How Good Is The Focus 1.0l (125bhp) EcoBoost?

[Liam40]

Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering if all you Focus 1.0l EcoBoost (125bhp) owners on here could answer a few questions for me?

How good is this little 1.0l EcoBoost (125bhp) engine in the Focus? The reason I ask is, I’m curious to know what the power, performance and economy is like! What’s the pulling power like in 5th and 6th gear, or pulling up a hill? What’s it like on a motorway on short or long journeys? What’s the overtaking capabilities like on country roads (when you get stuck behind that driver that wants to do 30 in a 50/60 zone ). 

In my opinion (bearing in mind I don’t own one (possibly yet ???)), having a 1.0 litre engine in a medium family hatchback will be lacking in power, performance and having a low MPG. Wouldn’t it put a strain on the engine and other mechanical parts? 

I’ve tried doing a search on reviews on this little engine, but hasn’t come up with anything on here, and also, I’m not going to sit and read through 807 pages of forum topics in the Focus section to find anything, otherwise I’ll be sitting here forever 😂, this is why I started a new topic.

There seems to be so very many 1.0l EcoBoost Focus’s for sale on websites. Which brings me to another question. Why are there so very many of them for sale? I’m thinking of looking for the 1.5l EcoBoost Focus, but these are few and far between!

Hope people can help me with this?

Thank you,

Liam.

 

[Phil21185]

Well to put it into context for you, my 1.6 diesel mk3 focus is 115ps and pulls pretty well, so a "little" 1l ecoboost puts out more power!

I can't speak for driveability having never owned one but loads of folk on here have them and seem happy with them. There are a couple of issues to watch for though, cam shaft sprocket recall ( you can check ETIS for this) and a split in a degas hose. 

Later models had a better hose fitted which cured this problem, or I believe that you can get it changed through Ford if it hasn't already been done and is an affected model.

[isetta]

I don't own one either, but the problem with the split in the degas (water coolant) hose brings to a light that this engine can not tolerate lack of coolant for any amount of time at all and as many people have found, if it does leak coolant they have seriously damaged the engine in the time it takes to realise there is a leak and pulling over to stop. It seems very highly strung, from what people say the power and torque is very good, but it's ability to suffer major damage from a minor fault would worry me. 

I have a 1.5tdci fiesta. I was seriously thinking about the 1.0 ecoboost but having read the stories about people needing new engines the moment the coolant leaked I felt I wanted something that I thought would be a bit more durable as I would likely want to get 150k miles out of it before selling, like I did with my previous diesel fiesta.

I think a high percentage of them serve their owners well but I can't buy a car that I would worry about everytime I drove 50 miles along the motorway at constant 70mph.

[iantt]

had mine 3 years and its fine but it is 140hp,(bluefin remap) you will get lots of different opinions on here regarding the 1.0 ecoboost. some hate them , some like them. there are some ongoing issues with the earlier focus ecoboost with coolant loss.

as for fuel consumption, all depends how you drive it and what type of journeys you do. official figures are way off for most drivers.

i appear to be the exception , i get 58-60 on my 28mile rural round trip for work.

sure there will be others on here later to give there opinions and fuel consumption figures.

 

 

 

[TitXlover]

Have had 1 for about 2 years now.
Drives slightly differently to a standard petrol engine.
I find 2nd a bit sluggish at low revs and a bit "long" in range. You need to use the right foot more to pull away in low revs from low speed. The 6 speed box means a lot of gear changes in town driving. The car is telling you to get in 5th by about 33 mph and 2nd will easily go to 30. A great engine on motorway driving. Engine braking also seems less than a standard petrol engine too.
Have had no technical issues as yet but only do low mileage. With mainly town, short distances get about 35/36 mph. This improves on long runs and motorway driving nearer to 40 mpg.
Once used to the slight differences it's a great motor in my opinion. Now coming up to 3 year old car and runs like a dream. Would have another without hesitation.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 

[Pebbleheed]

I bought mine recently and love it. 

I was using my girlfriends ecoboost fiesta and decided to get a focus. The fiesta is slightly quicker being the smaller car but the focus is the favourite for both of us. 

