Hi everyone.

The 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.4TDCi I bought from a garage on September 16, 2016 has presented a whole lot of problems, the most prominent ones being that it has a major diesel leak and it also leaks oil.

Before going back to the garage owner who sold it to me to report that the car has been faulty, I decided to take it to Arnold Clark Ford on Scotswood Road, Newcastle, for a diagnostic round, I wanted to have a report about what is wrong with the car.

They have said that possibly the injector seals have failed and this is the source of the diesel leak.

They have also found that I need to replace the CV boot clips to the driver side outer joint.

I had also asked them to check about an air-sucking like noise or a sound similar to the whirlpool noise when a water basin sink is emptying from water, which I had noticed whenever the car was driving at speeds higher than 50mph or so.

They have also pointed out that there is a part of the engine that is missing -there is no air intake pipe, or air intake snorkel, as they call it.

Is that an important part of the engine?

I have read some horror stories online about the possibility of the engine being destroyed if that part is missing and the car drives through the rain.

Since September, when I bought the car, I have been driving in rainy conditions for many hours -being in Newcastle upon Tyne suggests that this is quite standard anyway....

Is there any case I have caused any major damage to my car?

Thanks everyone in advance for your input, help and advice,

Kind Regards,

George

I removed my snorkel years ago pretty much soon as I got the car I've had no problems at all I think it comes down to the way the car is designed, the air intake pipe on the other hand... If that's not there whats the air filter connected to? :/ Any pictures?

29 minutes ago, Ryan_Tango said:

I removed my snorkel years ago pretty much soon as I got the car I've had no problems at all I think it comes down to the way the car is designed, the air intake pipe on the other hand... If that's not there whats the air filter connected to? :/ Any pictures?

There is a yellow arrow just below the battery on the right in the attached image. 

This is where the engineer has pointed out there should be an air intake pipe...

This is a photo of my engine which I had taken some time ago.

... is the one that seems to be missing from my car the air intake pipe or the snorkel?

Thanks Ryan_Tango and anyone else who helps me with that issue, 

Kind Regards,

George

 

20 minutes ago, George_A_ said:

... is the one that seems to be missing from my car the air intake pipe or the snorkel?

Thanks Ryan_Tango and anyone else who helps me with that issue, 

Kind Regards,

George

 

It just seems to be the snorkel that's missing from eyes, I'm not all familiar with the engine but looking at it it's just the snorkel.

It looks like it just connects to something under the intake pipe

thats not the snorkle thats missing , but the air box intake pipe as your mechanic mentioned

the snorkle is directly behind the front grill , bolted to the engine cross member , and you wouldnt be able to see it in that picture even if it was there.

it wont have caused any damage in my opinion as car owners that fit open cone induction kits remove it anyway , a missing air filter on the other hand would have been a much bigger problem

just get garage that sold you the car to re-install the missing pipe , i'd be amazed if the part actually costs more than £20

 

 

The missing pipe appears to be item # 9A673 in the image below (assuming 9652 is still present?):

The Finis part number is 1254400 and seems to cost around £100 in the way that only car manufacturers can get away with.

Personally I'd look for someone breaking a Diesel Mk 5 like yours as I'm sure such a part used is likely to be pretty cheap. I wouldn't worry about hydrolock though - the opening you've got is likely higher than what you'll have once it is reinstated. The only issue really is potential performance issues from sucking in hot air from the engine bay.

Thanks for your input everyone, I really appreciate the fact that you replied to me and you have all been very helpful.

Kind Regards,

George