Ford Focus 66 plate - Engine Replacement Due To Cam Belt Delamination

[barry1979]

Hi,

So my 66 plate Focus had the oil warning light come on, after checking the obvious oil levels (all usual) I took it to a Ford dealership garage.

After the initial diagnostic check, further investigations were required and on removal of the sump the issue was a blocked oil pump due to the delamination of the cam belt.

Ford recommend an engine replacement as they cannot guarantee elements of the cam belt have got further into the engine.

My car is serviced regular with a non-Ford garage and has done 56k miles.

Ford will not assist with repair cost as the vehicle is out of warranty (3 years).  The dealership stated that the Cam belt should not have delaminated with the amount of miles completed.

My question is has anyone else had this issue and been successful with claiming some or all of the repair cost from Ford?

 

Many Thanks

Barry

[anon]

No chance. Six years old, out of the dealer service network and no certainty that the correct oil has been used.

If the cam belt is serviceable, (Most delamination comes from the oil pump drive belt which despite some damage, survives), Take the pump off and either replace it or , if you are a geek like me, strip and clean it. Then replace the sump,  oil and filter. Cha nge oil and filter again at 3,000 miles. Get the car recovered with all parts from your Ford garage by your own garage. You can refit the sump with two bolts to save crud getting in. This is not without some risk, like being born but it has a very good chance of success and will save several thousand pounds and the aggravation of dealing with a Ford dealership.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Hi Barry,

 

Sorry to see that, but there are many threads on here on the subject, unfortunately, eg: 

 

 

[alexp999]

Did your garage use engine flush?

[anon]

A sensible question but I think that by now, the majoity of independents have seen enough blown up Ecoboosts to know about their little foibles.

[unofix]

The problem with getting Ecoboost engines serviced at non-Ford garages is that many do not know that during an oil change the engine must not be flushed. Also it is extremely important to only use the oil specification listed by Ford. The casual use of generic 5W 20 oil is unlikely to meet the requirements of what is needed in the Ecoboost. Most (but not all) problems with the cam belt disintegration is caused by the use of oil flushes and/or the incorrect oil specification.

Brand new Ecoboost 1.0 engines are available from Puma Speed form around £1999 and fully fitted from around £2999 which is usually a lot less than a Ford main dealer.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Also, not a million miles from Merseyside, this outfit has had a few positive mentions on here:

https://northwestengines.co.uk

[country roads]

21 minutes ago, unofix said:

The problem with getting Ecoboost engines serviced at non-Ford garages is that many do not know that during an oil change the engine must not be flushed.

In my experience the independant garages I have been to dont bother to engine flush anyway unless I specifically asked for it

[anon]

True but they don't use Ford Spec Castrol Magnatec either.

[unofix]

1 minute ago, country roads said:

dont bother to engine flush anyway unless I specifically asked for it

perhaps they already know that you never flush the engine on an Ecoboost, even when the customer "specifically asks for it"

[Ecosport2019]

24 minutes ago, anon said:

True but they don't use Ford Spec Castrol Magnatec either.

No and neither do most of the dealers! I know this for a fact.

[anon]

Unfortunately, I find that  to be entirely credible which is why mine, bought at 27,000 with two Ford services (that I don't believe happened,) will be getting two oil changes, done by me  over the next 1,000 miles.

[Ecosport2019]

I did exactly the same with mine and i work at an independent 

[mjt]

16 hours ago, anon said:

I think that by now, the majoity of independents have seen enough blown up Ecoboosts to know about their little foibles

Mine didn't. Having had our Mk3 serviced at a Ford franchise every year since we'd bought it I decided to save a bit of money by putting it into the independent I've used for our Mk2.5. They used Forte flush which they said Forte claim to be compatible with the wetbelt. I didn't believe that and started to worry about the potential damage. As it was ten years old and needed a new belt I got shot of it.

[anon]

I have never had an engine flushed* and having owned cars from 0 miles old to 300,000 miles old, I wonder why it is done on modern cars with synthetic lubricant that don't sludge up. I expect that it is no more than a catchpenny for the garage. The thirty bob tin that costs thirty quid to pour in.

* Save for a Morris Minor which was run on a pint of paraffin added to the oil before draining. It appeared to do no harm but it would not have been kind to the oil seals.

I have read that following drainage, the pouring of 1/4 litre of fresh oil down the filler is a good idea in lieu of a flush. I can't see what good it would do but it won't do any harm so that is what I plan to do.

[DaveT70]

Very sorry to hear that.

As mentioned, during it's services someone has either used the wrong oil or flushed the system or both.

If you don't want to Shell out loads find a decent 2nd hand engine (that you can see running) and get rid of the car