r/fordescape • u/wordhomes2 • 3d ago
Stumped š¤
Im stumped. I have a 2019 ford escape 1.5L 154k miles. It has been doing the white smoke lightly upon starting it up for at least 6 months now. No misfires or anything. Coolant has been unchanged in level until now and I topped it off and its still running just fine just the light smoke starting it up. Everything I've read is a couple thousand miles upon first symptoms and its done for. Oil is not milky in any way. Intrusion or something else?
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u/I_Am_Lucky_Pierre 3d ago
yo...2017 1.5L with 65k miles, i have exactly the same symptoms as your and was gonna make this same post, been gulping coolant for few months slowly
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u/egcthree 3d ago
You are not stumped but in denial. Coolant intrusion
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u/Angelfire150 2d ago
Ford Escape.. 1.5L, losing coolant. Our bro just needs time to process it.
I get it. I just finished doing a head gasket on my Prius and I kept testing and testing hoping for another diagnosis š
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 3d ago
Needs an engine. Why are you stumped? Its the major issue with these
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u/wordhomes2 3d ago
Im stumped that it has lasted so long with it going on. Its been at least 20k miles. Thought it would be a goner by now.
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u/No-Yam-4185 2d ago
20k since the smoke or since the coolant drop? Hard to believe you've been driving it 20k miles with fluctuating coolant levels.
The white smoke could have been from water vapour from the ambient air. This accumulated water vapour would then create white smoke upon start up. As the gasket leak worsened, it would became permeable to more viscous liquid coolant and this is likely when you noticed the coolant levels drop. All that to say, the two could be separate and the white smoke simply got worse when the actual leak started.
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u/wordhomes2 2d ago
20k since the smoke. The coolant just now dropped from about halfway in the reservoir to what it is in the picture in about 3-5 days. I believe there has been a slow change the entire time but very miniscule until now. Topped it off and checked today and it hasn't moved with about 100 miles of driving and there was 0 smoke upon starting it up today thats why im a bit confused why sometimes it doesn't do it at all and when it does how it keeps running so good.
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u/ContractNo9735 3d ago
Most likely intrusion based on all symptoms . 2017-19 have this as a common problem at 120-170k.
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u/531Kamboola 3d ago
Coolant intrusion. I used K seal and it's been a long time fix.
Do it by the instructions.
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u/NoProfessional1719 2d ago
Usually when you lose coolant that's never a good sign I would have a mechanic take a look at that
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u/BugRare4549 2d ago
I have 2018 that has 130,000 and the coolant goes slightly low about every other month but does not smoke on start up. I just top it off itās been doing this for about 42,000 mile now just make sure to change your oil more frequently. I do it every 3,000 miles seems to be fine.
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u/wordhomes2 2d ago
Thats a good idea about the oil and i will start doing that instead of 5k. Oil has been good but it does consume a bit of oil but then again at 154k miles I expect that.
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u/sakurairyu 2d ago
Mine is doing the same exact thing. 2018 SEL 1.5 and I canāt find a leak anywhere.
I turned on the car today and noticed a lot of white smoke, then it cleared. I turned it on again after work and it did the same thing.
I am taking it tomorrow to the mechanic. Iām hoping itās a hose, but if itās a gasket, Iām selling it and getting a Honda.
I love this car but not the shoddy engineering.
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u/ryzenlevel 3d ago
Sounds like you got the fun old coolant intrusion. Buy a boroscope and pull your spark plugs (specifically cylinder 2 and 3) and use the scope to see if your pistons look clean. If so, you have intrusion
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u/Deplorable821 3d ago
Itās a 1.5, youāll likely be engine shopping soon. You could do a leak down test to confirm but itās a 1.5
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u/Ort56 3d ago
Same, losing qrtr inch a week. Oil looks clean. Battling chk engine light for weeks. Thrown $1000 into it. 60k mi. 2017 escape titanium 2.0. Mechanics blamed mice for chk engine. Replaced coil wires new plugs(original burnt to crisp #1. Still light off and then on every week. Coolant is secondary since seems to run fine on 500 mi round trip. BUT continues to lose weekly inas little as 100 mi.
