Few Questions About Focus Mkii 1.6 Tdci

[daveyboy123]

hello,

i have recently just purchased a 2005 plate focus sport (although on the back it says LX) but all documentation says sport (it does have alloys and front fogs??)

the car has 65000 on the clock and is in really nice condition.

is there anything i should watch out for etc, i have read a couple of issues that can affect the car:

1. DPF - i imagine this car has it the log says (1.6 tdci sport (110) Euro IV), but i don't know for sure, is there an easy way of finding out if it has the dpf or not?

2. Turbo - i have heard that they can fail if oil is not changed regularly etc, is this actually that common? is there ways of preventing this apart from oil top ups? also what oil is best to use, i read 5w30 but then it mentions low sap, i'm not sure what that is?

3. is there anyway of checking if turbo is working as it should? when i get to just under 2k it seems to pull quite quickly briefly and then ease off again until i change gear (sorry never owned a turbo diesel before)

4. the air intake hose has 2 plastic clips going into the manifold i believe, however both plastic clips are broke and after checking prices for part its about £80!, would it be ok to just put a jubilee clip around this part to ensure it doesn't keep coming off? i noticed it was detatchedfrom the manifold when i checked engine (due to clips being broke), what affects does this have on car? could it cause damage, would it decrease performance etc?

many thanks for your help with this

[jeebowhite]

Welcome daveyboy to the Forums!

to answer your questions:

1) Its likely tou have the DPF, however to be certain, contact your local dealer, provide them your REG or VIN and they will confirm for you. You could always look around the fuel tank for the additive reservoir, I would be surprised if you dont have it though.

2) oil and contaminents are regular contributors to breakdowns, Turbo included, so yes it could be a problem, however you just need to monitor and maintain your turbo as best you can, and replace the oil at intervals. I couldnt advise what oil it is, I thought 5w30, but not heard of the low sap variant...

3) you can tell the turbo is working, if you drive along in a middle gear, and then from 1000 revs put your foot down, you will feel around the 1800 revs mark your car should just suddenly get a boost of power and more pull, that is your turbo kicking in. If you put your foot down and get a progressive and barely responsive increase in speed up to 4000, then you have a problem with your turbo...

4) You could well use Jubilee clips, however I would say PM the details to "JohnH" who is one person who springs to mind who has the ford E-Cat program, he could give you a part number and an actual price that is shown for it (wouldnt surprise me if that price is inclusive of labour to fit!) as for the effects, you risk less air / pressure getting into the turbo / engine, and as such you risk lower power, and possible kangaroo hopping effect of the car as you are driving it. Performance (under severe affects) would be greatly impaired, and I wouldnt expect any damage would be caused, just a highly inefficient engine, with a struggle to get to speed!

Hope this helps you get started!

[daveyboy123]

hey jeebo,

many thanks for your reply.

i will try and check out the dpf to make sure, but as you say its highly likely i have one. is there any easy way of telling if additive resorvoir has liquid in or is this something only specialists/garages could really do (i'm not too good with fixing things myself on cars)

i have read its 5w30 oil but is it safe to use normal fully synthtic in these engines (especially if dpf is fitted)?

yeah seems turbo is working ok from what i can tell. anyone else know if these turbos will last as seem to be quite a few reports of peoples going early, they shouldn't go that early if oil is changed and serviced correctly should they? - i bought this car to try and lower my bills and maintence costs so wouldn't be able to afford the repairs if a turbo etc went as hear repairs would be in to £1000's

i think for time being i will secure the pipe on with jubilee clips, just so it doesn't keep popping off on its own - does seem a very strange way of securing a pipe on though with just 2 flimsy plastic clips?

[Lenny]

Finis 1672189 128.77 euros

thats for the 3 pipes from the intercooler to the turbo elbow mate, they dont come individual have to purchase the 3 and the clips as you can see in the image are not listed, they may be supplied as part of the piping.

[rojariggs]

With the dpf you should use low sap oil.

Turbos are a weak spot of a turbo diesel engine (not just Ford) but I would not advise worrying about it unduly. If you research it enough, you can find the common faults and weak points of any engine or any car but that doesn't mean your's will suffer too.

Also remember that what you read on forums is all about the people who have had problems. Happy people with healthy cars rarely come online just to say everything is rosy.....

[TDCiST]

Also remember that what you read on forums is all about the people who have had problems. Happy people with healthy cars rarely come online just to say everything is rosy.....

Agreed, i have said this myself a few times!

