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Wandering_Storm's avatar
Wandering_Storm
Explorer
Sep 22, 2015

Engine cooling system

We just finished a 7000 mile trip through several national parks. We have a 2015 Fleetwood Storm 30L powered by the Ford V 10. The motorhome delivered excellent performance even in the higher altitudes. We were towing our Honda CRV. The one thing that puzzled me on the trip was the loss of antifreeze in the overflow container for the radiator. There was no leak that I could determine and the temp gauges on the dash never left normal and the check engine system always registered OK even when it was empty under load. Any thoughts will be appreciated? I had to refill three times. Is this normal for the engine?
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  • MountainAir05's avatar
    MountainAir05
    Explorer II
    Sep 22, 2015
    I also would take it in for warranty to be safe. As other said, a loose cap,clamp or they did not get all the air out , or. After a couple refills all air should be out. Neighbor just purchase a new 2015 ford truck and it was doing the same. They putting in a new engine.
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Sep 22, 2015
    On a brand new MH I would look for something simple like a bad thermostat or the radiator cap not screwed on all the way. I have seen brand new thermostats fail to open all the way.
  • mabynack's avatar
    mabynack
    Explorer II
    Sep 22, 2015
    It can be a sign of a leaking head gasket. You might start to notice a white smoke when you're under full throttle. That's coolant steam going out the exhaust. It can be caused by a leaking head gasket or by a hole in the EGR cooler. Both are bad news. A good garage can check for both. They can put a coolant pressure checker on the coolant reservoir and see if it holds pressure. If not, they can run a compression check and look for a leaky head gasket.
  • rgatijnet1's avatar
    rgatijnet1
    Explorer III
    Sep 22, 2015
    Were you refilling the reservoir to the top, or just adding water to bring it up to the hot or cold lines on the container?
    Also are you sure that you were refilling the radiator overflow and not the window washer fluid reservoir? :B
  • Wandering_Storm's avatar
    Wandering_Storm
    Explorer
    Sep 22, 2015
    The clutch fan does operate. A loud roar is an understatement. I thought the transmission was downshifting.
  • Gjac's avatar
    Gjac
    Explorer III
    Sep 22, 2015
    No this is not normal. Many on here with the Ford chassis have posted that the gauge is not a graduated gauge and is not accurate. When climbing the hills out west you should see a gradual temp rise until your clutch fan kicks in which should be a loud roar. Did you hear the fan come on? I would use a scan gauge or an IR gun to determine what the real operating temps are.

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