Blown radiator hose (or something)! Potentail engine damage?!

[Talbor]

Well, I got it back from the dealer today. They said the clamp that held on the radiator hose was not all the way set and came loose. No code was thrown for overheating the engine, so they filled up the radiator, bled air from it, and performed a pressure test to ensure no more leaks. I pushed the service advisor to flush the fluid (not just fill it up), change the oil, and perform a compression test, but they said since no codes came up for overheating, that was unnecessary according to them and I'd have to pay for that all. I'll take a look at the oil and coolant after a couple days and may do a flush and change myself.

I'm thinking screw type clamps might be in my future soon.

Also, I've never purchased an extended warranty before. I have relatives who work in HVAC, commercial appliance installations, and electrical contracting, and extended warranties are 100% profit for them. However, given the cost of the truck and the ability for some dumb issue like this to cause some major damage, I'm thinking I might be picking up an ESP soon. Sound like a good idea?

 

[MGD]

Extended warranty is the ONLY way to go. It will pay for itself.

 

[paulny]

Was this the clamp that held the radiator hose on top of the radiator, or can you please be more specific? Thanks so much.

 

[BurnOut]

I pushed the service advisor to flush the fluid (not just fill it up), change the oil, and perform a compression test, but they said since no codes came up for overheating, that was unnecessary according to them and I'd have to pay for that all. I'll take a look at the oil and coolant after a couple days and may do a flush and change myself.

Ah, geez... cheap bastards. Anyhow, I think that you're probably okay, but flushing the coolant and changing the oil would be cheap insurance. Regarding the compression test, I think AutoZone and O'reilly rent compression testers.

You'd just want to get the truck to operating temp, and pull one spark plug at a time to install the compression tester. Hold the throttle on the floor while you press on the brake and hit the engine start button (this will allow the engine to spin over but not start). Let it spin for 2-3 seconds, and see what the compression gauge tells you. I don't know what to tell you to expect in terms of absolute numbers, but what you really want to know is how the cylinders compare to one another... they should all be within 5-10% of each other.

 

[smurfslayer]

Well, I got it back from the dealer today. They said the clamp that held on the radiator hose was not all the way set and came loose. No code was thrown for overheating the engine, so they filled up the radiator, bled air from it, and performed a pressure test to ensure no more leaks. I pushed the service advisor to flush the fluid (not just fill it up), change the oil, and perform a compression test, but they said since no codes came up for overheating, that was unnecessary according to them and I'd have to pay for that all. I'll take a look at the oil and coolant after a couple days and may do a flush and change myself.

I'm thinking screw type clamps might be in my future soon.

Also, I've never purchased an extended warranty before. I have relatives who work in HVAC, commercial appliance installations, and electrical contracting, and extended warranties are 100% profit for them. However, given the cost of the truck and the ability for some dumb issue like this to cause some major damage, I'm thinking I might be picking up an ESP soon. Sound like a good idea?

You’re right about extended warranties generally for household and consumer products, but I’ve had about 40% use rate with the ones my wife and I have purchased. I had 1, and only one problem in 8 years I owned my 2001 Lightning, AC compressor died in summer of year 6. I had a Ford ESP, paid $50 for what I believe was over $1200 in repair bills. Retail on the compressor was like 850.

It’s a choice you need to make based on what you will mod, can afford to fix yourself and want covered for longer periods of time.

If you are concerned about the fluids, coolant I would not worry too awful much about. Oil.. you would need to get the engine pretty doggone hot for an extended period to compromise the gaskets or warp hard parts. Only you know of that happened. You could always send the oil off for an analysis. I did, it was like 40 bucks. They’ll tell you if there are contaminants like coolant.

 

[BurnOut]

Oil.. you would need to get the engine pretty doggone hot for an extended period to compromise the gaskets or warp hard parts. Only you know of that happened. You could always send the oil off for an analysis. I did, it was like 40 bucks. They’ll tell you if there are contaminants like coolant.

In regard to the oil, my thought was that if it got hot, it may accelerate the breakdown process and/or start coking. It'd be cheap insurance to change it, anyhow...

 

[ManfromSnowyRiver]

I never buy extended warranties. However, with a new model that has been known to have potentially expensive problems, its probably a safe bet. Ford may lose money on these early Raptor warranties, but make plenty on basic vehicles that have been around awhile. A new I Phone where if a storm front comes through it shatters and breaks would be another good item for a warranty.

 

[Aaron]