[daveyboy123]

the picture above (the smaller/thinner) hose is the one in question, i have heard the clips on it do break easily as apparently the oil filter is situated just underneath and its designed so you take it off so you can get to the filter - as i say, would it be fine to just put a jubilee clip around the end so it does not slip off again?

ok so you are saying do not use fully synthetic oil? i beleive thats what it states in the service book though so surely this is what garages would use when doing services etc isn't it? i have struggled to find any low sap oil on the internet and the stuff i do find is double the price of fully synth.

very true though about internet/forums etc, yes i suppose they do highlight the problems that some people face, its just that when reading about the tubo failure it seems that it does affect a lot of the cars. hopefully it won't be something i run into.

so after just purchasing, is there anything i should do straight away? think last service was april 2011, so should be ok shouldn't it until i get service done again in april this year, but again do i need to mention this low sap oil or will they use correct stuff?

also one other thing regarding dpf, is there anyway of quickly checking level of fluid or does it have to be taken to ford? i also read that the replacement dpf should be done at 75k! is this this really something that needs to be done, i read other articles that said they have been fine up until just over 100k, is it something that is advised but is ok to leave until it actually dies? when it does die, what would the symptoms be? could anything else get damged in process?

many thanks again for everyones help

[daveyboy123]

[rojariggs]

i have struggled to find any low sap oil on the internet and the stuff i do find is double the price of fully synth.

but again do i need to mention this low sap oil or will they use correct stuff?

Low sap oil is more expensive unfortunately...

A main dealer will use the correct oil. With independents it will down to whether they know and/or whether they have checked Autodat properly - depending on the independent in question they may need a nudge!

[Stoney871]

Also remember that what you read on forums is all about the people who have had problems. Happy people with healthy cars rarely come online just to say everything is rosy.....

Everything is rosy with my car LOL

[Barry_]

Don't know about his low sap oil but know its 5w/30. Got the oil & Filter on mine changed at Kwik Fit for £34.99. They use what they call Zetec oil and refused to put mobile one 5w/30 oil in my motor even though it would cost more as they said fords have to have that specific oil used. Due to this and the price (cheaper than buying 5 litres yourself) & obviously assuming that is the correct oil then this is probably be the only service I would recommend kwik fit for!!!

Generally there are far too expensive and 2BH don't trust what they say. Took our fiat to them for a break checkover - they said discs and pad need to be done & brakefiuld needed changing - £250!!! Took it to local garage instead and they checked - said they didn't really need changing as just rusty but asked them to do it anyway - So discs, pad, brakefiuld changed plus had the throttle cable refitting, adjusted and sorted out (gas pedal was on the floor) all for the pricely sum of £140 :o

Opps sorry went abit off topic there LOL

In regards to the clips - if its designed for ease of removal maybe you could use some of those spring type clips?? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hose-Pipe-Spring-Clips-x4-30mm-34mm-/250955617430?pt=UK_DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item3a6e1ed496

[MarkandhisFocus]

Hello, I have recently purchased a 2007 Focus 1.6 TDCi just like the OP. I have scoured the internet and found out lots about it, and read a lot about this oil and turbo thing. The original manual, which I don't have but I found online, specifies a fully synthetic oil that meets Ford spec WSS-M2C913-C. Castrol is the recommended brand and the oil that corresponds to this spec is Magnatec 5W-30 A1. Even though it's not cheap it isn't the most expensive oil out there and for me it is worth it to avoid paying a cartload of money to replace the turbo and all relevant parts. If you can't find that then Mobil Super 3000 X1 Formula FE 5W-30 also meets this spec. BTW, these are both low saps oils, that stands for sulphated ash and it is what clogs up the tubes when it turns to carbon. Having this low saps oil is important for keeping the oil flowing well to the turbo.

Another thing to check out is the injector seals. I am having mine replaced soon becuase there is some visable leakage in the area where the second and third injectors go into the engine. Some people believe that letting this problem go will cause this area of the engine to become hotter than normal due to exhaust gasses escaping, which will in turn scorch the oil running through there. Then that scorched oil makes its way to the turbo and causes premature failure. There hasn't been any proof of this but again, I believe that preventative maintenance is better than paying way more later to fix something that has catastrophically failed. Even if it doesn't affect the turbo it's still not good to have a leak of anything so getting these replaced is important.

The DPF filter is supposed to be self cleaning, but if you drive mostly low revs or short trips doesn't get much of a chance to do that so eventually gets plugged up. Every once in a while, couldn't find any info on exactly how often, you should drive for 20 minutes above 40 mph and around 3000 rpm. This raises the exhaust temp and burns up the deposits in the filter. You shouldn't have to drive like that all the time because that is bad for fuel efficiency. This also is supposed to help with cleaning out ash deposits out of the turbo.

I hope this helps, if you need more info I might have it for you.

[mitch84]

Hello, I have recently purchased a 2007 Focus 1.6 TDCi just like the OP. I have scoured the internet and found out lots about it, and read a lot about this oil and turbo thing. The original manual, which I don't have but I found online, specifies a fully synthetic oil that meets Ford spec WSS-M2C913-C. Castrol is the recommended brand and the oil that corresponds to this spec is Magnatec 5W-30 A1. Even though it's not cheap it isn't the most expensive oil out there and for me it is worth it to avoid paying a cartload of money to replace the turbo and all relevant parts. If you can't find that then Mobil Super 3000 X1 Formula FE 5W-30 also meets this spec. BTW, these are both low saps oils, that stands for sulphated ash and it is what clogs up the tubes when it turns to carbon. Having this low saps oil is important for keeping the oil flowing well to the turbo.

