2013–2016 Ford Escape Coolant Leaks: Our 11-Year Repair Diary (and the Tools That Saved My Sanity)
- Rahrena
- Nov 12
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
We’ve been daily-driving our 2013 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost for over 11 years now—130,000 miles on top of the 58k it had when we bought it. That’s roughly 188,000 miles of real-world abuse.
Thankfully we’ve never had the infamous coolant-intrusion-into-the-cylinders nightmare, but boy have we chased our share of OTHER coolant gremlins. Some fixes were 10-minute jobs, others have had me scratching my head for hours in the garage...
Today I’m laying it all out: every leak we’ve fixed, how we found it, what parts we used, and—most importantly—the cheap tools that turned “impossible” jobs into “oh, that was easy.” If your Escape is mysteriously losing coolant, this post is for you and hopefully it will save you some time with a 2013 Ford Escape coolant leak- or at least show you where it could be coming from based off of our experience.
Tools We Recommend Purchasing for Coolant Work on Your Escape:
Remote Hose-Clamp Pliers (Game Changer)
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4loPIHn
These ratcheting pliers have a cable and a remote clamp so that you can reach into tight spaces, align the tabs of the pliers with the hose clamp, and squeeze the handle. The squeeze will act like a bicycle brake lever and will let your hand be out in the open above your engine bay while the other end does the work. No more busting knuckles with crazy angles and getting large bulky pliers into tight spaces. They lock and hold the hose clamp open and allow you to use both hands to remove or install the hose. Once done, release the pliers and the hose clamp snaps back onto the hose. They're not very expensive for the utility they provide and I use them on EVERY coolant job now. Worth their weight in gold.
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Lisle Quick-Disconnect Tool (Heater Hose Disconnect Gripper)
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3IrgsrX
Ford loves those white plastic twist-lock quick-connects on the heater core hoses. Try to muscle them with your fingers and SNAP—$80 mistake. This $12 tool slides over the tabs, gives you even pressure around the entire collar. Grab the tool once it is in place and then it helps to clock the tabs to the "unlocked" position without breaking anything. It's so simple, but really gives you good advantage.
Must-Have Basic Stuff
- Big catch pan (coolant can cling to multiple surfaces when a leak occurs - a wide pan is good)
- Funnel set (spilling coolant sucks)
- Pressure-test kit (rent or buy) - this is a very helpful thing to have.
- Nitrile gloves (coolant is sticky and smells forever)
Now- let's get into the issues!
The Usual Suspect: Coolant Bypass Solenoid (P26B7 Code)
Part: BM5Z-18495-A
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4eHDEya
This little blue guy lives to the right of the engine block and I’ve replaced it every couple of winters. It throws a P26B7 code when it fails and starts leaking from the bottom. Its job is to re-route the coolant in cold weather to help the heater core heat up faster in cold weather.
Fix Time: 15 minutes once you know the trick.
- Put a catch pan underneath- it will leak fluid when you unbolt the solenoid from the coolant outlet flange.
- Unplug the electrical connector.
- Remove two 8 mm bolts.
- Use remote hose-clamp pliers to release the spring clamp.
- Swap it out, bolt the new one on, top off coolant. Done.
What Fails: Solenoid can get stuck in one position and not do its job, the o-ring can degrade, or the plastic flange can crack. Not that expensive, just annoying.
The Sneaky One: Coolant Outlet Flange + Temp Sensor
Part: BM5Z-8592-A (includes new O-ring and sensor)
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/44I51DA
I’ve replaced this TWICE. The plastic ridge that holds the O-ring disintegrates and coolant pours out the side of the engine block. I was losing a ton of fluid and it's under so many things that it's hard to see where it's coming from. At first I could see fluid puddled on top of the transmission casing, but I had to take off the engine cover, and root around the hoses in that area to get close.
