1 litre Ecoboost, is it reliable or are they likely to fail?

[narbar]

Hello!

 

Looking at a 2015 Ford Fiesta Zetec S with the 125 or 140 Ecoboost.  I've been reading review sites which stay they are reliable cars.

 

But after mentioning my next choice of car to people the phrase EcoBoom kept coming up.  Basically as you probably guessed, that the engine will blow up.

 

Is this a myth? I've not seen a great deal on the internet suggesting it's true.  I need this car to last and I thought who better to get the truth from than the owners them selves.  Are these engines one that you would recommend? 

 

Thanks for any help, Dean

[Eric Bloodaxe]

The underlying issue is the "wet" timing belt which runs in oil and must be changed at 10 years/100,000 miles whichever comes first. This is an expensive operation - there are numerous threads related to this on here, eg: https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/134221-cam-belt-change/.

It is absolutely crucial on this engine that it receives regular oil/filter changes with the specified oil. Failure to do so can result in the cam belt degrading and blocking the oil pump inlet with debris, resulting in low oil pressure and terminal engine failure, which is probably what you have heard about. 

Buying a 2015 car means you are only 2 years away from the belt change so this needs to be taken into account, also a full service history is essential, but this can be hard to verify with an older car, we have seen several cases of "faked" service records on here.

As ever, it's a case of checking out any used buy as thoroughly as possible and, if in any doubt, walk away - it's a  popular car and there are plenty out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[isetta]

In case you wondered- you can not inspect if it’s suffering the degrading belt  / starting to block oil strainer without taking the sump off, and to take sump off it needs some dismantling of exhaust system. Many cars have suffered that fate but it’s a low percentage (so far) as the car / engine is so common. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, isetta said:

Many cars have suffered that fate but it’s a low percentage (so far) as the car / engine is so common. 

Yes, according to the Honest John website over 600,000 had been sold in the UK alone up to 2018 so you do need to keep it in perspective.

As we know, folks tend to turn up on this and sites like HJ  when they have suffered an issue.

In terms of a long term ownership proposition, if you could get a car nearing a cambelt change at a good price you could even consider a new engine, which are available for around £2k at the moment, eg:

https://approvedengines.com/products/1-litre-ecoboost-engine

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Brand-New-Ford-Service-10-EcoBoost-Engine_18898.jsp

 

[narbar]

Thanks for the detailed reply, it is much appreciated! Is £1500 for the belt change sound accurate these days?  

 

I never realised what was ment when people mentioned the wet belt or the consequences of not maintaining one properly!

[unofix]

Current price at a Ford main dealers is now £1700

If you're going to buy one, my advice would be run it get it serviced and don't bother spending £1700 on belts. Just wait untill it goes boom and then replace the engine with a new from pumaspeed (£1900) plus fitting.

[Hackney]

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

The underlying issue is the "wet" timing belt which runs in oil and must be changed at 10 years/100,000 miles whichever comes first. This is an expensive operation - there are numerous threads related to this on here, eg: https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/134221-cam-belt-change/.

It is absolutely crucial on this engine that it receives regular oil/filter changes with the specified oil. Failure to do so can result in the cam belt degrading and blocking the oil pump inlet with debris, resulting in low oil pressure and terminal engine failure, which is probably what you have heard about. 

Buying a 2015 car means you are only 2 years away from the belt change so this needs to be taken into account, also a full service history is essential, but this can be hard to verify with an older car, we have seen several cases of "faked" service records on here.

As ever, it's a case of checking out any used buy as thoroughly as possible and, if in any doubt, walk away - it's a  popular car and there are plenty out there.

 

Mine has 94,000kms on the clock(2015 manufactured), but the oil is changed religiously.If the engine does expire I won’t be replacing the engine. The car will be gone, just not economical to fix compared to the value of the vehicle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steven1212]

Get a 1.25. I’ve got a 2014 zetec 1.25 Fiesta and they’re super reliable. Bit slow but I don’t care. Cheap to maintain too 

[narbar]

Do any of the other eco boosts use the wet belt design? I haven't had a car for a year, been waiting for the prices to drop! Funny I know 😛

 

Are the 1.6 eco boosts a good engine? 

[narbar]

The 1.25 has had a good run to be fair it must be a good engine haha

[BlueMike2021]

5 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Yes, according to the Honest John website over 600,000 had been sold in the UK alone up to 2018 so you do need to keep it in perspective.

As we know, folks tend to turn up on this and sites like HJ  when they have suffered an issue.

 

 

This is the problem in my opinion- it is always more likely to be the horror stories that make it online, and even on here there are one or two people who will not hesitate to make an 'ecoboom' jibe at Every. Single. Opportunity.

It can get wearing and it paints a false picture and can sound worrying to some, but as Eric says, you have to bear in mind just how many of these engines are happily on the road.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, narbar said:

Are the 1.6 eco boosts a good engine? 

Following might be of interest:

https://www.whatcar.com/news/ford-ecoboost-engine-recall-–-what-you-need-to-know/n17972

https://pumaspeed.co.uk/product-Pumaspeed-Bulletproof-16-EcoBoost-Engine-Block_17863.jsp

Again for perspective I have owned examples of both (and still have a 1.0) with no issues.

