An expesive day

There are many variations of thw "1L EcoBoost" engine. People may not be comparing like for like. There have been revisions to the clutch and flywheel to improve smoothness. Some versions revert to 2 cylinder operation some don't. The later ones have a chain not a belt.
Like most of these small engines it's about emissions and economy. Fewer cylinders mean less weight and less friction.

You must have a BMW motorbike. Perfect description of their more recent efforts.

I was not convinced that a wet rubber belt was a clever idea, but had not considered debris clogging the oil system. This is a major design fault, normal servicing could never never stop that happening.

"Because we can" is NOT a justification for doing something! I suppose that if there were more of these engines failing in litigious USA, there would have been a class action against Ford by now. In the distant past, the AA acted in suppost of motorists. Now it sells insurance and promotes holidays...

On SO many tombstones, "It seemed a good idea , at the time"

Howard

Steve, you mentioned using the right oil, is that 5W20 fully synthetic? If so I am worried for our C-Max with 60k on the same engine.

Andrew.

Yes it was 5-20 full synthetic. I believe some use 5-15. Our next door neighbour has a fiesta 1.0 ecoboost 2014. It's done 86,000 miles. Serviced by local guy. Never missed a beat. ????.

Steve.

Is there any way to see the oil strainer fitted to the pump inlet?

Only by removing the sump.

Steve

Depending where the sump drain plug is relative to the oil pump, it might be possible to use a flexible bore scope after an oil change.

Using "5W20 fully synthetic" oil is not good enough. Ford specify that the oil used must be approved (not just "meet" Ford specification WSS-M2C945-A. Unless you can prove that the car was professionally serviced with approved oil and parts you have little chance of getting anything from Ford.

I'm not saying that their approved oil makes any difference, but it might, or that a wet belt is a good idea. However IF the car had been fully serviced by a Ford dealer I think you would have a case for some compensation from Ford. I do wonder if they have actually paid for some repairs but with a non disclosure condition.

Robert.

There is a guy in the USA called i do cars. All he does is strip wrecked motors down to see why they failed. I have just watched him tear down a 1.0 ecoboost like ours.

Not good. Terrible idea to do what Ford did. If you have 30 mins of your life to spare have a look at this.

Steve.

Thanks for the link, Steve

My mind is now truly boggled:

How on earth could someone design that in the name of progress !?

MichaelG.

In the video posted by Steve, did the guy give an indicaton of mileage. I skimmed through the video so may have missed that. I would suggest that was a neglected engine, judged by the amount of c**p in the sump.

I have had three Fords with that engine. All have been reliable (so far!) but have not really lived up to the "eco" bit of the name, that is to say not as economical as I would have liked, especially the one with the auto gearbox.

Maybe change your footwear, John? ‘Eco’ may be more related to the economy of materials in manufacture? Or related to the economy compared to the non-boosted engine? Almost certainly marketing hype, whatever it means.

If you've had three of them, presumably you've not kept them long enough for the scheduled belt change? The 9 hour job that sucks up any savings(which are mostly the road tax) made in the preceding 10 years in one unforgettable payment? The one that requires a big stack of parts from Ford that aren't necessarily available at the same time?

as for the video engine being neglected, that crap in the sump is from the belts and not the usual rubbish from a lack of oil changes. It's also typical of the Citroen/etc engine that uses a similar wet belt. Anyone who does this job without removing the sump and cleaning as much as they can is setting themselves up for an expensive customer complaint...

Change my footwear? Don't follow. The Eco referred to the cars economy of ownership, according to some sales lit I have when I first bought one, needs some translation from "sales speak" to english but I think I am right.

No I haven't kept them long enough for a belt change, guess why?

Not convinced that the belt debris is responsible for the wear elsewhere in the engine. That sludge will sit in the sump, if any gets picked up by the pump won't the filter hold on to it?

Reminds me of when the Japanese introduced motorcycle engines that the engine, gearbox and clutch shared the same oil. Dire warnings from the less knowledgeable about clutch lining material destroying the engine......

I only know what has been written in this thread, but I understood that the 'wet' belt frays and the fibres from that gradually block the oil sump pick-up, (which has a coarse gauze in it), and that blocks the oil flow before it can reach the filter?

So a standard service for these engines needs to include dropping the oil sump to check and clean the oil pick-up gauze. Perhaps that what the official Ford garages do?

I own a Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost. 2017 reg.

Excellent engine for a 1.0l 3 cylinder engine. Very quiet for a 3 cylinder, ultra smooth, powerful for it's size with that amazing little turbo, and economical for an engine of that class in a family car. (regular 50mpg).

70,000 miles with not a whisper of trouble. It's a little masterpiece. An amazing bit of design.

If you can't afford the belt change, don't buy the car. Or sell it before it's due.

Think of how many of those engines are out there. You only hear of the ones with problems. Like any engine. In any car.

Far too many crap drivers out there. Drive it properly, service it regularly with the proper parts and oil. In other words, RTFM.