1.5/6 diesel duratec

[focusgeoff]

Hey all

Thinking of trading my ecoboost in for an older (prob 2013/14) manual diesel estate. I think they are duratec engines. 

Is there anything to watch out for with these? I've been stuck with an powershift gearbox before, but not sure if there are any other common engine or gearbox issues on these? 

Thanks 

[isetta]

Duratec is petrol. Diesel is Duratorq. 

I had a 2007 mk6.5 1.6tdci fiesta and now have a 2015 mk7.5 1.5tdci fiesta. very impressed with these. In those Fiestas they are lower power versions than in Focus. . I have been reading the fiesta and focus forums for at least a couple of years and don't recall seeing anything bad about these engines and manual gearboxes (except for earlier versions of 1.6 with their turbo problems but it does not apply to the newer ones). 

Hopefully a Focus owner will comment

[Matt92]

1.5 tdci has a recall on the camshaft sprocket on early models. My 2015 had it done before I picked it up last month. Check the etis website to see if it’s been done on any you might go to view.

Mine is the 125ps version and it’s got plenty of grunt for what I want, goes a lot better than my old 125ps 1.8 mk2 Duratec. Hopefully when the newness wears off and I stop playing with the go pedal my fuel consumption will improve although I still managed 49mpg on my first tank full.😅

6 speed manual gearbox feels nice, good positive shifts and just generally pleasant to drive. Obviously I can’t comment on long term reliability, but I’ve got everything crossed.🤞

[Tebba]

I've had three 1.6 diesels and a 1.5 which I have now, have not had any problems but if buying second hand a full upto date service history is paramount! 

[focusgeoff]

Thanks guys 

[TomsFocus]

I don't think you'll get a 1.5TDCi on a prefacelift so it would have to be the 1.6.

It's a fairly reliable engine tbh though they do suffer with injector faults regularly.

However the biggest issue with them is the awful mapping and soft engine mounts causing a jerky pull away and gearchanges.  The gearboxes do have problems as well, getting 3rd in mine was always tricky and I could feel the gears connecting...that was only at 42k miles!  Trying to select 1st t anything other than dead stationary was also a pain.

Other prefacelift issues include water leaks around the boot and door seals, faulty air conditioning and electrical issues, though by 2014 they seem to be a little better...although that might simply be that they aren't as old yet.

Is there any reason why you're thinking of changing to a prefacelift?  The diesel facelifts can be had for good prices, even the top spec Titanium X's.

Also, have you had a trade in value for your EB?

[focusgeoff]

Well I'm not deadset on the pre facelift. It depends on cost really, I don't really want to spend any more than what mine's worth. Webuyancar had valued it at just over 10k.

I had a 2013 powershift (semi auto) estate which I loved, but it suffered with all the issues of jerking gear changes and unable to decide which gear to be in etc, even after the new clutch kit was fitted. 

I traded that for the 2017 ecoboost, but it has a really strange issue that I can't get to the bottom of, where it lurches slightly when I pull off in first and second as I lift the clutch. It's like when you lift the clutch up too quickly. Occasionally, I'll turn the engine off and on again and the issue resolves itself briefly and it drives like a different car. So I don't know if it's a clutch issue, or something with the revs for example. 

That, along with the complete lack of front traction when pulling away (I assume due to the high power and low engine weight) is making it quite unpleasant to drive. 

[Matt92]

I paid under 10k for my 2015 facelift titanium, it had 39k on the clock, but I looked around and the price was similar for other cars of a similar spec and mileage. Hopefully I’ll run it to 100k and beyond and get my money’s worth.

[focusgeoff]

33 minutes ago, Matt92 said:

I paid under 10k for my 2015 facelift titanium, it had 39k on the clock, but I looked around and the price was similar for other cars of a similar spec and mileage. Hopefully I’ll run it to 100k and beyond and get my money’s worth.

