Need Help 1.0 Ecoboost misfire and limp mode with no check engine light !!!

[Ben Gen]

Hello everyone I recently bought a 2012 Focus 1.0 ecoboost form a private seller and only after two weeks I was driving normally and the car went into Limp mode and started misfiring the I noticed that Autostart stop light was always off until this issue happend and it turned on but it still doesn't work, I took it to a mechanic and he said that the car is out of time and it would need a wet belt replacement/timing chain which would cost about £1500 but after he cleared the codes the car seemed to run fine for like 10/15 minutes, I believe its an electrical issue but I am unsure can please someone  help me and tell me if they have had the same issue. 

Thank you

[Luke4efc]

5 hours ago, Ben Gen said:

but after he cleared the codes the car seemed to run fine for like 10/15 minutes,

Well what was the code? Its completely pointless posting this thread without it.

[Ben Gen]

P000A, Intake camshaft position slow bank1 

oil pressure pump control circuit 

Vehicle communication bus C

[unofix]

7 hours ago, Ben Gen said:

it would need a wet belt replacement/timing chain which would cost about £1500

The belt change is due now on a 2012 car.

22 minutes ago, Ben Gen said:

Oil pressure pump control circuit 

This is normally a warning that the engine is about to suffer catastrophic failure, if you are extremely lucky and act now you might be able to save the engine. Don't waste your money taking a 1.0 Ecoboost engine with problems to a back street garage. You need a Ford main dealer with the special equipment needed to change the wet belts and set the timing correctly.

[Ben Gen]

I don't understand why the car would run fine for like 10 minutes after the codes are cleared, also does auto start stop have any connection with it. I belive its a wiring issue but I will take it to a Ford dealer, thanks for advice 

 

[TomsFocus]

The variable cam timing is controlled by oil pressure.  When revs are low it's probably ok.  When you attempt higher revs/load, the lack of oil pressure doesn't allow the timing to change, the ECU notices that and drops into limp mode as a safety feature.  Once codes are cleared, it'll be ok until you attempt high revs again.

This would suggest that the oil pump gauze is partially blocked to me.  At the very least I'd give it an oil change immediately.  If the problem persists it'll need the sump removing to have a proper look.

Honestly, it's not worth fixing imo.  Shift in on and buy something else...if it's something 10 years old then not another 1.0EB!

The SS light illuminating means the SS is unavailable due to malfunction/limp mode.  

[unofix]

Just ignore the Start/Stop it's a feature or should I say more of a gimmick used by manufactures to get new models to comply with EU emissions. There are hundreds if not thousands of threads and posts on these forums of people who's S/S doesn't work.

Even if you spend the time money and effort to get it working again it won't last more than a few months. 

[Ben Gen]

7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

The variable cam timing is controlled by oil pressure.  When revs are low it's probably ok.  When you attempt higher revs/load, the lack of oil pressure doesn't allow the timing to change, the ECU notices that and drops into limp mode as a safety feature.  Once codes are cleared, it'll be ok until you attempt high revs again.

This would suggest that the oil pump gauze is partially blocked to me.  At the very least I'd give it an oil change immediately.  If the problem persists it'll need the sump removing to have a proper look.

Honestly, it's not worth fixing imo.  Shift in on and buy something else...if it's something 10 years old then not another 1.0EB!

The SS light illuminating means the SS is unavailable due to malfunction/limp mode.  

Thanks would yous say chaining the oil pump and oil would do anything or some of the sensors ?

[unofix]

The sensors are not at fault, they are doing what they are designed to do and the problem is that your engine is in the early stages of total failure.

Changing the oil and filter with the correct grade of oil 'might' improve things, but to be honest I don't expect it to.

Replacing the oil pump will cost £1000 as it requires a major strip down, and at the end of the day the real problem is the wet belts are disintegrating and are clogging up the oil strainer in the sump.

Ford charge about £1200 - £1400 to replace the wet belts but as Tom has already said, don't waste your money trying to fix a 1.0 Ecoboost engine, you are just throwing good money after bad.

What ever you do DON'T flush the engine with oil cleaners of any kind.

[TomsFocus]

12 minutes ago, Ben Gen said:

Thanks would yous say chaining the oil pump and oil would do anything or some of the sensors ?

As above, I'd change the oil first, you might be lucky in that it drags some of the contaminants out with it.  But ultimately that would just buy you some time until you can have the oil pump strainer cleaned and the wet belts replaced at considerable cost.  There really is no quick fix or cheap bodge for this I'm afraid. 

[Ben Gen]

6 hours ago, unofix said:

The sensors are not at fault, they are doing what they are designed to do and the problem is that your engine is in the early stages of total failure.

Changing the oil and filter with the correct grade of oil 'might' improve things, but to be honest I don't expect it to.

Replacing the oil pump will cost £1000 as it requires a major strip down, and at the end of the day the real problem is the wet belts are disintegrating and are clogging up the oil strainer in the sump.

Ford charge about £1200 - £1400 to replace the wet belts but as Tom has already said, don't waste your money trying to fix a 1.0 Ecoboost engine, you are just throwing good money after bad.

What ever you do DON'T flush the engine with oil cleaners of any kind.

How much would it cost if I sell it like that I am stuck as I don't know what to do, The dealer keeps saying we are diagnosing it and still haven't been able to find the issue 

[unofix]

Change the oil and filter, say a prayer and drag it down to 'we buy any wreck.com' and run away as fast as you can.

[isetta]

I agree that it is likely to be as the others describe.   The rubber timing belt runs in the engine oil. As it degrades, the rubber granules float around in the oil and block the strainer on the end of the oil pick up pipe. If the oil is changed it might get some of the debris out but the strainer has a sort of cup shaped shield on the bottom of it which kind of catches the debris and keeps it up against the strainer so it can’t fall away easily when oil is drained. Which is of course very inconvenient.  So to clean strainer properly the sump has to come off.  But if the belt is degrading then it is likely to get  blocked again unless the belt is changed which is a major complicated job. 

[isetta]

This video gives you an idea what is involved in cleaning the strainer.   About 9 minutes in it shows how the strainer gets choked up.