Another thing to check out is the injector seals. I am having mine replaced soon becuase there is some visable leakage in the area where the second and third injectors go into the engine. Some people believe that letting this problem go will cause this area of the engine to become hotter than normal due to exhaust gasses escaping, which will in turn scorch the oil running through there. Then that scorched oil makes its way to the turbo and causes premature failure. There hasn't been any proof of this but again, I believe that preventative maintenance is better than paying way more later to fix something that has catastrophically failed. Even if it doesn't affect the turbo it's still not good to have a leak of anything so getting these replaced is important.

The DPF filter is supposed to be self cleaning, but if you drive mostly low revs or short trips doesn't get much of a chance to do that so eventually gets plugged up. Every once in a while, couldn't find any info on exactly how often, you should drive for 20 minutes above 40 mph and around 3000 rpm. This raises the exhaust temp and burns up the deposits in the filter. You shouldn't have to drive like that all the time because that is bad for fuel efficiency. This also is supposed to help with cleaning out ash deposits out of the turbo.

I hope this helps, if you need more info I might have it for you.

Yeah a lot of people have mentioned doing this in the past , but I'm not convinced this has to be done , I had a problem with my 1.6tdci just after I bought it , A oil message came up , so I took it to the garage they reset it ,changed the oil and filter and kept the car over night so it could be driven at a steady 40mph by a mechanic who used it to get home that night.

It was either the DPF or just that the service oil message had not been reset since its last service what was not long before it happened.

ive since had no problems 3 months later driving mostly minor roads and short distances , I take the car for a longer run now and again on the motorways when I go out for the day , I think as long as the car gets a few good runs the dpf will work as it should without having to drive in high revs for a certain distance?

[MarkandhisFocus]

Well from what I have researched the DPF may be slowly clogging up if you're not running hotter than normal every once in a while. The short trips when the engine is not warmed up produce the most pollutants and that is what the filter is catching. Here is one site I found that explains it: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html not to mention all of the other forums dedicated to the subject. The service schedule actually says to replace the filter after 75,000 miles too, so if it is clogging up you're not going to notice if it for a lot longer than 3 months, it can take years. Maybe on your motorway runs you are getting it hot enough to regenerate but I'd rather be sure by forcing it once in a while than just assuming that it is happening. Unfortuntately there aren't any really concrete guidelines on this, even that article doesn't say how often to force the regen if you're not driving a lot on the motorway normally, so we're just left to have our own opinions on the subject.

[daveyboy123]

i have not had any issues yet either with the DPF, only had the car a couple of months but some people that have had problems in the past seem to be really frequent, days rather than months. i try and give it a run for 15 mins or so every 300 or so miles.

one thing i have noticed which seems to happen quite a lot is that after i switch of the engine off the engine fan continues to run for a few seconds to a min. i have heard elsewhere that this seems to be normal, but what is causing it?

[Liptonvillage]

hello,

i have recently just purchased a 2005 plate focus sport (although on the back it says LX) but all documentation says sport (it does have alloys and front fogs??)

the car has 65000 on the clock and is in really nice condition.

is there anything i should watch out for etc, i have read a couple of issues that can affect the car:

1. DPF - i imagine this car has it the log says (1.6 tdci sport (110) Euro IV), but i don't know for sure, is there an easy way of finding out if it has the dpf or not?

2. Turbo - i have heard that they can fail if oil is not changed regularly etc, is this actually that common? is there ways of preventing this apart from oil top ups? also what oil is best to use, i read 5w30 but then it mentions low sap, i'm not sure what that is?

3. is there anyway of checking if turbo is working as it should? when i get to just under 2k it seems to pull quite quickly briefly and then ease off again until i change gear (sorry never owned a turbo diesel before)

4. the air intake hose has 2 plastic clips going into the manifold i believe, however both plastic clips are broke and after checking prices for part its about £80!, would it be ok to just put a jubilee clip around this part to ensure it doesn't keep coming off? i noticed it was detatchedfrom the manifold when i checked engine (due to clips being broke), what affects does this have on car? could it cause damage, would it decrease performance etc?

many thanks for your help with this

I've just came across your question after googling " ford focus mk 2 tdci turbo preventative maintenance". I know your posting is up a while but thought I'd share advice I was given about what oil to use for the engine. It's actually a Peugeot made engine. The recommended oil that my mechanic states to put in it is the same oil that peugeot recommend which is Total low Saps 5w30 fully synthectic oil. It's specially formulated for these turbo engines as the low saps minimises the build up of ash. Even the guys in the ford service centre were recommending the cheaper Total 5w 30 fully synthectic oil. This engine needs Total low saps which is more expensive. That's coming from a Peugeot mechanic who specialises in Peugeot Hdi engines. The car may be ford but it's a peugeot made engine. I'm surprised nobody was able to advise here. I'm worried about the turbo as it seems to be a common fault with these cars. I'm worried from other things I've heard that choosing the correct oil is not enough and that there may be an issue with seals in the injectors ?? looking around the forums to find other advise about the issue with the turbo in these cars. if you've found any other ways of preventing Turbo failure I'd be glad to hear from you or anyone who has knowledge in this area.