Ford Focus EcoBoost titanium 1.0L Petrol engine failure

Cestquecest

My sept 16 focus just literally died on Friday. While driving it lost power and I initially thought battery but it wasn’t that !
called breakdown assist as I was on a major road. Guy that came said those engines notorious for this issue. I thought he was cracked!! But then he was proved right when the garage locally said same thing!!

It gave NO warning no notice/noise just lost power. It has 85k km on clock. It has been serviced always in time and Nct’d. We bought in UK in 2020. It never gave us any trouble except for a battery last year …

Have any of you heard and issues such as this

I’m gutted and don’t know where to turn.

colm reilly

Well know issue , called Ecobang in the trade .Recall issued in the States by ford if i remember .Wet belt is the problem as its breaks up over time .Im sure more knowledgeable lads on here than me will be able to advice you .

bazz26

Yes, unfortunately it's a common problem on early versions of this engine, so much so it earned the nickname as the "eco boom" engine.

Cestquecest

did it only happen in the states ? That’s mad

colm reilly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123127731#Comment_123127731

Id say Ford afraid to issue recall in Uk due so many cars out there effected ie fiesta/focus .

carzony

have a look on youtube, an extremely badly designed engine.

does it only affect early engines though? has the later engines got a better design?

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123129103#Comment_123129103

I think it's all 1.0 ecoboost. Particularly the 1.0 is poorly designed, from what I understand the other engines aren't anywhere near as bad

carzony

I actually had a 2016 myself that did huge mileage and is still on the road.

A lovely smooth engine but unpredictable reliability.

How Ford hasn't been forced to recall them is a mystery.

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123129253#Comment_123129253

I think they can still be reliable enough with early oil changes and using the correct oil, Baz Meredith does a load of wetbelts on them on YT

User1998

Its usually either replace the engine or do a full engine rebuild. Either way it will cost a fortune.

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123129253#Comment_123129253

Recalls in ireland are only for safety related items like seatbelts etc, it's different in the states where they have to recall for proven faults.

The newer models have a chain which eliminates the issue.

The problem is pretty much guaranteed to happen unfortunately but if you have the oil changed with the correct spec and change the belt every 100,000km they are fine. The main cause of failure is the wrong oil being used, it's a very specific spec and much more expensive so many garages throw in any old 5w 30 and that kills them very fast.

Even topping up the oil with the wrong spec will do serious damage as so many people have found out.

Henry Ford III

Those engines require exact and precise servicing, and the wet belt needs changing every 100,000 miles too. Cost is comparable to a normal cam belt change.

I'm running a Puma 1.0T with a cam chain. It's excellent. 155bhp and averages over 50mpg. It also sounds great and is smooth.

My 3rd car with this engine and all have been perfect.

bazz26

The OP's car is 9 years old and plenty of these engines from that era have failed even when serviced on the button. Ford replaced some of these engines outside of warranty for a time at one time afaik once they had a full service history so even servicing them on time isn't a given they won't fail. They changed from a wet belt to a chain from late 2017 so the reliability of the later engines makes no difference to the OP's situation.

carzony

I'm currently running a 2020 myself with full Ford service history, was certain it was chain driven but I must 100% confirm.

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123130487#Comment_123130487

Easy way to tell is Ford moved the inlet side to the front and exhaust side to the back for the revised engine with timing chain.

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123129598#Comment_123129598

The cost is definitely not comparable, it's a huge undertaking that requires very expensive specialist tools due to how ford designed it.

If they had made it easy then it wouldn't be so bad but they made it pretty much as hard as possible.

Stallingrad

It's not just Ford, the PSA 1.2 uses the same wetbelt design and that engine is used everywhere. Even if you catch it before it starts to disintegrate and block the oil pickup the belts are quite a big job to change, more complex than a dry belt a most engines. I was recently looking for a starter car for my kid and the above issue with the PSA and Ford ruled out a lots of really nice cars.