Pits a very smooth, comfy drive. The acceleration is nice and the car feels effortless to use. 

The ecoboost engine works fine for me. Commuting daily with occasional longer distance driving now and then. 

[Pebbleheed]

7 hours ago, iantt said:

had mine 3 years and its fine but it is 140hp,(bluefin remap) you will get lots of different opinions on here regarding the 1.0 ecoboost. some hate them , some like them. there are some ongoing issues with the earlier focus ecoboost with coolant loss.

as for fuel consumption, all depends how you drive it and what type of journeys you do. official figures are way off for most drivers.

i appear to be the exception , i get 58-60 on my 28mile rural round trip for work.

sure there will be others on here later to give there opinions and fuel consumption figures.

 

 

 

Any way to avoid the coolant loss?

I’m worried about my car. 

[JW1982]

I drive my 125 HP 1.0 ECOboost for over 3 Years now and I am still quite impressed. Power, Torque and engine character are very impressive for such a small engine. In my opinion the 1.0 ECOboost is a much nicer engine as the old 1.6 TI-VCT it replaced. 

I regularly drive the 1.6 ECOboost of my parents which I converted from 150 HP to 182 HP using the original software. Despite the 1.6 ECOboost is also a nice engine I actually prefer my 1.0 ECOboost. In my opinion the 1.0 ECOboost is a lot more responsive. 

in the last 3 Years my average fuel consumption is 50 MPG on 98 octane (RON) fuel. I do not care about fuel consumption at all so if I did the MPG could probably even be better. On long trips I easily get 60 MPG.

 

 

Most coolant system problems of the 1.0 ECOboost are caused by the higher coolant temperature. In relation to the older naturally aspirated petrol engines the direct injected, turbocharged 1.0 and 1.6 ECOboost petrol engines have a considerably higher engine and coolant temperature. This causes some plastic and vulcanised rubber materials that are used for some coolant system parts to deteriorate prematurely. Examples of this are the degas hose, coolant reservoir, coolant reservoir cap, etc.

The Focus MK3/MK3.5 for example uses the exact same coolant reservoir as the earlier C-max MK1/Focus MK2. This type of reservoir was introduced in 2003 on the C-max MK1 and has been used for many engine types without any problems. The ECOboost engines are the only ones which suffers from premature coolant reservoir failures on a large scale. On the ECOboost engines the plastic material of the coolant reservoir can develop (micro)cracks and discoloration which in the end causes the reservoir to burst.

Another point of concern is the coolant itself. The higher coolant temperature causes the coolant to crystallize. This causes crystal deposits to attach inside the coolant system parts. As a result of this for example the coolant reservoir cap can seize solid onto the reservoir. on the long term the deposits inside the cooling system can eventually cause blockages of the coolant system.

Next to this the Earlier versions of the 1.0 ECOboost (build approximately before 2015) suffer from a design fault. These early versions only have a coolant temperature sensor that is mounted inside the coolant system and measures the coolant temperature. This sensor is used by the PCM to monitor the coolant temperature and control the temperature gauge and the temperature warning light. In case of a coolant leak the coolant leaks away pretty quick. When this happens the coolant temperature measures air instead of coolant. Air does not conduct the temperature very well. Because of this the PCM does not detect overheating of the engine at all or much too late. In this case when the driver notices the activated temperature warning light it is usually too late already. Serious engine damage as a result of overheating can occur without the driver even noticing. On later versions Ford solved this problem by installing an additional cylinder head temperature sensor. 

 

A little bit of coolant loss is quite normal for these engines. The waterpump of the 1.0 and 1.6 ECOboost has a seal that is lubricated and cooled by coolant. This type of seal is known to leak a tiny bit of coolant (especially when new and the seal has not yet fully bedded in). Because of this these water pumps do all have small signs of coolant loss. In the past many perfectly fine water pumps were changed because of these small coolant signs.  

