Adrian-H Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 The USA owners are finally getting recognition of this engines failings. I'm hoping, but not holding my breath that Ford UK (*****?) will follow suit and accept the engine issues. It has to be a belt change as currently the newer engines with a timing chain are not backward compatible to the 1.0 Ecoboost we know. The issue is stated to be a failure of the tensioner but from my limited knowledge of engines and synthetic belts in oil would be more likely slow disintegration of the belt. This is from a conversation with a service engineer call from Ford telling me that having the engine stood for some time (Several weeks) allowing the belts to dry out in unevenly could also expedite failure of the belt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focus1.0 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 A google search brought me to this forum and after reading some of the comments, feel like I’ve made a bad decision buying a 2014 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost with 73k miles on the clock. What is the best way to check if the belt has been replaced? After reading the comments I’m guessing it hasn’t as the 10 year mark would be December 2024 and the Mileage is below 150k. I only do very short trips and around 2.5k miles a year. Should I be looking to sell this car before the end of the year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unofix Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 14 minutes ago, Focus1.0 said: feel like I’ve made a bad decision buying a 2014 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost with 73k miles on the clock. Yes 🙁 14 minutes ago, Focus1.0 said: Should I be looking to sell this car before the end of the year? Yes 👍 but it might not last a full 11 months 🙁 People think that they have to wait for the 10 years before they change the belt. It is very important to realise that 10 years is the MAXIMUM age, its not a target to be reached. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focus1.0 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 37 minutes ago, unofix said: Yes 🙁 Yes 👍 but it might not last a full 11 months 🙁 People think that they have to wait for the 10 years before they change the belt. It is very important to realise that 10 years is the MAXIMUM age, its not a target to be reached. While googling, I noticed ads on eBay appear for the wet belt change. I wouldn’t mind getting it done but is it worth doing with my driving habits? what are the chances that it could’ve been replaced and what would be the easiest/cheapest way to confirm this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unofix Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 3 minutes ago, Focus1.0 said: what are the chances that it could’ve been replaced and what would be the easiest/cheapest way to confirm this? Chances of it having been done is almost zero. If it had of been the seller would have made a point of telling you. If you get Ford to do the work expect to pay £1450 to £1800 !!!! Some specialist Ecoboost garages will do the work for around £900 The less you drive and the shorter the journeys the more likely the belt will snap. Also you will need to do at least yearly oil changes with the exact Ford specification oil. In short the less you use it the more you need to look after it. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focus1.0 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 11 hours ago, unofix said: Chances of it having been done is almost zero. If it had of been the seller would have made a point of telling you. If you get Ford to do the work expect to pay £1450 to £1800 !!!! Some specialist Ecoboost garages will do the work for around £900 The less you drive and the shorter the journeys the more likely the belt will snap. Also you will need to do at least yearly oil changes with the exact Ford specification oil. In short the less you use it the more you need to look after it. Can you recommend any specialists around east London? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Bloodaxe Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 5 minutes ago, Focus1.0 said: Can you recommend any specialists around east London? Nearest one I've spotted so far ( no knowledge, so can't recommend) https://www.fjrs.co.uk/service-page/ford-1-0-ecoboost-wet-belt-package It occurs to me it would be useful if we used this thread (or start another dedicated thread) to compile a list of all known independents, as more cars come up for belt replacement and specialists emerge. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unofix Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 2 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said: It occurs to me it would be useful if we used this thread (or start another dedicated thread) to compile a list of all known independents, Yes that is on the face of it a very good idea 👍. However I think it would take quite a lot of policing to avoid advertising, spam and just general trolls. Perhaps if such a thread was to be created then only paid FOC member could post links, although I'm not sure if that would be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Bloodaxe Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 1 hour ago, unofix said: However I think it would take quite a lot of policing to avoid advertising, spam and just general trolls. Hmmm......if only everyone was an upright citizen like us! For now, I'm just bookmarking ones I come across. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focus1.0 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 On 1/28/2024 at 11:12 PM, unofix said: The less you drive and the shorter the journeys the more likely the belt will snap. Could you please explain why this is? I can understand the belt drying up from being parked for long periods. still trying to decide if I should keep the car and get the belt replaced. Appreciate the help. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 On 1/29/2024 at 10:43 AM, Focus1.0 said: Can you recommend any specialists around east London? Whilst I don't have any personal experience, I do know that Phil Law in Loughton (Essex) at the link has done hundreds of belt (and engine) replacements and his name comes up a lot in the Ecoboost-related Facebook groups. I think his charges start around £850 all-in. https://www.facebook.com/phillaw.autos?locale=en_GB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bol Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Is there available a new timing belt for 1.0? A stronger, more durable one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 3 hours ago, Bol said: Is there available a new timing belt for 1.0? A stronger, more durable one? No, unfortunately not. I suppose in theory there might well be differences between manufacturers but I haven't seen any commentary on that point and given the long interval time between installation and eventual failure we might never know. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 13 hours ago, Focus1.0 said: Could you please explain why this is? I can understand the belt drying up from being parked for long periods. The oil degrades more quickly with fuel and water contamination. Most fuel contamination happens when the engine is cold. Water contamination (damp from the air) happens all the time but only gets burnt off when the engine oil is warmed up. Basically the engine needs to be fully warmed up every time it's driven, and as quickly as possible. Sitting idling in town traffic every morning is about the worst possible scenario for a wetbelt, second only to being directly contaminated with engine flush or the wrong oil. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focus1.0 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 9 hours ago, TomsFocus said: The oil degrades more quickly with fuel and water contamination. Most fuel contamination happens when the engine is cold. Water contamination (damp from the air) happens all the time but only gets burnt off when the engine oil is warmed up. Basically the engine needs to be fully warmed up every time it's driven, and as quickly as possible. Sitting idling in town traffic every morning is about the worst possible scenario for a wetbelt, second only to being directly contaminated with engine flush or the wrong oil. Thanks for explaining that for me. If I was to have the belt replaced and continued with my driving habits of short journeys, I shouldn’t have the belt fail on me for a couple of years or so, right? Or have there been cases where a new engine had the belt snap within the first 2/3 years or 10k miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unofix Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 3 hours ago, Focus1.0 said: Or have there been cases where a new engine had the belt snap within the first 2/3 years or 10k miles? Not that I can recall. There have been cases of cars just over three years of age and just out of warranty that have had the belt fail resulting in needing a new engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bol Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 6 hours ago, unofix said: Not that I can recall. There have been cases of cars just over three years of age and just out of warranty that have had the belt fail resulting in needing a new engine. Were they properly had services? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bol Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 Is it possible even if it is properly serviced - maintained could the belt still be worn? and damage the engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unofix Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 No one knows the exact reason why some belts fail very early. Sometimes it maybe because of the wrong oil having been used at some time. Or it maybe because an engine oil flush was used or some kind of oil additive used. However there have been cases reported on here of engines that have been fully and properly serviced where for no known reason the wet timing belt has failed at just over 3 years. If you ever find an answer that can be proven 100% then I'm sure not only the owners here on the forum, but also Ford would like to know what it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bol Posted February 4 Share Posted February 4 And that is for all 1.0? Focus, fiesta, kuga, puma? 7 hours ago, unofix said: However there have been cases reported on here of engines that have been fully and properly serviced where for no known reason the wet timing belt has failed at just over 3 years. If that happens, could someone find out before any damage happens? (Any signs in engine, poor performance, check engine light, error codes, any signs in oil etcetera) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bol Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Could a gauge showing oil pressure be helpful? Furthermore complaints and reports could ford owners and drivers make to ford about this issue. About oil with icons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bol Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Because as some members mention it in this forum oil change (and which oil should) is important amd crucial for this model. oil should only be the with required. specification. There are reports that fake oils are sold. That video shows features of how someone could acknowledge if the oil is the original one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontpannic Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Its worth establishing the facts on this as I'm seeing the words 'fail' and 'snap' banded about. All pre MY19 1.0 Ecoboost engines are "wet belt" - that is where the cambelt runs through the sump and is lubricated by the engine oil. If your TURBO is at the FRONT of the engine, it is a wet belt. If your TURBO is at the BACK of the engine, it is a timing chain. However - on timing chain engines, the oil pump is still driven by a wet belt. The wet belt issue is degradation of the belt over time, which leads to rubber chunks falling off the belt, into the engine oil in the sump. This then gets sucked up into the oil pickup and gets stuck on the mesh on the end of the tube. This lowers the total oil pressure which causes oil starvation issues. The standard replacement interval is 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first. This is a recommendation NOT a target. In theory, a vehicle serviced with the correct Ford WSS-M2C948-B engine oil at regular intervals, the belt should, in theory, last for that interval. Any contamination at all - i.e. moisture due to short journeys, oil flush products, oil additives, or even generic/non-spec 5W20/5W30 oil can lead to accelerated degradation of the belt. Just because you get the car serviced regularly at an 'under the arch' at the end of your road, this does not necessarily mean that everything will be fine - many independent garages will buy a vat of generic 5W30 and use it for all their oil changes and it's simply the wrong stuff for the engine. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNewton Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 2 hours ago, dontpannic said: Any contamination at all - i.e. moisture due to short journeys, oil flush products, oil additives, or even generic/non-spec 5W20/5W30 oil can lead to accelerated degradation of the belt. Just to add to this, Ford released a TSB in 2014 (ref 60/2014) advising that water in the oil (due to short journeys as you say as well as sitting around unused) can lead to degradation of the oil itself. More specifically, it says that the water can cause the detergents to separate out and form 'long chain molecules that clump together to form a gelatinous mass or slime' which in turn can lead to blockage of the oil pump strainer (thus irrespective of how the belt is fairing). 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botus Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 the most strain on a cam belt comes when trying to get the stationary cam to move - cold engine, thick oil = even worse the difference in strain on a belt goes from basically none at all when running, all the way to phenomenal belt snapping strain at start up - hence the german trick of then making a weaker more vulnerable cam drive - as invented by the accountants - and is the ONLY reason ANY car is today fitted with start stop all in all, under normal usage it is designed to just make the end of warranty period 3 years 60k miles or so for a car than doesn't sit in much traffic... - so these cars are totally unsuitable for the google traffic jams the UK has been infected with - and if you pull out of main dealer servicing and then go to pikey's r us are us where they put ANY oil in there - the likelihood of early Belt deterioration is almost guaranteed... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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