How Can I Prevent A Major Turbo Failure (Focus 1.6 Tdci 05)

[d0gMa]

Hi Everyone,

I bought a Focus 1.6 TDCI 05 reg, second hand about a year ago and its done 130k miles.

Ive replaced the air filter and a complete oil change myself, but a few weeks ago I started having problems.

I noticed a lack in engine power and a ticking noise, so I took it in to my garage and they said it was a faulty inhector seal (first injector) which they replaced and everything was fine again (albeit with a lot of oil under splattered everywhere on the engine).

A week later I noticed a performance drop again and took it in, they replaced the intercooler pipe which had a split in it.... everything went fine again. A few weeks later and I had another power drop, now on taking it to a different garage I was informed that the 1.6 had major turbo problems, so I read up and scared myself in the process.The mechanic stated I had a bit of a leak still on inhector 1 and that maybe there was a slight breather pipe problem.

Now Ive read that injectors leak ---> oil burns --> carbon build up and muck in breather pipe ---> expensive turbo failure which nobody wants to fix.

What can I do to ensure that this doesnt happen? is there anything I can ask to be fixed? is there anything I can do such as more frequent oil changes? or even anything that I can keep my eye on. I dont have the money for a full engine transplant. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

Ian

[Stoney871]

It's recommended to have an oil change about every 5k.

Allow the car to warn up a bit before booting it so the oil has time to circulate around the turbo first and allow the car to idle for a bit before switching off so the turbo has time to spin down and that should reduce wear and tear a bit.

[Carl0s]

Regular... oil... change... I cant imagine what they have been smoking when they decided that the intervall for oilchange should be 12k miles... Mine was serviced by the book, every 12k on ford, and at 180k miles the valvetrain failed, and now im looking for replacement engine (ironicly the 180k is the last possible stamp you can put on the service record book, so guess according to ford then the car is done :P ). my mondeo did 280k miles whit 5k oilchange interval, and it worked like a dream :)

But for the topic, its pretty easy to check the vacuumpumps mesh for oil sludge, and check the oilfilter for sludge. I would check the oilpumps pickup tube also, but the oilpan is gluesealed, and nearly impossible to take off whitout bending it, witch will cause it to leak. (new one was like 40e from ford).

If these look clean, then i wouldnt stress so much about it. Reguar oilchange should be enough... Tho, if you want to play for sure, you could use forte engine flush, and then rechange the oils.

If you think you got leaking injector seal, take the engine cover of, and pour some soap water on the injectors root. Turn the engine on, and you should easily see if any of the injectors leak.

[lottysvdub]

Regarding this topic I've had quite a lot to do with the 1.6TDCI engine. I work for Citroen as a tech and we have had loads of total engine failures with this model on the C4 Picasso.

We regularly have to take the sumps off to clear the oil strainers of carbon. Quick tip to.remove the sump without trashing it is to undo all the 8mm bolts and then the 2 x 10mm nuts..... When there off undo the 2 studs that the 10mm nuts fit to...... They have a small lip on them on the inner edge of the sump....As you draw the studs down they will pop the sump off with out much effort and leave just a small impression on the face of the sump. This you simply turn upside down and tap flat with the use of a 3/8th drive socket extension bar and then re seal with a decent silicone sealer.

Other points we clean / replace are like mentioned the small oil way gauze filter in the vac pump and also the oil feed pipe to the turbo..... A little awkward to do but remove the turbo if you can and replace the pipe for a new one...... They have a small gauze filter in them too which blocks. Some people have actually removed the gauze filters completely but I think a little bit of maintenance on them from time to time is better than large chunks of carbon floating around the system.

I will add it too have a focus 1.6TDCI and love it to bits...... I change the oil around every 3 months bit I get it free so it's no real issue for me...... But good quality oil and decent filters changed at regular intervals will definitely help keep your car going.

[Carl0s]

Thumbs up for the tip using the studs as puller didnt eaven think about that :)

Forgot to mention the turbo pipe, the bolt for turbo oil intake is in a kind of awkward place like mentioned (its like under the exhausmanifold, you can spot it under the car), its not as good as taking it apart and cleaning, but what i did, is that i took out the bolt from the turbo, and then using compressed air i blowed the oilpipe clean (hard to explain, but when you press air in it, the oil flows back, and hopefully, pushes off any sludge in the mesh)

I use the ford motocrafts 5W-30 oil, that costs 29€ / 5litre and the oilfilter costs 9.90€, so 40€ for a oilchange is not going to bankrub anyone, even if done every 5k :)

And, personaly, i would blank out the EGR. Done it to every car that i have owned (still under progress on focus, but since i need to change the whole engine, its not that urgent). not realy that big of a deal, but eaven by looking how the intake pipes look on an egr engine, you start to wonder that it cant be healthy for the engine.