 

The 1.0 ECOboost is a very popular engine. In some countries 2/3 of all Focus MK3/MK3.5 wehicles that were sold are equipped with the 1.0 ECOboost. There are a significant number of examples of engine damage caused by a coolant related problem. However compared to the sales figures of the 1.0 ECOboost the percentage of vehicles with these problems is very, very low. Generally only people with these problems will write about it on the internet. The many thousands of satisfied people withoput any problems do not.

Most engine damage problems occur on vehicles that still have the old degas hose that is affected by the recall or cracked coolant reservoirs. Both can avoided pretty easy by regular inspections. If a vehicle still has the affected degas hose it should be replaced as soon as possible. By inspecting the coolant reservoir regularly any signs of discoloration or microcracks will be noticed. Discoloration and microcracks are early signs of the coolant reservoir deteriorating. If these symptoms are noticed the coolant reservoir should be replaced. In case of any doubts replacing the parts is no bad idea. These are all pretty inexpensive parts that can prevent a lot of problems.

Unfortunately many Ford dealers these days do not have a clue about these problems. Most do not even inspect the coolant system during service and will not notice a deteriorating coolant reservoir. 

 

 

When I bought my car in 2014 I already replaced the degas hose (not a recall yet at that time). Last Year the coolant reservoir developed microcracks and discoloration. This made me decide to perform the following actions:

* Replace the coolant reservoir.

* Replace the coolant reservoir cap.

* Replace the coolant.

* Install the additional electric coolant pump (on vehicles produced before 05-05-2014  only present on vehicles with a factory fit towbar). 

After all parts were replaced I vacuum bled the coolant system and reprogrammed the PCM (necessary for the additional electric coolant pump). Luckily I have the skills/knowledge and tools to do this myself. 

 

As a precaution I am currently developing a low coolant warning system which consist of a coolant level sensor and a CANbus module that communicates directly to the instrument cluster. This way I will get a warning message on the instrument cluster display if the coolant level in the reservoir drops.

 

[Liam40]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all the input and advice on my thread, I appreciate it! Hadn’t realised there was an issue with the leaking coolant from the degas hose! It gives food for thought as to whether to go for the 1.0l for economy rather than the 1.5l EcoBoost, for this reason. If I did go for the 1.0l EcoBoost 125 bhp, I’d be checking under the bonnet every couple of days, unless the degas hose/leaking coolant problem had been resolved, but then I think I’d still be checking every couple of days through paranoia. Not sure I can have a car that would make me like that????

But then the reason I’m thinking of going for a 1.0l EcoBoost 125bhp Focus is because of the sort of driving I do. I do a mix of town, country roads, A & B roads and motorways, which are all short journeys. It would be totally pointless in me getting a 1.5 diesel, for these short journey reasons. My other option would be a 1.5l EcoBoost, but do the 1.5l EcoBoost have the same problem with the degas hose/leaking coolant? Obviously the economy on the 1.5l would be worse than the 1.0l. 

Liam.

[TitXlover]

Have had a 1.0 125 eco boost for 2 years, without problems.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Phil21185]

9 hours ago, Liam40 said:

but then I think I’d still be checking every couple of days through paranoia. 

Well, really, you should be looking under the bonnet at least once a week or before any motorway journey.

Most of us don't but I think that those who never report problems with their cars here on FFOC are guys who know their way around an engine and know that regular checks are very important. 

It's not paranoia mate, it's ensuring that little problems are nipped in the bud and don't develop into serious problems! 

[iantt]

i wonder how the 1.0 ecoboost is getting on in the mondeo???

[Liam40]

4 hours ago, iantt said:

i wonder how the 1.0 ecoboost is getting on in the mondeo???

They put the 1.0 EcoBoost in the Mondeo. Are they insane 😂 

[Liam40]

15 hours ago, Phil21185 said:

Well, really, you should be looking under the bonnet at least once a week or before any motorway journey.

Most of us don't but I think that those who never report problems with their cars here on FFOC are guys who know their way around an engine and know that regular checks are very important. 

It's not paranoia mate, it's ensuring that little problems are nipped in the bud and don't develop into serious problems! 

