Any indication something wrong with the water pump

[hpad06]

Can you help me to check if this is normal?

My car is 2011 explorer base model, 87K Miles, I do not believe dealer ever filled the coolant during all these oil changes, I do 6 months oil change at Ford dealer ship in Toronto, Canada.

Below is the coolant position , should I be worried?

I have removed the engine cover, cannot find leak around weep hole, don't see anything on the ground either

 

[donalds]

At different temps it will show different levels
Look at the cold levels

 

[hpad06]

the top 2 pictures were the cold level.

it might be hard to see from the pictures, the original level at cold was around the grey tap I put there, which was right under the low mark, now it is at the black mark. The drop seems small, but to me it did drop slightly.

I have removed the engine cover to check weep hole, don't see leaks, nothing on the ground neither.

Should I also top it up or do a coolant flush then monitor from there

 

[donalds]

That's a good place to start

 

[donalds]

People who are way more knowledgeable about your suv than I will chime in

 

[peterk9]

If you are concerned about the coolant entering the engine, you can always check the dipstick for signs of contamination. I don't believe there is an issue from looking at the pictures but it sure won't hurt to keep an eye on that. The Manual has quite a coverage on this under Maintenance and Specifications. Initial coolant change is listed as being done at 6 years or 100k miles and every 3 years, 50k miles after that. If you've never had that done, it may be a good idea to look into it.

Peter

 

[edward4]

I would order an oil analysis. That would tell you for sure if any coolant is getting into the engine oil as well as a bunch of other useful information.

 

[hpad06]

thanks for you suggestions! where do I do oil analysis in GTA, Ontario, Canada

 

[edward4]

Blackstone Labs Seems to be a popular vendor mentioned on this site.

 

[613GT500]

I just checked the reservoir on my 2016 Sport and I'm well below the min/max fill line...practically empty!
Going to fill it up today and monitor, as my vehicle has been in and out of the shop for various issues and nothing was noted about a leaking water pump etc...

 

[peterk9]

Peter

 

[Mlarv5]

I would not worry about it burning or loosing any coolant. Your levels seem pretty stable in all the pictures. I would just because of age, have the coolant flushed and changed. Or just top it off and forget about it.

 

[thefranchise713]

This looks normal to me. My 2017 looked way worse than yours after 50k miles (yes, I'm high mileage, but still...).

You can order a Blackstone Analysis to be certain--I'm a happy customer of theirs--but I don't think you have anything to fear. If you don't see a milkshake under the oil cap, keep driving and be happy.

 

[613GT500]

I just checked the reservoir on my 2016 Sport and I'm well below the min/max fill line...practically empty!
Going to fill it up today and monitor, as my vehicle has been in and out of the shop for various issues and nothing was noted about a leaking water pump etc...

I topped up the reservoir today and it only required 1 quart.
So, just shy of 3yrs since I took delivery and recently passed the 30K mile mark.
Is losing a quart considered normal?
None of my other vehicles lost this much.

 

[edward4]

I topped up the reservoir today and it only required 1 quart.
So, just shy of 3yrs since I took delivery and recently passed the 30K mile mark.
Is losing a quart considered normal?
None of my other vehicles lost this much.

To my understanding the cooling system is a closed loop. A quart of fluid would indicate some kind of leak, air bubble or evaporation event.

 

[613GT500]

To my understanding the cooling system is a closed loop. A quart of fluid would indicate some kind of leak or evaporation event.

That's my understanding also.
There's no visible signs of a leak on the driveway or my designated parking spot at work.
Oil looked good at the last change and weekly dipstick checks also looks good.

I will continue to monitor and if it drops again, I'll bring it in to get a more thorough look.

 

[Mlarv5]

I topped up the reservoir today and it only required 1 quart.
So, just shy of 3yrs since I took delivery and recently passed the 30K mile mark.
Is losing a quart considered normal?
None of my other vehicles lost this much.

Three years and a quart low. I would not sweat it.

 

[VCFP153]

Three years and a quart low. I would not sweat it.

Exactly. My wife keeps telling I'm quite a bit more than a quart low at this point in my life.

 

[613GT500]

Just an update for those that may be experiencing similar fluctuations in coolant level.
After 48 hours from topping up a quart of coolant bringing it between min/max, I observed that the level would be slightly above max when the engine is hot and slightly below low when cold.

I will top it up a little bit more to get it between min/max and see if it drops below min again, as that would be a concern of a possible leak,

 

[Ray500]

Hello guys,
Withing last 10 months, my 2016 has lost about 1 inch of coolant in the reservoir. I also smell a very faint coolant smell here and there upon opening the hood. No signs of coolant on the ground or anywhere around the holes. Should I be concerned? Also are there any clear pics of the weep hole anywhere on this forum? I am having trouble locating it and a couple of diagrams I came across here are not clear to me.