What do you think of the sync 2 system? I'd definitely like to get another estate, but will certainly stay away from the powershift gearbox 

[Matt92]

It seems reasonable, there’s a few niggles here and there, radio buttons don’t light up if you leave a CD in, although I was reading that could just be a software update. I’ve only used the navigation locally but it seemed to work once I programmed it. The bluetooth connection for music playback has its moments, not sure quite why but it’s like there’s interference or something, normally when I’m close to my works building, once I’m away it comes back. I’m happy with it overall though.

I used to have an escort estate, one of the last when they started chucking all the extras at them, mine even came with ABS. It was nice having that extra space except you find yourself moving things for other people with smaller cars.😂 

Never had an auto gearbox and I never will if I can help it, just seems too much to go wrong and then try finding someone willing to fix it when it does.

[TDCiST]

9 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

It's a fairly reliable engine tbh though they do suffer with injector faults regularly.

Tell me about it! 3 times no.3 seal was replaced in 100,000 miles...

my last one was a proper built on a Friday afternoon car I think, had no end of little issues with it. Electrical issues (headlights would flash brighter at regular intervals at night, causing me to go through bulbs at an alarming rate), leaks in the boot and rear door, there was a nasty whine coming from somewhere too (and I don’t mean the sound of my own voice).

The steering rack I think was knackered too as it would stick in a position, normally when changing lane on a motorway, and would take a bit of force to correct and straighten back up!

i binned it off before it cost me too much to fix. But anyone else I speak to has had little to no issues with theirs, so I’m convinced I was just unlucky!

[DJ_Andy_M]

Please be aware that the 1.6TDCi from the MK2 is not the same 1.6TDCi in the MK3. Injector problems and turbo problems were common on the old 16 valve engine. The MK3 is an 8 valve engine. I've not seen or heard anything about injectors on these newer engines. The 1.5 was introduced with the MK3 facelift and is based off of the 1.6.

I've done 72,000 miles on my 1.5. Had the sprocket recall done. I'll tell you something, she's been a joy to drive. Absolutely no issues so far with it touch wood. Some say its a bit slow to pull away, but I disagree.

[pragmatix]

21 hours ago, focusgeoff said:

Well I'm not deadset on the pre facelift. It depends on cost really, I don't really want to spend any more than what mine's worth. Webuyancar had valued it at just over 10k.

I had a 2013 powershift (semi auto) estate which I loved, but it suffered with all the issues of jerking gear changes and unable to decide which gear to be in etc, even after the new clutch kit was fitted. 

I traded that for the 2017 ecoboost, but it has a really strange issue that I can't get to the bottom of, where it lurches slightly when I pull off in first and second as I lift the clutch. It's like when you lift the clutch up too quickly. Occasionally, I'll turn the engine off and on again and the issue resolves itself briefly and it drives like a different car. So I don't know if it's a clutch issue, or something with the revs for example. 

That, along with the complete lack of front traction when pulling away (I assume due to the high power and low engine weight) is making it quite unpleasant to drive. 

Could be the anti stall, ive found that turning off the hill start helps.

[James]

6 hours ago, DJ_Andy_M said:

Please be aware that the 1.6TDCi from the MK2 is not the same 1.6TDCi in the MK3. Injector problems and turbo problems were common on the old 16 valve engine. The MK3 is an 8 valve engine. I've not seen or heard anything about injectors on these newer engines. The 1.5 was introduced with the MK3 facelift and is based off of the 1.6.

I've done 72,000 miles on my 1.5. Had the sprocket recall done. I'll tell you something, she's been a joy to drive. Absolutely no issues so far with it touch wood. Some say its a bit slow to pull away, but I disagree.

I agree with you there. The 1.5 tdci is a great little engine.  Decent fuel economy and it's fast enough for my needs. Much prefer it to the 1.6 tdci in my old mk2.5 Focus. 

[iantt]

The MK3 with the 8valve engine did have injector issues also. 

[FatHead1979]

21 hours ago, iantt said:

The MK3 with the 8valve engine did have injector issues also. 

So they decided to only fix 50% of the core issues with the 1.6 TDCi when they moved from the MK2.5 to the MK3 versions? 

It's a shame really as I found it to be a wonderfully smooth engine compared to my sturdy but rather "agricultural" 1.8 TDCi unit.