A new engine....

amandstu

....in a Ford Escort Ecoboost 1 litre 2012 model?

I have been recommended this as the engine has gone . Is this a sensible course of action ?I asked the garage and they say that yes it is worth doing.

Is it that cut and dried?

colm_mcm

Car doesn’t work without engine,
Engine is cheaper than car

Therefore worth doing.


That said, it may not need an engine, or it may need more than an engine.

elperello

Is that new or used replacement engine?

How much are they quoting?

amandstu

elperello wrote: »

Is that new or used replacement engine?

How much are they quoting?

He said it would be around 2000 in all and its a reconditioned engine.

colm_mcm

What’s wrong with the engine?

Have you had a second opinion?

Nigzcurran

2012 Ford escort?

amandstu

Nigzcurran wrote: »

2012 Ford escort?

that's it.

elperello

amandstu wrote: »

that's it.

You sure it's not a Focus ?

amandstu

colm_mcm wrote: »

What’s wrong with the engine?

Have you had a second opinion?

It was smoking v bad and not starting
.
The garage said "something got into it"

I don't think he is spoofing .It would be just as easy to make money out of attempting to repair it ....

He sold us the car about 2 yrs ago.

No ,no 2nd opinion .. I only got told this in the last hour.

amandstu

elperello wrote: »

You sure it's not a Focus ?

Sorry , did I say Escort? Yes ,it is a Focus.

colm_mcm

amandstu wrote: »

It was smoking v bad and not starting
.
The garage said "something got into it"

I don't think he is spoofing .It would be just as easy to make money out of attempting to repair it ....

He sold us the car about 2 yrs ago.

No ,no 2nd opinion .. I only got told this in the last hour.

What does he think got into it?

I’d be seeking an opinion from a Ford dealer or somebody who specializes in turbocharged cars.

elperello

amandstu wrote: »

Sorry , did I say Escort? Yes ,it is a Focus.

OK, well with a blown engine it's only worth scrap value.
He's not robbing you to supply and install a reconditioned engine at 2k.
If the car is good otherwise I'd say put the engine in.

amandstu

colm_mcm wrote: »

What does he think got into it?

I’d be seeking an opinion from a Ford dealer or somebody who specializes in turbocharged cars.

I would have to actually get the car to any one (or dealership) for them to give that kind of an opinion ,wouldn't I?

Also , I do trust these guys, even if they are not cheap.

colm_mcm

My concerns would be:

Is the replacement engine actually reconditioned or just a used engine swapped from another car. This is hugely important.

Is there a fault with the turbo causing these symptoms

Will replacing the engine actually cure the problem, was the problem diagnosed correctly?



It’s easy criticize from afar, but “something got into the engine” doesn’t inspire confidence in their ability to find the cause of the failure and prevent it happening again.

amandstu

Have gone ahead and ordered the "new" engine. No it is not reconditioned ( He told me we would be looking at around 4000)

It is from a 2016 model with 31000 on the clock.

.
As for what went wrong , he said it got overheated and the casing got warped.

I did ask if it could be a problem outside the engine and he said no .

Says he will have it this day week

colm_mcm

Let’s hope it’s a straightforward and lasting repair.

amandstu

colm_mcm wrote: »

Let’s hope it’s a straightforward and lasting repair.

Thanks., Do you think I could have caused (or exacerbated) the problem by putting plain water into the liquid coolant a few months back?

I got a high temperature warning then and pulled the car over and went onto the internet ,which said I could put in plain water in an emergency.

But I never got around to taking it to a garage to put in coolant instead (or investigate why the problem had showed up)

I actually topped it up again once or twice with plain water and the coolant container was draining quite quickly at the end.

mickdw

The damage was mostly to do with you failing to have the leak repaired. The coolant system is a sealed system that operates under pressure.
You shouldn't need to top up at all. If you were topping up regularly without hsving it repaired you were asking for trouble

amandstu

mickdw wrote: »

The damage was mostly to do with you failing to have the leak repaired. The coolant system is a sealed system that operates under pressure.
You shouldn't need to top up at all. If you were topping up regularly without hsving it repaired you were asking for trouble

Ouch ,mea culpa ,mea culpa ,mea maxima culpa

colm_mcm

amandstu wrote: »

Thanks., Do you think I could have caused (or exacerbated) the problem by putting plain water into the liquid coolant a few months back?

I got a high temperature warning then and pulled the car over and went onto the internet ,which said I could put in plain water in an emergency.

But I never got around to taking it to a garage to put in coolant instead (or investigate why the problem had showed up)

I actually topped it up again once or twice with plain water and the coolant container was draining quite quickly at the end.

You need to have whatever the original fault was, rectified as well as replacing the engine.

Cee-Jay-Cee

colm_mcm wrote: »

You need to have whatever the original fault was, rectified as well as replacing the engine.

This.

Tell the mechanic to find the leak, either radiator or pipes and ensure they’re replaced too as otherwise your new engine will end up the same as the old one.

amandstu

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

This.

