New bloomer on early stage of learning need advice

[Madilim]

hi everyone im a new to vehicles, not much knowledge about automotive, im still learning from the basic.

Anyways less talk here is my car, 2016 v6 s550 85k miles lowered on springs and wheels. bought it with 70k miles, aftermarket wheels and springs. Here is what I've done so far, 3k miles oil change, diff oil change and trans flush.

Now im having a bit of an issue with my coolant missing/leaking well im not very knowledgeable with automotive like ive said but i see what seems to be dry coolant, leaking (dry) from under the thermo housing, connecting to the top of block or manifold if im not mistaken. now i just topped it off with some orange coolant. hose and clamps that i can access from the top are all checked for leak and nothing.

plans: get a coolant flush, upgrade radiator, replace water pump and gasket for thermo housing gasket (not sure what its called)

ohh and when i went to the shop to get my trans flushed, i asked them to do a visual check of any leaks, came out nothing.


Also please if anyone could have any advice where should i go from here to maintain my car and last forever.


*a little back story why i bought this car, well started when 2015 where they first released this car, that same year i become a immigrant in united states, when i was trying to learn how to speak English this one ytber have a 2015 black s550 gt, and i was in loved. long story short after saving enough money decided to buy this car. was it a wise choice for the miles and year of the car? maybe not but i love this car and would not sell it! maybe for a gt who knows.

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[SheepDog]

Welcome.

to address your leak issue first. Generally, when you see a coolant leak at the end of a radiator hose (in this case connected to the thermostat housing) it is because the hose itself has started to fail internally, and is leaking coolant between the layers of rubber. A coolant flush is a good idea, and also replace the thermostat and gasket, as well as the radiator hose that connects to the thermostat housing. Truly the best way to find a coolant leak, is to pressure test the system. There are manual pump style test kits you can buy, or pay a shop to do it.

>Brake fluid flush, generally recommended every 2 years.
>Replace the air filter every 15-20k miles, or sooner if you live in a dusty area. Easy to check and replace.
>Inspect the cabin air filter, and replace if dirty or smelling bad
>Replace the spark plugs. (your owners manual likely says to replace at 100k miles, but do it any way)
>Add a can of BG44K to the fuel tank on your next fill up. You have no idea what quality of fuel the previous owner/s used, and this will help clean the fuel injectors if any buildup is present.
>Inspect the serpentine belts for cracks, and replace as necessary
>Inspect the brake pads, anything less than 3/32" remaining should be replaced, along with new rotors.
>Inspect the tires. Tires are the most important item on the car, and should aways be in good shape. Buy the best tire you can afford when replacing

 

[Skye]

Welcome to the forums.

The Owner's Manual would be a good reference. Start with the recommended service intervals. If you can't confirm something has been accomplished before, do it; this will help establish a baseline with your maintenance.

With the coolant flush...

- Replace coolant
- Replace thermostat
- Replace upper radiator hose
- Replace lower radiator hose
- Consider replacing heater hose/s
- Replace radiator cap

The water pump I can see. You're leaning forward. But the radiator? Is there any reason you want to upgrade? If the radiator appears OK, I'd leave it as-is and use the $$$ for other things.

Yes to the brake fluid flush. The fluid can absorb moisture over time and should be replaced every few years.

Yes to cabin and air filters.

Consistently use the best gasoline you can find. "Top Tier".

https://www.toptiergas.com/gasoline-brands/

Reads like you've have the car for some time, so I'd continue to change the oil and oil filter at the prescribed intervals in the Service Manual.

If you cannot determine how old the serpentine belt is, I'd replace it.

Spark plugs. Good idea. You're nearing the service interval and would be a good time.

My personal preference, when you get time to replace the tires, look into replacing the shocks/strut cartridges. While they might not be leaking, you can imagine the amount of abuse they see over time.

Brakes? If you haven't pulled the wheels yet, I'd pull one, front and rear and give the brakes a good visual. They might be fine, or, it could be time to replace the pads.

Saying that, how are the tires wearing? Does the alignment appear OK? If nothing seen, don't fix something that is not broken. If your tires are wearing prematurely (in weird patterns) it would be something to check.

I'd focus on one thing at a time. Find someone good, you can trust, for the coolant system repairs and flush first. If they complete that job and you're happy with the price and the work, take the car back. Explain yourself. Ask them to do a good, overall inspection, then provide recommendations. In the future, you have a list of things and work them off, one project or job at a time.

Others will continue to reply with more recommendations and guidance.

Once you accomplish all that, you'll have a lot more insight and experience. Continue to review the Owner's Manual and the recommended service intervals.

Good Luck. Again, welcome.

 

[Cory S]

You probably need this part, it's a super common leak point on the Coyote engine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TNEY6E...olid=3CKNTZ2EPLU7L&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It's not too bad to replace, but it is a bit of work. I also recommend getting a new thermostat and gasket while you're at it, and double check the water pump (they are known to leak as well with higher miles). Here's a video on how to do it.

The V6 uses that same part?

 

[ice445]

The V6 uses that same part?

Well at least one of us can read, lol. I guess OP can ignore my entire post

 

[Cory S]

Well at least one of us can read, lol. I guess OP can ignore my entire post

Well FWIW, you're not wrong about the part. My O-ring was compromised during a swap, and I had to buy the newer updated part myself.

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