Ecoboost low oil pressure

[Eatonm112]

Just a thought in regards to the timing belt and regular oil changes.

As the engine is used you will get a certain amount of blow by which over many miles will contaminate the engine oil and thus the oil now having petrol and other contaminates in it will attack the timing belt and try to break it down. This would be worse on a car that is only used on short trips as the engine runs very rich on start up from cold and will therefore put more contaminates into the engine oil.

I am shocked that the newer fiesta has a 18,000 mile service interval it will be very interesting to see if this belt breaking down issues gets worse on the fiesta Mk8 / As mentioned the Focus and other models have a revised 1.0 that now uses a chain to drive the cams rather than a belt. 

My car (2015 Fiesta 1.0) is now due for its 5th service so I will try and get my inspection camera into the sump and try to look at the oil pump mesh filter and report back.

[Coop644c]

Heres a few photos of my 2014 with 104k miles. I recently purchased this car, and have little knowledge of previous maintenance. 

[cjay1]

So is the blockage congealed oil or is it bits from the engine?

[isetta]

I don’t have this engine but always interested to know more about these cars. What other bits did you have to remove move to get the sump off?  Once the sump is off can you see the timing belt ? (I know it would tAke a lot more work to replace it but can you see it?)

[Coop644c]

The blockage felt like rubbery fibers mixed with oil sludge or gunk. It was likely bits from the timing belt or oil pump belt from wear. The belt looked good, the words Ford Motorcraft were still visible on the belt. 

To remove the sump, I removed the AC compressor and unbolted the top side of the catalytic converter pipe. There were I believe 16 bolts holding the sump, which are retorqued to 8 foot pounds. It took me about 6 hours total, but i had a few bolts that were stuck. 

[Eatonm112]

I have had a 2015 1.0 ecoboost engine that I bought from eBay as a non runner about 1 yr ago from a car mechanics out in sussex when I picked it up the chap said that it had done 50k and just stopped leaving the owner stranded.

Having lots of time on my hands I dragged it out my garage today and started to strip it down I am 80% certian it failed due to low / no oil pressure caused by the timing belt breaking down and clogging up the oil fiter mesh filter thus starving the engine of oil. 

Here are a few links to the engine pics -

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lb6jnVpoNfHLXxSTA     Note that the belt has visable cracks.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mhWbA7xBSB49BkHu6  Pic showing engine info

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ToTUivuVDGyH5oR69  Another pic of the timing belt NOTE THE LITTLE CHUNKS missing from it.

 

I will add some extra pics when I get the bottom end in bits. One thing I would take from this is if you have had the oil pump mesh filter blocking I would strongly recomend that you get you timimg belt changed as you can see from my pictures that the belt has bits missing from it and cracks.

 

Today I finished off taking my eBay engine bottom end apart the reason for its death was oil starvation caused by timing belt fibres and oil sludge cloging up the oil pump strainer. As mentioned before this engine was not cared for in way of regular oil changes as there was carbon build up on the pistons and sludge on the windage tray. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GTvj26pAARSBpVRc8    oil pump

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ejofussHze1wNoiJA    oil pump

Although this engine sized up and bend one rod and put stress fractures in the crank the oil pump itself was actually ok.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QAfZKfXPduQE58uE7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/rqePnxTQDGnrd4HNA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8DDkKJ7zXWRD9F8t8 this is going to make a nice paper weight 🙂

Edited April 21, 2020 by Eatonm112
more information

[cjay1]

have any of these engines had oil additives or engine cleaner added which may have caused the belt to ware?

[Button90]

On 2/2/2018 at 8:39 PM, siggy_7 said:

Well the car is now back on the road. I took the sump off the engine, and found the oil pump looking like this:

The inlet has a mesh which is completely clogged up with some form of black debris. This is some of what I removed from the pump inlet:

It's not magnetic. My best guess is that the previous owner used either the wrong oil or didn't change the oil as frequently as they should - odd as I bought the car with a full history. My other theory is that it is some RTV silicone broken off from overspill from the sump gasket.