Tell the mechanic to find the leak, either radiator or pipes and ensure they’re replaced too as otherwise your new engine will end up the same as the old one.

Thanks, yes I did tell them about the problem when they took it in
I will make sure they keep on top of it.

CoBo55

amandstu wrote: »

Thanks, yes I did tell them about the problem when they took it in
I will make sure they keep on top of it.

No, you keep on top of it. When you get the car back and your wallet scalded keep a very very close eye on the levels, coolant and oil, lift the bonnet every day and visually check both levels, don't depend on any lights on the dash. I thought there was a recall on that engine to get a hard plastic water pipe replaced with a steel one, maybe it was only in the UK. That was a very expensive lesson on you.

colm_mcm

They didn’t really sell the ecoboost here if I remember correctly.

amandstu

CoBo55 wrote: »

No, you keep on top of it. When you get the car back and your wallet scalded keep a very very close eye on the levels, coolant and oil, lift the bonnet every day and visually check both levels, don't depend on any lights on the dash. I thought there was a recall on that engine to get a hard plastic water pipe replaced with a steel one, maybe it was only in the UK. That was a very expensive lesson on you.

Thanks.Yes I will be sure to do that. I wonder why I didn't get a (second) warning light.


The funny thing is I was going to take the car in as there was no interior heating .When the engine heated up and I got the warning light ,the interior heating came back when I gave it water.

I kind of used (foolishly) it as a yardstick -if the heating was working then I assumed there was enough water in the system.

Once or twice I topped it up as the heating was working less well and then when the smoke got bad I could see it was asking for a lot of water.

CoBo55

amandstu wrote: »

Thanks.Yes I will be sure to do that. I wonder why I didn't get a (second) warning light.


The funny thing is I was going to take the car in as there was no interior heating .When the engine heated up and I got the warning light ,the interior heating came back when I gave it water.

I kind of used (foolishly) it as a yardstick -if the heating was working then I assumed there was enough water in the system.

Once or twice I topped it up as the heating was working less well and then when the smoke got bad I could see it was asking for a lot of water.

Don't depend on those lights, it's usually too late by then.

Leonard Hofstadter

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

This.

Tell the mechanic to find the leak, either radiator or pipes and ensure they’re replaced too as otherwise your new engine will end up the same as the old one.

This plus 1000.

The reason for the original engine overheating needs to be resolved, otherwise the replacement engine will get the same problem. Even on modern cars it's still good to poke under the bonnet every few weeks to see if there's any drop in fluids, especially if an engine has developed a reputation for cooling system problems.

Henry Ford III

Don't even start the replacement engine until the coolant leak has been found and fixed.

PukkaStukka

Those Ecoboosts don't have a good reputation. There is a known issue with some of the earlier variants fracturing a plastic coolant pipe and overheating. By the time it's realised, the damage is usually done to the engine. The replacement pipe is now metal.

Also, and I'm open to correction with this, I believe the cylinder heads in these can't be skimmed, and when they warp, the block also gets affected. Upshot is a new engine and getting a decent second one is far from easy.

CoBo55

PukkaStukka wrote: »

Those Ecoboosts don't have a good reputation. There is a known issue with some of the earlier variants fracturing a plastic coolant pipe and overheating. By the time it's realised, the damage is usually done to the engine. The replacement pipe is now metal.

Also, and I'm open to correction with this, I believe the cylinder heads in these can't be skimmed, and when they warp, the block also gets affected. Upshot is a new engine and getting a decent second one is far from easy.

Already covered...

CoBo55

Is anyone actually reading this thread... The last few posts are repeating what was said at the very beginning, must be a slow day for Fred's

amandstu

CoBo55 wrote: »

Is anyone actually reading this thread... The last few posts are repeating what was said at the very beginning, must be a slow day for Fred's

Well it's my OP (and car). All of the posters have made relevant and very helpful additions to the thread.


Don't see your point actually.

CoBo55

amandstu wrote: »

Well it's my OP (and car). All of the posters have made relevant and very helpful additions to the thread.


Don't see your point actually.

Everyone is telling you the same things over and over, best of luck with the new engine, keep an eye on those fluids.

PukkaStukka

CoBo55 wrote: »

Already covered...

The bit about head skimming wasn't.

elperello

It's only a few extra lines to read.
These threads are good for sharing info.
Post away, every day is a school day.

amandstu

Update:car is back .What the garage told me about "something getting in" might well have been a correct description of what happened.

He said there was no leak in the water but (if I got it right) water got into the engine (think he said the sump).

He also said there is coincidentally another car of the same model with the same problem (Ford Ecoboost 2013) with the same problem that i assume he will be looking at now.

So I will keep up to date on that situation .

The total cost was 2020 eu with 700 labour. and they took it driving for about 70 miles before handing it back.

The "new" engine had about 36000 on the clock...

richardsheil

amandstu wrote: »

Update:car is back .What the garage told me about "something getting in" might well have been a correct description of what happened.

