this exact same problem. Only I notice that the heater won't blow hot air until the car is moving pretty fast. My first thought was thermostat sticking or AGS. So far it has happened two days in a row in the same place on the way home. Hope it's nothing serious!!

 

Mine ended up being a pin hole in the radiator that passed the pressure test the first time, but not the second. Evidently it freaks the electronics out, but was not really overheating. After the radiator replacement a year ago, it has never happened again. Good Luck!

 

Thanks for that info. I appreciate it!

 

Thanks for following up with the resolution of your problem. Glad you got your car back. If anyone else has a problem like yours (a pressure test not showing a very small leak), the dealer can put a dye in the coolant that can be seen under ultraviolet light. That can make the diagnosis simpler.

 

I kind of want to do this myself so that I can just take it to the dealer and tell them to fix it.

Do you happen to know where your leak was located? This is like the 3rd or 4th time I've heard of a coolant (radiator-specific) leak on the MK3 Focus. Every time so far it's been near the driver's side headlight. And based off of my slowly depleting coolant and the look of my coolant reservoir, I have a pinhole leak somewhere.

EDIT: And I'll just link this thread: http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306659

 

I took mine in yesterday. They said I needed a new radiator. Also, they noticed my clutch was slipping a little beyond tolerance specs, so they are replacing that, too. At least they gave me a rental car!

Good luck!

 

Do you have a DCT or manual. Good that they're replacing all that for you - hope it's as good as new.

 

Here we all were complaining about DCTs and it looks like failed radiators are really going to be the silent killer. haha

 

Sneaky little bastards.