Having fitted a new pump, the car now drives normally. Oil pressure builds straightaway - noticeably faster than it used to. The turbocharger is still delivering plenty of boost having monitored the inlet manifold pressure during a short drive. I did find about 50ml of oil in the intercooler pipe, so the seals may have degraded - I'll keep an eye on it.

Having had this issue, I'm tempted to get a fibre-scope to check the condition of the oil pump inlet through the sump plug at future service intervals. Given its proximity to the sump plug, I'm toying with the idea of making a thin tube up to facilitate cleaning of the pump inlet without having to drop the sump.

Learning points:

1) Based on the crud I found, it's possible that these engines are not very tolerant to being poorly maintained. Regular oil changes with manufacturers spec oil probably the way to go to prevent this!

2) If your engine oil pressure light doesn't go out immediately, and if the low oil pressure alarm occasionally comes on momentarily when starting the engine, then this is indicative of the oil pump becoming clogged up. Get it sorted before it gets worse

The turbocharger water pipes cleaned up ok with a wire brush on a die grinder:

I've now coated the pipes with some VHT enamel paint, so I'm expecting further corrosion will be prevented.

Hey mate, had this issue on my ‘14 plate focus, garage replaced this plus cam belt and cam belt tensioner as we’re showing signs of wear, car has only done 50k miles but since getting the car back seems to not pick up power when trying to go up a hill also makes a rattle sound when using clutch, what do you think could be the issue, could it be related to timing or something more? 

[siggy_7]

I'm sorry, I don't have any concrete suggestions for your with your issues. I can't see how they are connected to the oil pump, if the engine wasn't timed properly then it could be down on power I guess. The most obvious cause would be if you have a boost leak from one of the intake hoses if they weren't put back together. The clutch rattle seems odd, I don't think these engines have a dual mass flywheel - perhaps something is loose after reassembly? As you can probably tell I'm very much shooting in the dark here.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[Eatonm112]

9 hours ago, siggy_7 said:

I'm sorry, I don't have any concrete suggestions for your with your issues. I can't see how they are connected to the oil pump, if the engine wasn't timed properly then it could be down on power I guess. The most obvious cause would be if you have a boost leak from one of the intake hoses if they weren't put back together. The clutch rattle seems odd, I don't think these engines have a dual mass flywheel - perhaps something is loose after reassembly? As you can probably tell I'm very much shooting in the dark here.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 

The Fiesta has a solid flywheel and the Focus with 6 speed has dual mass flywheel. 

[Danlang]

 

 

On 1/3/2020 at 10:15 PM, Zac SA said:

Correct Eng_Ahmed. Dropped the sump and found the oil pick up mesh clogged with sludge and filings. Cleaned out the mesh, new oil and oil filter. Oil light disappears, but the brake pedal remain rock hard and the car is missing it's turbo. Stripped the vacuum pump and the internals are in pieces. I mean like a 10mm steel snapped off. 

I am wondering if anybody else experienced this and what could be the course. Oil starvation? Weak vacuum pump internals?

I am just lucky the cam side wasn't effected. The way I see it, it was either the vacuum pump or the cam....ouch. 

Will post pics later..

Did you manage to sort the problem out as I'm having the same issue sudden lost of power and knocking noise 

[Jeipii]

Is it possible to inspect the oil pump mesh with a borescope ? My idea would be to see if the mesh is blocked via the oil drain plug when changing oil.

[Danlang04]

Has anyone also have the problem of low oil pressure light coming on and losing power like the turbo not kicking in and then having knocking noise as described in this post

[mrmrva]

On 10/11/2020 at 1:14 PM, Jeipii said:

Is it possible to inspect the oil pump mesh with a borescope ? My idea would be to see if the mesh is blocked via the oil drain plug when changing oil.

I am interested in this as well. It would make checking MUCH easier.

[TomsFocus]

On 10/11/2020 at 12:14 PM, Jeipii said:

Is it possible to inspect the oil pump mesh with a borescope ? My idea would be to see if the mesh is blocked via the oil drain plug when changing oil.

I'm fairly certain the pickup is going to be too close to the sump to get a borescope between them.  Only one way to know for sure though...