He said there was no leak in the water but (if I got it right) water got into the engine (think he said the sump).

He also said there is coincidentally another car of the same model with the same problem (Ford Ecoboost 2013) with the same problem that i assume he will be looking at now.

So I will keep up to date on that situation .

The total cost was 2020 eu with 700 labour. and they took it driving for about 70 miles before handing it back.

The "new" engine had about 36000 on the clock...

There has to have been a "leak in the water", either leaking out or leaking from the coolant into the sump as a result of a head gasket problem.
Either way you must keep an eagle eye on the level for at least the first few weeks. Then you must check it every week or so.
And if the heating ever goes again that is evidence of a further leak and topping up or keeping driving is not the solution.
By keeping going and topping up you may have contributed to a problem going from serious to catastrophic. So unfortunately you need to be on the ball with this car in a way you didn't expect due to its vulnerability.

And it is no co-incidence about the other car. Just another normal person who didn't understand the warning signs because cars have been so good for so long that the warning signs are not known.

amandstu

richardsheil wrote: »

There has to have been a "leak in the water", either leaking out or leaking from the coolant into the sump as a result of a head gasket problem.

Pretty sure that is what the garage said it was

Either way you must keep an eagle eye on the level for at least the first few weeks. Then you must check it every week or so.
And if the heating ever goes again that is evidence of a further leak and topping up or keeping driving is not the solution.
By keeping going and topping up you may have contributed to a problem going from serious to catastrophic. So unfortunately you need to be on the ball with this car in a way you didn't expect due to its vulnerability.

And it is no co-incidence about the other car. Just another normal person who didn't understand the warning signs because cars have been so good for so long that the warning signs are not known.

I will have to take it back into the garage tomorrow as it is smoking very badly (as per my judgement) and there is a problem with idling (it doesn't start as well as it should and kind of judders until it gets moving)

That is how it was before (just not quite as bad)

I have checked the coolant level (fine) and ,fingers crossed it will not be too hard to fix

I have only done about 20 miles since it came back from the garage (feel very confident that at the very least it will fail the NCT as it is running now and would not consider taking it on a long journey)

richardsheil

amandstu wrote: »

I will have to take it back into the garage tomorrow as it is smoking very badly (as per my judgement) and there is a problem with idling (it doesn't start as well as it should and kind of judders until it gets moving)

That is how it was before (just not quite as bad)

I have checked the coolant level (fine) and ,fingers crossed it will not be too hard to fix

I have only done about 20 miles since it came back from the garage (feel very confident that at the very least it will fail the NCT as it is running now and would not consider taking it on a long journey)

So sorry to hear. It's s tough road for you.

colm_mcm

It sounds from the start like you’re dealing with an amateur, sorry. Hope it works out ok.

supervento

colm_mcm wrote: »

It sounds from the start like you’re dealing with an amateur, sorry. Hope it works out ok.

Always a bit of a gamble fitting a second hand engine..

colm_mcm

Especially one of those.

Gael23

Do the work and get rid of the car as soon as possible

mickdw

Was another engine fitted or a slap up job on the old one?
Im not aware of the problems with those engines but this seems nuts

amandstu

Well ,I took her round to the garage this morning.

He took a look at the exhaust and said it didn't look to bad.

I said "that won't pass the NCT will it ?" and he said it might ,.

He reckons there is a lot of build up in the exhaust and a good run should clear it.

I said it didn't seem to be idling that well but he didn't make too much of that.

I drove it home (drives nicely) and had a look at the coolant level (no problem)

I have good confidence in these guys and will see how it goes from here:)

amandstu

mickdw wrote: »

Was another engine fitted or a slap up job on the old one?
Im not aware of the problems with those engines but this seems nuts

Yes ,another engine(not reconditioned but newer than the old one ...36thou )

colm_mcm

amandstu wrote: »

Well ,I took her round to the garage this morning.

He took a look at the exhaust and said it didn't look to bad.

I said "that won't pass the NCT will it ?" and he said it might ,.

He reckons there is a lot of build up in the exhaust and a good run should clear it.

I said it didn't seem to be idling that well but he didn't make too much of that.

I drove it home (drives nicely) and had a look at the coolant level (no problem)

I have good confidence in these guys and will see how it goes from here:)

You are being fobbed off.

tcawley29

Check the engine number and compare it with your logbook.

I have no idea where this is located on the block but someone here may be able to answer that.

If the numbers are the same you did not get a new engine

amandstu

tcawley29 wrote: »

Check the engine number and compare it with your logbook.

I have no idea where this is located on the block but someone here may be able to answer that.

If the numbers are the same you did not get a new engine

I can tell by looking at it that it is a different engine(but I will try to find that engine number and compare it to what is in the log book)

amandstu

colm_mcm wrote: »

You are being fobbed off.

Well if it doesn't pass the NCT ,that will be the acid test.

bigtimecharlie

Ask to see the old engine.

Hope it goes well for you.