[grahamp]

Good question, and this is a job I need to do fairly urgently myself. Mine's on 55K now so getting close to the time when they start going bang.

My plan is clean and replace the following parts. For me clean means a liberal dousing in brake cleaner and wipe out, I haven't got an air line..

Sump off,

oil pickup pipe off and cleaned or replaced,

replace the turbo supply banjo bolt+gauze

remove & clean out the oil cooler

Got a few questions for the pros...

- Can I get away with just cleaning out the pick up pipe rather than replacing it, they're about £35+vat. I'd imagine they're not so easy to clean out properly. On refitting it, should I use threadlock? The book just specifies torque values.

- The front exhaust inc cat has to come off to access the turbo oil supply banjo and get the sump off? According to the book (Ford ETIS) the whole flexible part of the exhaust should be removed taking care not to damage it- can I get away with just unbolting the front pipe/catalyst at the flexible pipe joint? Its going to be on axle stands and the subframe is in the way, I'd rather just leave the flexible part alone. I wonder why the book reckons the whole lot needs to come off??

- is it worth cleaning out the oil cooler or just leave it be?

- is it worth replacing the turbo feed pipe?

Going to wait for a nice spring weekend, could be a while....

[JonnyRotten]

Hello there,

Been crawling round the internet for the last few days as have noticed what I thought was oil on the top of the rocker cover, I tried to wipe it away to find out where exactly it was coming from, but it was solid and black and shiny. I have now found out that it is a seal for the 3rd injector (the one 3 away from the transmission) that has gone and the black shiny stuff is a carbon build up, the start of bigger and badder problems, this affects the oil ways in the engine and will affect the turbo by restricting oil flow to it and thus killing it! I have seen posts from several people and mechanics that have owned one and have serviced it far beyond the regular intervals and used the correct oil etc who are getting the problems too! Ford recognise that there is a problem but will not compensate anyone, they should of recalled all the 1.6 tdci units but because there are so many out there and they're earning a tidy profit from them in todays high priced fuel climate. Other parts ie the air hose from the air box to the turbo which has a smaller pipe coming off which goes into the head has plastic clips which are very prone to breaking and if you need a new one from Fords it is £95 + VAT, just show you that Ford are only after money on this unit! I am now either going for a 2.0 unit or never buying a Ford again!!

[lottysvdub]

I disagree with some of your comments..... Yes the 1.6 tdci is a problematic engine but ford wouldn't recall them because of carbon build up internally to the engine.

If you have injector seals leaking simply get them done...... Any decent garage can do them or even if your computational with tools you can do them. The parts are cheap enough and with a little patience you won't have a problem.

I work for Citroen but own a 1.6 tdci focus and love it..... I've seen some of the horror stories your referring too but I've also seen taxi's with over 250000 miles on the clock..... Running the original engine. Just serviced regularly and maintained quite well by the owners. Not sure if you know but the tdci engine is a PSA engine..... Made by Peugeot and Citroen and supplied to ford. I honestly don't know how many of these engines I've either rebuilt or replaced but they are normally due to missed services and poor quality parts used at service.

Regarding the injector seals.....we must do at least 1 set a week..... Not just to the 1.6 but the 1.4 and occasionally the 2 litre. So to me it's not just a problem with the 1.6 its a diesel issue and poor maintenance or missed problems on service.

[grahamp]

There's a long-running thread over on the Honest John site which has pretty well become "ITS THE INJECTORS LEAKING!!!" to the exclusion of all other possibilities.

There are shed loads of cars on the road with these engines.. some have had serious problems with carbon build up and oil that turns to sludge, others are ok. As for the causes - I think it pays to have an open mind - yes, possibly a leaking injector could contaminate the oil, but as mentioned poor servicing could equally be a cause, as could perhaps a blocked DPF... read what Sinspeed reckon on the subject:

http://www.sinspeed.co.uk/ford-focus-dpf-1-6tdci-16v-turbocharger-failed-rebuilds-stock-available

As an owner its wise to be aware of the possible issues... my car didn't have a great start in life, the first owner had it serviced at 15k intervals and Ford put semi-syn in, but hopefully I can avert disaster by changing the feed pipe and ensuring the sump pick up isn't blocked, giving it a clean out and then sticking to 6 month oil changes.

[talksy]

You mention about the regular oil changes like 5 k. I think mine is supposed to be done every 12k.

I dont have a clue about the engine on the car and dont really want to start messing with it. How much would it cost me roughly to have the oil changed at my local garage? If I was to do it every 5 k, I would begoing back and forth quite a lot!

[grahamp]

the 1.8TDCi in your signature is an altogether different engine, so don't worry about it.

It never hurts to change the oil more regularly than manufacturer specified intervals though, and should cost less than a fill of the fuel tank.