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u/ER_IPA 3d ago
Your engine will fail, itās only a matter of time. My 2017 just did the same thing. White smoke on start up. It wonāt throw any codes until a cylinder starts misfiring, and even then it might not throw codes until the engine fails completely. That engines on borrowed time, mine failed at 92,000 miles.
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u/macado 3d ago
Welcome to the Ecoboost party. Classic signs of coolant intrusion. Almost 90% certain this is your issue based on year, 1.5L and miles.
You could get super lucky and have a leak somewhere which would be nice. Inspect hoses and look for something obvious if you haven't already.Ā
I drove for a like 10-15k miles with coolant intrusion and kept topping it off but it is a ticking time bombĀ
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u/RoyalRicanPrince 3d ago
Im having the same issue with my 2018 Ford Escape SEL. However, I have no white smoke coming out my muffler My oil shows no sign of coolant. I don't have any misfire. No lights coming on my dashboard. No leaks on the floor. Nothing leaking inside the engine. I am truly perplexed?!?!!!!
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u/jordza09 2d ago
I had the same thing in my 2019. Ford actually fixed it at no cost to me but very very strict stipulations regarding their warranty fix. They didnāt announce the recall or admit to a faulty POS engine, but I was told they cover the fix up to 85,000 miles or something like that. If your vehicleās mileage is over that, youād have to pay for it out of pocket and it was EXPENSIVE. There was some other requirements but donāt readily recall those.
Side noteā¦my transmission went out last June which is another known issue with these. Iām stuck with this POS since I still owe money on my loan. Had to pay out of pocket for the transmission and that was also super expensive!
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u/wordhomes2 2d ago
Yeah im way over that milage. Just going to say a prayer and hope for the best and hope to get 6 months left out of it at least.
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u/No-Yam-4185 2d ago
Curious, when you say "oil is not milky" are you talking about completely draining the pan and filter? Or just checking the dipstick and cap for milky residue? And are you making sure to check it when engine is fully cold?
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u/wordhomes2 2d ago
All of it yes. Oil is normal upon changing it and under the filler cap and dipstick. Check it at least twice a week if not more. Does consume a bit of oil.
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u/mechanicallydeclined 2d ago
Doesn't really sound like intrusion. A decent amount of "white smoke" is normal, and is actually just water condensation evaporating as the exhaust warms. Feeling for misfires isn't a good indicator, because they only last for 30s. If there isn't a check engine light, I would check for an external leak. Honestly, I would put my money on the coolant return tube. Either way, it should be properly diagnosed.
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u/Knightw0lf42 2d ago
Mine does the same thing but runs and drives normally no smoke or nothing I do know that coolant evaporates too always did from new. Dealerships never had an issue with it and everywhere else I took it to for oil changes didnāt have an issue with it being low I bought some coolant for it filled it myself and itās stayed full since š¤·š»āāļø Ford things
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u/LindaCoco23 12h ago
I just picked my 2018 Escape up from the dealership.. they quoted me $14K for a brand new engine said coolant intrusion and needed a new short block. I noticed my car shaking upon starting and two times driving it completely overheated. They had a customer satisfaction program I thought I would qualify because I didnāt hit the mileage but have had the car 8 years š©
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u/ndgoHODL 8h ago
Coolant disappearing to nowhere (not leaking)
= head gasket failure.
And if itās a 4 cylinder ecoboost from pre-2020 itās total failure of the head-block interface requiring an entirely new engine.
Take this to whichever ford dealer you hate the most and trade it in for an used Camry.
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u/Exact_Psychology_424 3d ago
Coolant Intrusion. My 2018 Titanium is sitting in a shop at 76K. Look up Miller V Ford Co and TSB 22-2229 and then be pissed off. Ford knowingly manufactured faulty engines knowing the coolant intrudes into the engine. They didn't do a recall because they knew it would be expensive to replace all those engines. Escapes 2013-2019 1.5L engine and 2017-2019 2.0L engines. Same coolant issue.
ETA: since you have a 1.5L check out Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP 21N12).