My Ford Focus 2018 with a mileage of 1,12,000 is making weird whirring noise during cold starts lately.

Whirring noise comes only at the start and most likely at cold starts(Once in the morning when I start my car leaving to work & once in the evening on return). And any number of further starts makes no such noise.

Weirdly, it doesn’t make such noise always and I tried recreating it in front of my mechanic but failed twice.

My mechanic is guessing it as timing belt issue solely because of my car’s mileage.

Anyone facing similar issue and any suggestions on possible solutions is greatly appreciated.

It is giving me constant headache since I can’t figure out what to do about it.

 

TIA ☺️

Ashok

Any chance of a clue, what engine ? 🤔

Focus Mk3.5 or Mk4 ?

It’s 2018,  1.0 Ecoboost Engine.

This is the exact noise I am experiencing(Starts at 5s mark)

As suggested by fellow enthusiasts, it’s definitely not the fan or a common sound.

Not got any warning signs and car is otherwise working perfectly.

 

Ashok

2018 is a change over year for the Focus.

The MK3.5 Ecoboost has a rubber wet timing belt.

The MK4 Ecoboost has a timing chain. It's a different engine.

 

How do I find that.

WF05XXGCC5JS89384

that’s my VIN number. Does it helps to find the engine type with VIN number?

WF05XXGCC5JS89384

Build Date : 20.03.2018
Vehicle Line : FOCUS 2014-2019  =  Mk3.5
Engine : 1.0L ECOBOOST 120PS/125PS/140PS
Transmission : 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANS - B6
Emission : EURO 6 EMISSIONS
Air Conditioning : MANUAL ELECTRIC AIR CONDITIONING
Body Style : 5 DOOR SALOON
Drive : RHD FWD
Axle Ratio : 4.067/2.905
Version : SERIES 70
Exterior Paint : DEEP IMPACT BLUE (METALLIC)
Interior Fabric : BOOST/VIEW CHARCOAL BLACK
Territory : (+)"GB"

start warranty: 29.03.2018

Owner’s Manual (Vehicles Built From: 9/5/2016) (HTML)
 

Perfect. I can confirm these details are correct. 
Based on this, can you please suggest on my issue.

It could be a number of things. Possibly something driven by the aux belt like the alternator. Given the high mileage it sounds like a bearing but hard to tell.

Perhaps @TomsFocus or @Tizer might have a better idea ?

Have you had the wet belts replaced on this engine ? If not you need to get them done now.

Nope. I haven’t replaced the belts yet. But it is definitely going to be an expensive one.

Before jumping on to it, I wanted to understand the root cause better just to be sure I am getting the correct treatment done for the issue 😁.

No idea where the noise is coming from but the belts need doing anyway if you plan to keep the car. The belt change is expensive (usually well over £1,000) but if the cam belt breaks it is new engine time. 

Hmm...could try removing the aux belt to test whether it's anything there.  Appreciate that's awkward if it doesn't do it on every cold start though.  Need to leave it off for a couple of days if possible.

To me it sounds more like the turbo isn't getting enough oil pressure after having drained overnight though.

 

11 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

To me it sounds more like the turbo isn't getting enough oil pressure after having drained overnight though.

Excellent suggestion Tom 👍

Given the mileage and the fact the belts haven't been changed there is a good possibility that the little gauze filler that feeds the turbo has become blocked with bits of wet belt. 

56 minutes ago, pcaouolte said:

No idea where the noise is coming from but the belts need doing anyway if you plan to keep the car. The belt change is expensive (usually well over £1,000) but if the cam belt breaks it is new engine time. 

This was the exact suggestion my mechanic made and currently I am split between repair or parting ways.

It’s a nice machine and no other issues whatsoever with it. 
 

If spending that money solves the issue and gives a new life, I am in for it.

But right now, I am pretty much confused on that decision. 

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

Hmm...could try removing the aux belt to test whether it's anything there.  Appreciate that's awkward if it doesn't do it on every cold start though.  Need to leave it off for a couple of days if possible.

To me it sounds more like the turbo isn't getting enough oil pressure after having drained overnight though.

 

Thanks for your input Tom.

very much appreciated.

I will definitely explore this when I’m with my mechanic.

Otherwise, are there any telltale signs or sounds of impending belt failure?. Just in case if I can relate them here.

1 minute ago, A.K said:

Otherwise, are there any telltale signs or sounds of impending belt failure?. Just in case if I can relate them here.

Not really, most fail without any warning. 

Sometimes you'll get a rattle on start-up.  But the lack of rattle doesn't mean that the belt is good.  You can also check the colour of the oil, if it's jet black then it'll be full of belt fragments.  Should be a sort of brown colour on a petrol engine.

14 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Not really, most fail without any warning. 

Sometimes you'll get a rattle on start-up.  But the lack of rattle doesn't mean that the belt is good.  You can also check the colour of the oil, if it's jet black then it'll be full of belt fragments.  Should be a sort of brown colour on a petrol engine.