[talksy]

the 1.8TDCi in your signature is an altogether different engine, so don't worry about it.

It never hurts to change the oil more regularly than manufacturer specified intervals though, and should cost less than a fill of the fuel tank.

Thanks very much for your post :)

[JonnyRotten]

I disagree with some of your comments..... Yes the 1.6 tdci is a problematic engine but ford wouldn't recall them because of carbon build up internally to the engine.

If you have injector seals leaking simply get them done...... Any decent garage can do them or even if your computational with tools you can do them. The parts are cheap enough and with a little patience you won't have a problem.

I work for Citroen but own a 1.6 tdci focus and love it..... I've seen some of the horror stories your referring too but I've also seen taxi's with over 250000 miles on the clock..... Running the original engine. Just serviced regularly and maintained quite well by the owners. Not sure if you know but the tdci engine is a PSA engine..... Made by Peugeot and Citroen and supplied to ford. I honestly don't know how many of these engines I've either rebuilt or replaced but they are normally due to missed services and poor quality parts used at service.

Regarding the injector seals.....we must do at least 1 set a week..... Not just to the 1.6 but the 1.4 and occasionally the 2 litre. So to me it's not just a problem with the 1.6 its a diesel issue and poor maintenance or missed problems on service.

Ok thank you lottysvdub

I think I've been drawn in to a state of panic after reading from the horror stories on the web. I do very high mileage so I have good reason to panic! Although I have to point out that although the engine is made by Peugeot, Citroen, the parts attached to it are not. I don't want to scare anyone else who has one of these cars, so I'll keep my mouth shut now.

[Carl0s]

Ok thank you lottysvdub

I think I've been drawn in to a state of panic after reading from the horror stories on the web. I do very high mileage so I have good reason to panic! Although I have to point out that although the engine is made by Peugeot, Citroen, the parts attached to it are not. I don't want to scare anyone else who has one of these cars, so I'll keep my mouth shut now.

Naah, panicing doesent help at all... :)

And look for the bright side: Since there is shedloads of cars whit these engines, if things go down, you can buy replacement fairly cheap. I just bought 15k driven engine for 800£ to my car. If you can do the swap your self, its a weekend job. :)

[JeffFocus]

Hi there,

My Focus 1.6 tdci (06 reg and 70k miles) has just had a leak on the 3rd injector. A local garage sorted it out for me but after reading all about turbo failure due to clogged up oil galleries, I'm thinking it's probably a wise move to look into some simple preventative measures I can do myself. I've also got concerns as it looks like the inject had been leaking for a while (maybe a couple of months - wife's car and she didn't notice the oily smell etc)

What are your thoughts about using an oil flush (only this once) to remove any unwanted sludge etc? I've read a lot of good and bad articles about them and apparently Ford uses Wynns oil flush as part of their turbo replacement procedure. Before we just relied on the annual service which came around every 12k miles so now I'm a little bit worried that I've not changed the oil enough in the past.

Also, would briefly disconnecting the oil feed pipe on the turbo to check the oil flow be a really bad idea? Just thinking that this would be a real simple test to see if the pipe is blocked etc. I'm assuming it's the small pipe that connects to the top of the turbo?

thanks

Jeff

[grahamp]

The Ford Tech service Bulletin 46/2008 covering turbo replacement recommends doing a 20 min flush with Wurth engine cleaner, but I asked a Ford technician and he said they definitely wouldn't flush. Could be the TSB is out of date, but flushes definitely divide opinion. Personally I'd play it safe and not bother.

I would say disconnecting the feed pipe is a bad idea, you're going to be starving the turbo bearings of oil, and you're going to have a job doing it with the cat section of the exhaust in place. Ford recommend disconnecting the oil return line, replacing it with a long tube, and then letting the engine idle for 60 seconds while collecting the oil in a container. You should get 0.3 litre or more of uninterrupted flow after running this test. I guess you could remove your feed pipe and probe it a bit to see if its gummed up.

One other thing, if your car has a DPF you'll need to pop the radiator fan and shroud out to gain access.

I'm just putting a shopping list together for my local Ford dealer, some of the bits are a bit expensive, I think a new feed pipe is at least £50, so it could get a bit pricey for preventative maintenance, but a lot cheaper than having to replace a turbo etc. ... I'm going to clean and reuse the sump pick up pipe but replace most other bits. If I have a successful story to tell I'll stick some info back here....

[JeffFocus]

Hi Graham

Thanks for the reply. Yes, the oil return would be more sensible approach.

I thought the oil feed pipe for the turbo is the one that sits onto of the turbo and looks very accessable. So maybe I just undo this and inspect he pipe to see what the condition is like? That should give me an idea how bad the problem is. Or have I got the wrong pipe completely?

Might just pop down to my local garage and see how much they'll charge to take the sump off, clean the feed pipe (if possible) and give it an oil / filter change. From there on I'll just keep changing the oil and filter every 5K and hope for the best I guess.

I'll be interested to see how you get on with your plan though.

Thanks

Jeff

[grahamp]

Hi Jeff, yeah the feed pipe is the metal one you can see on top of the turbo, fastened with a hex type bolt. I thought you meant remove the pipe entirely, and the other end is inaccessible. The thing is the banjo bolt at the other end has a gauze filter in it which is what really gets blocked up, so imo that probably needs replacing even if the pipe looks ok.

I kinda doubt you'll be able to tell much by undoing that top bolt as the pipe is rigid steel, and the design of the bolts means the ends are obscured. If you do, its 30Nm to torque back up. I'd love to save £50 and reuse mine but I think I'll have to take the hit.

[JeffFocus]

yes I see what you mean. Tricky....

[grahamp]

yup, which is why I've been putting this job off for about 18 months :-D

Oof, parts are gonna be about £180 and I'll probably get stuck halfway through and wreck something, should be a larf at least :D

[grahamp]

Got a box of bits, just need a clear weekend which could take a while. Assuming I survive I'll try come back and write up something to stick in the Guides section.

[JeffFocus]

Hi Graham, I'm very tempted to disconnect the oil feed pipe for 60 seconds and do the test this weekend. I have tried calling Ford to double check the figures but can't get through to an engineer.

Are you sure it's 300ml after 60 secs? I was thinking of just doing it for 10 seconds and looking for around 50 ml to reduce the risk of oil starvation.

I've asked my local (non Ford) garage to give me a price on replacing the oil feed pipe. I'm also half tempted to remove the gauze when i do replace it. Ford obviously say it needs to be there but the way I look at it, if you leave it in you have a higher chance of failure than if you remove it. I cant see any benefit what so ever?

Would love to hear your views?

Cheers

Jeff

[grahamp]

Hi Jeff, yes definitely 330ml after a minute, that's straight from Ford's ETIS software, and I've seen it elsewhere, for example:

http://www.assuredperformance.ie/assets/images/Presentation-1.6-hdi-carbo-issues.pdf

this Forte tech note states 300ml -

http://www.forteuk.co.uk/ForteAdmin/Bulletine_PDF/46tech%20bull%20diesel%20dv6.pdf

though I wouldn't flush if I were you.

I asked the Ford parts guy about the gauze filter yesterday and he called their Ford Master Tech guy - they leave it in, its there by design. If you take it off you won't have a problem with it blocking, but then carbon particles could find their way to the turbo bearings. End of the day its up to you. I'll be leaving it in place.

If your engine is pretty slimey inside then just replacing or cleaning the feed pipe and banjo bolt might mean that it will fairly quickly be gummed up again, if that was the case. That's why I'm dropping the sump and giving the pick up pipe a clean as well... I ought to do the oil cooler as well, which sits under the oil filter, but AFAIK I'd have to drain and refill coolant, turning a fair headache of a job into a bigger one, so I'll see what I can do with it in situ.

[grahamp]

the TSB for turbo failure states:

Install a longer oil return line (locally
procured) to the turbocharger and feed into a suitable container (charge air
cooler intake pipe removed for clarity).

• Install the air cleaner outlet
  hose.
• Start the engine and let
  running at idle. After 60 seconds switch off the engine and measure the
  volume of oil in the container. The quantity of oil collected in 60
  seconds of uninterrupted flow should be higher than 0.3 liter.

1. CAUTION:
Ensure that the engine does not run below min. of oil level.

• Repeat the test 2 or 3 times to
  confirm the oil flow is correct. If the volume is NOT within specification
  call the Prior Approval Hotline (depending on market) for further actions.
  Prior approval MUST be obtained before a further repair
  is done.

[JeffFocus]

Thanks Graham

I'm now planning on doing an oil change at the weekend as well to try and put my mind to rest. Going to buy a 27mm socket for future oil changes but do I need anything else like washers? On my shopping list all I have is a good quality 5/30 synthetic oil and the oil filter.

Also, just popped out to my local garage to get a price on replacing the oil feed pipe and the chap doesn't want to do the job. He's spoken to his mechanic friend who's advised him not to touch it due to all the issues around turbo failure. Advised me to sell the car whilst I could. Nice hey. Time to roll my sleeves up i guess.

On another thought, I currently have AA cover via my bank and I notice that they also offer a Garage and Parts cover for £7 per month. I did look at the small print and there is a statement in there that says they don't cover parts where lack of oil has caused the failure. I think its more aimed at people who don't service the car as I doubt they'll perform root cause analysis on the turbo failure. The only downside is that the max you can claim for is £500 and you pay £35 excess which makes it quite pricey if the regular oil changes prove to be a success.