Well, sensibly we all should check under the bonnet of our cars every week. Checking tyre pressures too is essential.! I wonder how many people do because so many parts under the bonnet are concealed by plastic covers in modern cars. I’m quilt as sin for not checking under the bonnet of my 54 plate Focus.

Bless her, I should keep an eye on her ☺️

 

[Pebbleheed]

4 hours ago, iantt said:

i wonder how the 1.0 ecoboost is getting on in the mondeo???

I read a review or two that suggested it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Although it takes a little more gear work on the motorway when overtaking apparently. 

Also seems to work well in track cars 

 

[Phil21185]

10 hours ago, Pebbleheed said:

I read a review or two that suggested it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Although it takes a little more gear work on the motorway when overtaking apparently. 

Also seems to work well in track cars 

 

Well yeah, strap 125 horses onto a vehicle the size and weight of a tennis shoe, it ain't gonna be slow :)

I seem to remember funny things happening when Hayabusa engines were put in Smart cars...

Sounds like a Star Wars pod racer at 2:08 though!

[TomsFocus]

11 hours ago, Liam40 said:

They put the 1.0 EcoBoost in the Mondeo. Are they insane 😂 

They used to put a 1.8 NA petrol in the Mk3 Mondeo...less power than the 1.0 EcoBoost!  And yes, it was slow and thirsty with expensive tax...  

[Pebbleheed]

3 hours ago, Phil21185 said:

Well yeah, strap 125 horses onto a vehicle the size and weight of a tennis shoe, it ain't gonna be slow :)

I seem to remember funny things happening when Hayabusa engines were put in Smart cars...

Sounds like a Star Wars pod racer at 2:08 though!

I was tempted to have my 1.0 ecoboost Focus remapped with the blue fin. Doesn’t need it but thought it may be even more fun. 

I was put off by the thought it would wear the engine out quicker or cause problems with more demand put on it. Not sure how true this is though or how much of a difference the extra power would make. 

[FatHead1979]

It really should wear the engine out any quicker, as "proper" remap will still be within the limits specified by Ford.  As long as you still do the sensible stuff like oil changes, letting the engine warm up before booting it then it should impact the lifespan of the engine.  The clutch however could be another story, even if the power is kept within Ford's tolerances, if you start making use of the extra performance more frequently it may wear the clutch more quickly.

Quite a few guys on here have had their 1.0 Ecoboost engine remapped and I can't recall seeing as posts about an obvious mechanical issues as a result of the remap.

[Guzzilazz]

I bought a 2016 1.0 Ecoboost Focus in January to replace my 140bhp CRD Seat Exeo which performance I felt was awesome.  I love it.  It doesn't "feel" any worse than the Exeo, although town fuel consumption is much worse, and I look forward for any excuse to get into it and go for a drive

[iantt]

I was tempted to have my 1.0 ecoboost Focus remapped with the blue fin. Doesn’t need it but thought it may be even more fun. 
I was put off by the thought it would wear the engine out quicker or cause problems with more demand put on it. Not sure how true this is though or how much of a difference the extra power would make. 

I have bluefin on my 100hp focus and it makes such a difference. Been on for 3yrs and no issues.
There have been a couple of gearbox issues on fiesta with remap, but I imagine it depends on driving style also.

[Phil21185]

You peeps with bluefins, were these off the shelf remaps or customs? I don't really know how it works with those. 

Also is there any truth to the rumours that the ECU's have a flash counter that can't be reset, keeping track of how many remaps are done? Bit like the Knox counter on Samsung phones?

[iantt]

bluefin is off the shelf conservative remap.

[Pebbleheed]

3 hours ago, iantt said:

I have bluefin on my 100hp focus and it makes such a difference. Been on for 3yrs and no issues.
There have been a couple of gearbox issues on fiesta with remap, but I imagine it depends on driving style also.

What sort of difference are you seeing in terms of acceleration and fuel usage?

[iantt]

gone from feeling like a n/a 1600 to a n/a 2litre engine. thats the easiest way to describe. mate in a fiesta st150 2litre mk6 couldnt out accelerate me 

fuel usage is the same as before remap,  so essentially more or less ,  only the full throttle map has changed so only extra fuel if you thrash it everywhere.