[billy13]

Hi,

my fiesta ecoboost 1litre has the low pressure warning, red light constantly on and beeping sound going non stop..

i added more oil but was still low pressure and theres a horrible rattling noise coming from the engine

any suggestions? my BMW mechanic obviously said i need a new engine straight away after looking at it for a good minute 😂  but he clearly hasn't seen this thread of @siggy_7

 

I paid £6500 for the car about 6 months ago so ANY help/recommendations on what to do/where to start would really help me, my insurance is already 4k a year so as you can tell from this message i'm rather sad! I'm only 22 and have no mechanical experience sadly.

 

Thanks

Billy

[TomsFocus]

7 hours ago, billy13 said:

Hi,

my fiesta ecoboost 1litre has the low pressure warning, red light constantly on and beeping sound going non stop..

i added more oil but was still low pressure and theres a horrible rattling noise coming from the engine

any suggestions? my BMW mechanic obviously said i need a new engine straight away after looking at it for a good minute 😂  but he clearly hasn't seen this thread of @siggy_7

 

I paid £6500 for the car about 6 months ago so ANY help/recommendations on what to do/where to start would really help me, my insurance is already 4k a year so as you can tell from this message i'm rather sad! I'm only 22 and have no mechanical experience sadly.

 

Thanks

Billy

If it's rattling, the damage has probably already been done and the engine is toast I'm afraid...  

£4k for insurance at 22 seems mad...  Mine was below £500 by then...and that was only 6 years ago! 😮 

[Nick Y]

9 hours ago, billy13 said:

Hi,

my fiesta ecoboost 1litre has the low pressure warning, red light constantly on and beeping sound going non stop..

i added more oil but was still low pressure and theres a horrible rattling noise coming from the engine

any suggestions? my BMW mechanic obviously said i need a new engine straight away after looking at it for a good minute 😂  but he clearly hasn't seen this thread of @siggy_7

 

I paid £6500 for the car about 6 months ago so ANY help/recommendations on what to do/where to start would really help me, my insurance is already 4k a year so as you can tell from this message i'm rather sad! I'm only 22 and have no mechanical experience sadly.

 

Thanks

Billy

Going by what Tom said above and personal experience, your mechanic is correct. 
oil lights come on in cars after damage has already been done if oil is not topped up regularly and maintained properly. 
I had a Ford Escort 1.3 many years ago and when the oil light came on, after about 5 minutes, it was rattling. The bottom end damage was already done and the car was scrapped. 

As for insurance, £4k really is steep. Either you live in a really bad area, have had claims against you or points on your licence. 
Having said that, my insurance on my ST-L 140 is £400 a year which seems high given my age and I've been driving 18 years with a clean licence and no claims on any insurance (there were some gaps in insurance due to not being able to afford to run a car). 

[Lenny O]

On 10/03/2019 at 11:21 AM, Pacodcfc said:

My car is still rattling on the top end, the pump was cleaned out full of crap.

It sounds as if the tappets are starved of oil, on the inlet cam only.

Where is the oil pressure switch or does the variable switch control that cam

 

[Scoobesh]

Hi all, I have a 2009 Fiesta Ambiente 1.4. I have read through all the comments based on oil pressure warning related problems and it seems that I could be experi ncing the same with mine. I have to admit that the engine was really poorly maintained in terms of service intervals and oil changes. The problem I'm having now is that the red oil light came on about 3 days ago so i drove the car home, travelled about 3 kilometers and left it over the weekend. Spoke to a mechanic regarding the issue and he came over to do an oil pressure test for me. Specs on the car shows that the minimum oil pressure should be 2.5 bar and the test revealed a pressure of almost 4 bar. So in terms of pressure all seemed ok and hopefully the warning could be a faulty sensor? Apart from the oil light warning and low oil pressure warning on the display, the engine is making a noise sounding like a bearing knock, although the noise sounds like it is coming from the top. So could this be a sticky lifter or in fact a bearing knock? Based on most of the comments posted regarding this issue it seems a good idea to change the oil pump, filter and oil. Just concerned about the knocking noise. Haven't had any loss in power at all so far. Should it turn out to be a bearing knock can and should the big ends just be replaced, in addition to the other parts ie, oilf pump, filter and oil? Many thanks

