Coolant leak found- what is this part called?

vinno · 11-09-2011, 02:02 PM

Hi guys,

I've got an AU3 XR8, found that the dashboard light for coolant levels were showing, so opened up the bonnet this morning to find:
1. low levels in the reservoir- which was quite dirty with rust particles
2. coolant leaking from a hose coming from the engine body, and connecting to 3 other hoses at a location in front of the front passenger window (see picture). Does anyone know what this part is called, and whether it's a simple replacement? The plastic connecting part was cracked, as you can see from the pic.

Any other tips regarding 'flushing' the cooling system? I'm a noob to this all. And also the difference between Ford WSS M97B44-A and ESE M97B44-A coolant? I can't find the find the former (the manual specifies it), but can find the latter at Supercheap Auto and Repco- so wondering if it's ok to use them interchangeably?

Thanks

crakrz · 11-09-2011, 02:13 PM

Heater tap, I just blew mine apart 2 days ago. Cracked across the top. Cost me $14.40 trade price for a Gates replacement. 4 new hose clamps and coolant and 45mins of time, all going again. At least they are easy to get to.

vinno · 11-09-2011, 02:19 PM

Oh good, I thought they would be pretty pricey so was gonna go to a wrecker- but that's not bad at all. Should I expect to pay around $20 then at Ford, or where did you get yours crakrz?

Pinkbits · 11-09-2011, 02:30 PM

Common part to fail especially for cars that have done over 100,000 k's.
I have done two on my T's so far and keep a couple for spares.
The plastic turns brittle & crumbles away as you'll find out.
Make sure you get the broken piece out as well, i use pliers to crumble it and make sure you keep the hose pointing down so you don't have any pieces ending up in the cooling system.

Hood-G6 · 11-09-2011, 02:55 PM

yeh mine blew on my DF a while ago. Was loving how easy it was to replace, just for something different.

vinno · 11-09-2011, 03:13 PM

Yeh pinkbits, i saw how easily it crumbled, i got the long nose pliers and scraped all of it out of the hose. Have just had a look on ebay, they're going for around $25 although they're not Ford genuine. Might give em a call tomorrow and compare prices.

Does anyone know about how to flush the coolant, and which coolant to use? The guys at Supercheap and Repco were pretty useless, with answers ranging from "i dunno" to "whatever one you have in there now, green or red". I was wanting to know whether I could use ESE M97B44-A coolant instead of the specified WSS M97B44-A..

galaxy xr8 · 11-09-2011, 03:31 PM

Have a read here mate, I know it's for a 6 but still relevant and explain's how to.
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...+coolant+flush

And here for what to use, read what site sponser "mainlube" has to say might be something to look into,

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...28#post3776728