[narbar]

Thanks again for the replies, the problem for me with the large wet belt bill is the current used car prices also been really high, nearly all the eco boosts I can see for sale have not had there's done and are either due or will be due shortly.  I'm doing up a house and saving to get married so can't really do it unless I'm patient and wait for one that's already been done.  But after been car free for a year my patience is already low haha

[isetta]

WAiting to find one on which the belt has been replaced.  But if sellers find that a car is easier to sell and or gets a higher price if the belt has been done, then some people will fake evidence of it having been done.  You can’t check by looking at the car. It’s a problem.  If I were in your shoes I might buy another make of car.   I know someone suggested the 1.25 fiesta, depends what you have become familiar with driving.  The 1.25 might seem a bit sluggish to you , particularly on long inclines. I know ecoboost failure is a low percentage but I wouldn’t be able to stop myself worrying about it. (We haven’t talked about the rusting coolant pipes on the turbo yet).   I have 1.5tdci, on some of these the timing belt pulleys shatter . Not often but I still worry about it. I shouldn’t but I can’t help it.  Not so much about the money, but the hassle if it happens halfway through a holiday trip hundreds of miles from home. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Well, yes, as Isetta suggests plenty of other cars out there to explore in the small sporty category - Mini Cooper/S, Seat Ibiza Cupra/FR, VW Polo GTI/GT, Suzuki Swift Sport, etc, etc. They may also be coming up for a cambelt change of course, but a "normal" one at £450 or so.

As mentioned on here several times, looking at the Ecoboost on a long term basis from new or nearly new, it would not compare unfavourably in terms of overall belt replacement costs with other cars which need a belt change every 4/5 years or so. 

The problem really affects the person who buys at around 8/9 years old, when the first couple of owners have had the benefit of the relatively low running costs and leave someone else to pick up the biggie!

 

[narbar]

Thanks again for all your helpful replies, really appreciated! I also tend to worry so I would be best staying on the side of caution.  Good point about owning from new, the cost wouldn't be so bad if that was taken into account.

 

With the recall for the 1.6 Ecoboost, was it just a added coolant sensor or was any work completed to actually fix the problem?

[Eric Bloodaxe]

7 minutes ago, narbar said:

With the recall for the 1.6 Ecoboost, was it just a added coolant sensor or was any work completed to actually fix the problem?

As far as I recall (which is not very far these days) I don't think there were any physical mods involved though someone who had the actual recall may know better.

There was also a recall on the Focus for clutch slip:

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/103169-ford-recall-software-update-clutch-slip-18s07/#comments

 

 

[Buxty]

On 12/28/2022 at 9:21 PM, narbar said:

The 1.25 has had a good run to be fair it must be a good engine haha

Partner and I changed from a 1.25 Fiesta to a 100ps 1L Ecoboost primarily because how slow it was...it was really slow for us. We just do oil every year at Ford and try not to worry about it.

[BlueMike2021]

On 12/30/2022 at 11:07 AM, Buxty said:

Partner and I changed from a 1.25 Fiesta to a 100ps 1L Ecoboost primarily because how slow it was...it was really slow for us. We just do oil every year at Ford and try not to worry about it.

I certainly couldn't go back to the older engine- even the smallest Ecoboost is a wonderfully gutsy little thing in comparison. I can actually safely overtake people now, LOL!

[simon401982]

On 12/29/2022 at 2:21 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Well, yes, as Isetta suggests plenty of other cars out there to explore in the small sporty category - Mini Cooper/S, Seat Ibiza Cupra/FR, VW Polo GTI/GT, Suzuki Swift Sport, etc, etc. They may also be coming up for a cambelt change of course, but a "normal" one at £450 or so.

As mentioned on here several times, looking at the Ecoboost on a long term basis from new or nearly new, it would not compare unfavourably in terms of overall belt replacement costs with other cars which need a belt change every 4/5 years or so. 

The problem really affects the person who buys at around 8/9 years old, when the first couple of owners have had the benefit of the relatively low running costs and leave someone else to pick up the biggie!

 

Even more especially here, when those previous owners have been chucking any old oil out of Grandads shed in it when it's low!! - guaranteed way to f**k it up!!!...

[Korobka]

I know it is not the best topic to ask my question here, but I was nit able to locate better one.  The issue is not related to ecoboost 1.0 only, but affects a lot of cars with this motor. 

Who knows at least something about the following recall program:

 2019-02-22R/2018/351

 

https://www.vehicle-recall.co.uk/recall/R/2018/351

I've tried to search here, but without success. I'm reading info about the fix above and i'm not sure the fix for start/stop cars is good enough. 

I'm going to bye Focus affected with the issue and fixed by ford officials but cannot find any additional info. Is there anyone who has faced this or maybe seen related topic on forums? 

 

[DaveT70]

You won't get much more information than on the link you posted, it even tell you VIN ranges

[Eric Bloodaxe]

10 minutes ago, Korobka said:

related topic on forums?

One here:

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/103169-ford-recall-software-update-clutch-slip-18s07/

 

[Korobka]

Quote

You won't get much more information than on the link you posted, it even tell you VIN ranges

Yeah, I see the scope. Wanted to find details - program fix seems to be odd. 

And finally located everything I need, thank you, Eric, for the link, that's it. 

[jace1969]

I have to say these days there are so much on any cars that can go wrong /fail.

I have had my old 2011 titanium 1.6 for 9 years, never missed a beat,a nice simple 118 BHP with a nice bit of go in it.

Not a big fan of all these turbo engines pushing a little 1 litre block to its limit, saying that it's the majority of cars now.

Until the law changes and we can only buy new electric Milk floats. 😄