You mean it’s better to replace the belt anyway, if I choose to keep the car 😁.

I asked for signs & sounds because I was trying to isolate this whirring noise with timing belt issue since it should not be the case that I go ahead and change the timing belt but the noise remains even after the replacement 😂

I will look for engine oil colour quickly and update here. Oil was changed in March this year.

 

2 minutes ago, A.K said:

You mean it’s better to replace the belt anyway, if I choose to keep the car 😁.

I asked for signs & sounds because I was trying to isolate this whirring noise with timing belt issue since it should not be the case that I go ahead and change the timing belt but the noise remains even after the replacement 😂

I will look for engine oil colour quickly and update here. Oil was changed in March this year.

I don't think that noise is specifically from the wetbelt.  But it could be caused by the oil pump clogging up with wetbelt fragments.  Timing belts can't make any noise themselves as they are toothed.  If they slip by even a few millimetres it's already too late.  Totally different to a ribbed belt like the aux belt that can squeal and slip for years without any issues.

Yes, if you intend to keep the car, the wetbelt should be done rather than waiting to see or hear signs of degradation.

If tom is correct with his suggestion that the turbo isn't getting enough oil pressure after having been drained overnight then a replacement turbo could be another significant expense on top of the belt change. I would be leaning towards a change of vehicle if your funds allow.

5 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Not really, most fail without any warning. 

Sometimes you'll get a rattle on start-up.  But the lack of rattle doesn't mean that the belt is good.  You can also check the colour of the oil, if it's jet black then it'll be full of belt fragments.  Should be a sort of brown colour on a petrol engine.

Update: I checked the oil and oil was in good condition(typical goldenish colour).

I would quote another typical quirky thing about this noise. This noise mostly starts only when I start first time in the mornings and evenings and gets excessive only during cold weathers(I started observing this noise in the peak winters, early Feb)

If the weather is warm, noise disappears conspicuously 🙂‍↔️ or sometimes just comes for couple of seconds(in comparison, in cold weather, this noise lasts 10-15 seconds max)

Quoting now just in case if this observation strikes any forgotten example 🥲.

 

4 hours ago, pcaouolte said:

If tom is correct with his suggestion that the turbo isn't getting enough oil pressure after having been drained overnight then a replacement turbo could be another significant expense on top of the belt change. I would be leaning towards a change of vehicle if your funds allow.

Hmm. That’s where am stuck right now.

I am all in for one off expense. But worried if it is just the beginning of something else.

I wonder if the noise is heater related. Does it make any difference if the heater is switched on or off. Does it make any difference if the air is directed to your face or screen or feet? Does it make any difference if air con is switched on or off? Really clutching at straws here.

Update : Hey there! I’ve been on a bit of a mechanic’s rollercoaster lately, and I’ve got some updates to share.

So, I took my car to two different mechanics to get their two cents on that pesky noise.

The first mechanic, he did not hear the noise but he just looked at my odometer (which is sitting pretty at 1,12,000 miles) and said, “Nope, it’s time for the belt replacement.”

The second mechanic, on the other hand, was a bit more thorough. He actually heard the noise and decided to take the car in. He ramped it up, tried to isolate the noise from the engine and everything else, just to make sure it was indeed coming from the engine.

Came back with the same verdict! The noise is coming from the engine. 😔

Now, here’s the kicker: the second mechanic is asking the exact same question as the first mechanic.

“Do you want to keep the car?”

(Both mechanics are consistent with wet belt replacement cost. That’s ~£1200)

I’m torn between the two options. Replace the belt or get rid of car.

What do you reckon? Which one would you choose?

I'd get rid of it.  But then I got rid of my wetbelt Mk3 1.0EB 7 years ago, so probably not the best person to ask.  

Have you worked out what sort of budget you'd have to buy a different car with?  If you can't afford anything better then you might be stuck with it...

10 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

I'd get rid of it.  But then I got rid of my wetbelt Mk3 1.0EB 7 years ago, so probably not the best person to ask.  

Have you worked out what sort of budget you'd have to buy a different car with?  If you can't afford anything better then you might be stuck with it...

I am in that conundrum right now. 😔

The cars I am looking at are quite above my budget given my current situation(I have got a mortgage lined up). Though I can afford, my wise mind saying it will unnecessarily put me in stress somewhere else.

Hence, I am leaning more towards keeping it. But, reliability is still a big concern after such a big repair.

(I did check with few vendors to trade it off but their quotes are quite low given the situation. Rightfully so, 💁)

So, I had to get to the other end of the problem somehow. And I did.

I gave the car for wet belt replacement and mechanic came back with additional part replacement for Oil pump since he said it’s badly clogged up by the belt fragments(The very noise was from that filter). 

I am no expert, I could only say yes to it. Now am thinking, was that unnecessary?🤔