 

 

[Eatonm112]

9 hours ago, Scoobesh said:

Hi all, I have a 2009 Fiesta Ambiente 1.4. I have read through all the comments based on oil pressure warning related problems and it seems that I could be experi ncing the same with mine. I have to admit that the engine was really poorly maintained in terms of service intervals and oil changes. The problem I'm having now is that the red oil light came on about 3 days ago so i drove the car home, travelled about 3 kilometers and left it over the weekend. Spoke to a mechanic regarding the issue and he came over to do an oil pressure test for me. Specs on the car shows that the minimum oil pressure should be 2.5 bar and the test revealed a pressure of almost 4 bar. So in terms of pressure all seemed ok and hopefully the warning could be a faulty sensor? Apart from the oil light warning and low oil pressure warning on the display, the engine is making a noise sounding like a bearing knock, although the noise sounds like it is coming from the top. So could this be a sticky lifter or in fact a bearing knock? Based on most of the comments posted regarding this issue it seems a good idea to change the oil pump, filter and oil. Just concerned about the knocking noise. Haven't had any loss in power at all so far. Should it turn out to be a bearing knock can and should the big ends just be replaced, in addition to the other parts ie, oilf pump, filter and oil? Many thanks

This whole thread is about the 1.0 eco boost 3 cylinder engine that was first fitted in a fiesta from 2013. You would be better served by starting a new thread.

 

[rafamaniac]

Well in my fiesta has appeared the low oil pressure on the display when i started the car. i have gone to the nearest mechanic shop, they didn't see the message on the display but said the oil level was a bit low and they changed. i started the car and everything was fine. i drove home like 300km after i left the shop (i live in Portugal) and no message whatsoever during the trip. when i was about to arrive home the red oil light appears (not the display one), i parked after like 30 seconds (very lucky because i was 10 metres from home). i called a trusted mechanic regarding the issue and he said to bring the car in a tow car to his place. the problem with the car was exactly like the one in the photos of this topic, it was blocked the mesh because of corroded timing belt ( i saw the belt). If it was a chain this wouldn't have helped. He said that the belt was almost out of place (During the many years of being mechanic he said he never saw anything like this) and i was extremely lucky the the car didn't brake down during this trip. i had the Honda jazz and a 2005 audi a4 cabrio from my family there only to do oil change and some minor things and he said the constructions of this cars have nothing in comparisons with this fords.  Apparently everything is fine for now after he fixed the car. In relation to the post above i am not sure what could be.

[RickyT]

Having the same issue.

For a couple months on startup I’d get the oil light and warning come up for literally 2 seconds and go off, questioned this at a garage and with a couple of mechanics and they said probably sensor fault aslong as it’ll goes out it’ll be fine.

last week engine started to feel like it was trying to pull back a little bit, within one journey the warning sound kept going off with no light, then all of a sudden the light and warning sound was going off every 20 seconds and within the same journey the car started to really rattle a lot when revving. Took it to a friend mechanic who said oil pump has gone. Changed the oil pump, now on start up sounds like it used to but the second you Rev there’s rattling and the light comes on again.

the mechanic seems to think I’ve damaged the engine and that it’s going to go any time soon.

any help with this without needing a new engine, I literally ordered a new car last week and I’m using this as a deposit so need something cheap to fix or it’ll not be worth fixing at all

[unofix]

11 hours ago, RickyT said:

the mechanic seems to think I’ve damaged the engine and that it’s going to go any time soon.

Yes I agree with your mechanic. You've knackered the engine and the fix is replace the engine.

 

[isetta]

every second an engine is running with low oil pressure you are damaging it, particularly if actually driving it and not just idling. bearings in car engines are not ball bearings. they are plain metal, that is metal rubbing on metal. the oil pressure squirts oil into the bearings keeping the moving metal surfaces apart by the film of oil squirted in the gap between them under pressure. Low oil pressure means that the oil is insufficient to keep the metal surfaces apart and the metal rubs and wears and ruins engine. We are talking about fractions of a millimetre gap with the oil in.  never drive a car with low oil pressure. 

I know this diagram is an older engine without overhead cam but principle is the same: