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Ford Explorer 2002 Coolant Leak

steveav67steveav67 Member Posts: 1
edited September 2014 in Ford
I have a 2002 Ford Explorer that has been running well up untill the past couple of days. It has 165K miles, I just got a lot of regular maintanence done on it. 2 days ago I noticed it smelled hot and when I checked I realized the coolant reserve was empty. I put more coolant into it but by the time I got home the reserve was empty again. Over the past 2 days I've put 7 additional galloons of fluid into it but there is no obvious leak. There is no moisture under the car immediately after starting it, immediately after turning it off, or in the morning after it has sat. No hoses appear to be wet but the fluids keep vanishing. If any one knows what could be wrong I would appreciate some help.
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Comments

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,319
    what kind of coolant are you using?
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • cshultziecshultzie Member Posts: 2
    Help....I am having the same problem with my 2001 Explorer AWD with 90,000 miles. Did you find out what was causing this problem and how to fix it? The dealer has run diagnostics and high pressure tests and found no leaks twice but I keep finding my coolant reserve empty. Can anyone help me?
  • jimmijonesjimmijones Member Posts: 1
    sorry to break it to you, it is going out through your head gasket.
  • cshultziecshultzie Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the reply but can you tell me how to be sure this is happening. Why can't the dealer find this or suggest this?
  • monya2010monya2010 Member Posts: 2
    Hey my name is Nikki I am 22yr old and I have the same problem with my truck..I have a 2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 (V8) I also have straight antifreeze in my oil pan, i can't even get an oil change and my RPM is reading the dot below the 1. I dnt know what that means. My engine is shaking like a washing machine and i also have to keep putting antifreeze in my reservoir like every 2weeks........I need help can anyone help me out with this problem??????????????????? If i need and engine tell me where i can get one from and how much.....if its jus my head gasket tell me the info on that to........Does anyone know wer i can get this fixed?....Thank u
  • belaircarguybelaircarguy Member Posts: 107
    Sounds like it could be a head gasket. Turn the vehicle on and look at the tailpipe. If you see white smoke (not just the initial water vapor on a cold morning), the engine is burning antifreeze. Get this vehicle to a mechanic right away! This will be an expensive repair if heads need to be replaced, as usually by that point the engine has overheated and internal parts are warped.

    An alternative may be a replacement engine, but your mechanic would be able to make some recommendations, based on what is found.

    Good Luck.

    Bel Air Car Guy
  • stevew56stevew56 Member Posts: 1
    most likely it is the intake gasket not the head gasket 500-600 job
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