How I found it: Coolant pressure-test kit (rent one from Advance Auto or buy a cheap one). It's basically a hand air pump connected to a reservoir cap. They're brilliant, really. You pump pressure into your cooling system when your car is off and you look for drips/ leaks and you can listen for any hissing or bubbling. It's very helpful to do this when the car is off to be able to reach around things and not need to worry about moving belts or trying to look or listen with all the commotion of everything running.
What Failed: The actual flange of the component that supported the o-ring at the exit of the engine block had degraded and cracked. The o-ring was no longer supported and it just started leaking every time the engine ran. Makes sense! Just had to find it.
Pro Tip: When replacing this part, purchase the part with the included o-ring, and temp sensor included. Replace the whole flange, not just the O-ring.
The Long, Brittle Overflow Hose
Part Numbers by Engine/ Amazon Links for 2013-2016 Escapes:
1.6L: CV6Z-8B081-Y / https://amzn.to/4nUbl2u
2.0L: CV6Z-8B081-Z / https://amzn.to/4p7qaQb
2.5L: KM5415 / https://amzn.to/4qSXGf3 (for some reason this says "Fuel Hose" on Amazon, but the part number is correct as the 2.5L coolant overflow hose on the Ford OEM website.
The factory overflow hose is hard plastic that runs the entire length of the engine bay, wraps behind the block, and splits to the radiator. Heat cycles make it brittle—then crack—then leak.
Fix: Ford updated the hose with a rubber section in the middle where it gets close to the engine block- my guess is they learned of the heat cycling and the rubber can handle the heat so much better. Haven't had to replace mine a second time, but it's challenging as it wraps around the back side of the block of our 1.6L.
Heater Core Inlet Hose:
Part Number: CV6Z-18472-W
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/49LJkXy
The hoses up against the firewall are your heater core inlet and outlet hoses. They're all connected to other coolant lines with the twist lock style quick disconnect fittings. Over time, these fittings (like others by Ford) degrade and fail internally. See below for the degraded fitting (left) vs the new one we replaced it with (right).
Coolant leaks out and it's so hard to see back there due to the wiper cowl and engine bay coverings, it can go undetected for a while. Unfortunately, ours WAS detectable due to huge plumes of coolant clouds at red lights since the coolant would drip straight onto the aluminum heat near the firewall, evaporate, and everyone around you thinks you're about to explode. Took me forever to trace it down to those fittings but that was it.
Then the 3-way coolant hose on the passenger side started leaking at the connector fittings as well... Replaced that too... Pro Tip: anytime you disconnect one of those white plastic fittings, use the Lisle tool to get a good grip on the tabs. They break so easily and if a tab breaks, you can't lock the fitting and the whole hose is basically shot.
Bonus Brain Teaser: Air Lock After Draining the Block
The 1.6L thermostat sits at the coolant outlet flange. If you drain the block and refill, the thermostat stays closed, the temp sensor sees “no flow,” and the system puts you in limp mode before fluid can circulate—even with a full reservoir.
I panicked a bit when I couldn't get the car to start again to deliver fluid to the sensor, but a tech told me that if I clear the ODBII overheating codes, wait a few minutes, and then start the engine and hold it at high RPM, the water pump will move fluid through the block faster than the the temp sensor will send it into limp mode:
Service-tech trick that worked for me:
1. OBD2 scanner—clear the overheating code.
2. Disconnect battery for 10 minutes.
3. Reconnect battery, start car, hold at 3,600 RPM for 2 full minutes (in park!).
4. This forces coolant past the closed thermostat to the sensor.
5. Once the code stays away, top off the reservoir to the “MAX” line.
Sounds crazy, but it works.
Wrap-Up
Coolant leaks are just part of owning one of these 1.6L EcoBoost models, but they’re totally manageable if you have the right tools and know where to look.
Drop a comment below if you’ve battled any of these same leaks—or if you’ve had something completely different go wrong! And if this helped you fix your Escape, smash that like button on the YouTube video and consider subscribing—we’ve got a ton more DIYs coming.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in the next one!
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