[mrkrav]

I'm having some smoke or steam issues with my focus...and since i'm not mechanically adept at all, this seems like a good place to start before i start using terms like "thing-a-ma-bobber" with the mechanic.

http://www.focushacks.com/?modid=77&ht=Identifying your engine

i have the 2.0L zetec-e (pic at the top of the site) and i'm having what i assume is steam, coming out of the engine. when looking at the pic on the site, the silver piece that is towards the front cent of the car (has the "X" on it) is what is steaming/smoking from its bottom (assuming you are looking at the top in the pic). the overheat gauge isn't reading that the engine is overheating, so i have no idea what may be possibly going on.

1) I have no idea what that silver piece is called, or what it does.
2)any ideas why this could be happening? i'm totally stumped as to why.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BC_ZX3]

The "thing-a-ma-bobber" is the exhaust manifold heat shield. It is secured to the manifold by four bolts. Since it gets hot when the engine is operating, if oil drips on to it, it will smoke a little. The plume of smoke is usually blue and smells like ...well, burnt oil.

Most oil leaks in that area arise from a leak in the valve cover gasket. As the name implies, the valve cover gasket sits between the valve cover (the black cover with "Zetec" written on it) and the engine cylinder head (the silver top bit of the engine). Its function is to keep the oil within the valve cover after the valve gear (camshafts and valves) has been lubricated before the oil drains back into the engine.

Valve cover gasket failure is not unusual. Replacement with a new gasket fixes the problem.

To confirm if that is indeed the problem and the source of the leak, remove the heat shield and look for drips or trails of oil/dirt.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

It's called an exhaust heat shield. It keeps people from touching the exhaust manifold that will be 500F+.

Are you sure it's steam and not smoke? The two look similar, but there's no coolant in the exhaust manifold. There might be oil if oil got on it and started smoking. A little oil, like from the valve cover will make for a lot of steam. The valve cover is that black thing that has 16V Zetec written on it, and oil can leak out of the seal between it and the cylinder head. It could also be that the crossover pipe which carries coolant from the front of the engine to the rear of the engine is damaged, and squirting coolant on the exhaust under the manifold so that it looks like the heat shield is pumping out steam.

For condition one: look for black buildup around the valve cover seal which would show slow seepage. Wet crud in that area- wipe some on a finger- is most likely a steady oil leak. In either case, you should check your oil, and monitor it weekly if not daily to make sure your engine isn't low on oil, as well as gauge the increase in severity of the leak. This is an easy one to DIY as long as you know righty tighty- leftie loosey. There are documented How-To's on it in this site.

For condition 2: you should use a flashlight to look under the car. You'll see pipes coming out of the heat shield. See if there is any white residue around those. If so then it's a plastic pipe that goes across the radiator or a radiator hose that is spraying coolant around the heat shield.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

And that is what I get for typing something and then forgetting to send it for like an hour. I agree with BC, it's most likely the valve cover- and smoke not steam.