The 2.0 in the Ford Ranger is also a ticking time bomb wetbelt.

emo72

Got rid of mine. More trouble than it's worth. Most garages don't use that very specific oil.

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123132805#Comment_123132805

More reason to do the oil change yourself, made very easy on that engine drain plug at back of sump and oil filter just above front of sump

CianRyan

I've been pressing Ford Ireland on these wet belts the last few months, as the company I've been with the last few years has many on fleet.

The wet belt is used extensively by Ford in both petrol and diesel models, with a replacement interval originally of 240,000km. After review, Ford have quietly changed the interval on the Transit & Transit Custom 2.0 EcoBlue (mid 2016 onwards) to 160,000km. When I pressed on the use of this engine and others with wet belts also being updated (so they would be considered for warranty & goodwill) I was told that no other wet belt engines would are currently planned to be amended but that the owner/user should take extra precautions if they feel at risk. Extra servicing, electing to replace the belt at 160k, etc. but none official.

Now, that may change but, the root of the issue is that these belts were a poor design from factory when you consider their use in the real world.

If you have one, be aware of the failings or move it on would be my opinion.

In terms of the OP, that's rough! Sorry to hear it.

If you want to PM me I can recommend who Ford Ireland use to repair these failures under warranty, they often come in cheaper than indie guys as it's bread and butter to them.

Are you sure it's 85,000km or is that miles? If miles, it's right around the 160,000km failure mark.

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123132755#Comment_123132755

The 1.2 engines do use the same design and they are terrible and also take a very specific and expensive oil but they are far easier to change than the ford version is maybe their only saving grace and there is access to check their condition

protexblue

I've come across this term (or silmilar) in this forum.

A car is figured to have some seriious / expensive problem.

And the advice is to 'move it on'

Move it onto whom, if not some unsuspecting unfortunate. Like, who's going to buy a car with a looming, potentially fatal issue if revealed?

Comes across as very "survival of the fittest"

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123134988#Comment_123134988

Dunno what you mean by fatal. Someone might use it for a project.

Esel

Re 'moving a working car on' - this could be as a trade-in for instance. The car then becomes the dealer's possible problem from that point.

ctrl-alt-delete

We have a 1L ecoboost 15 plate Focus in the UK. We were advised to get the belt changed at whichever came first between 10 years or 100k miles.

We paid £1600 to have it done at 9 years and 65k miles, with a full service.

Showed me the evidence of the belt breaking down and also pointed out two other cars in there where it had failed and hence needed a new engine.

Cestquecest

It’s 85000km so def too soon for such a catastrophe

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123135462#Comment_123135462

Could have been neglected oil changes and wrong oil used and that belt could be currently blocking up the oil pickup gauze in the sump

Henry Ford III

Wet belt change can be had for under a grand including a new oil pump, strainer etc.

Shop around.

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123138969#Comment_123138969

I do them regularly and there's not a hope in hell you are getting it for that price.... The way ford designed the exhaust it's impossible to drop it in order to remove the sump, you either remove the entire cat, ppf assembly or you cut the exhaust and re weld it once the sump is fitted.

You won't be doing the job in less than 15 hours if you cut the exhaust, 17 if you dont and the parts alone are 4-500.

Henry Ford III

Cheapest I've seen is STG£680. There's no reason it would be more expensive here.

8 hours labour quoted. Maybe you should up your game a little?

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123139604#Comment_123139604

I'd say you wouldn't see much change off €2,000 getting that job done here, a lot of things in the UK are cheaper than here and prices don't convert straight into euro.

I'd be wary of getting the cheapest price for a job like that

Henry Ford III

Wouldnt agree. Granted there is obviously a currency cost though.

Wet belt kit is under €200 from Mick's Garage. Less than half of what was claimed above.

protexblue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123135240#Comment_123135240

A car with a known serious issue 'moved on' is moved on without informing the purchaser of the known serious issue.

Its not a possible problem. Its a known problem

The aim being for the new owner to take the financial hit instead of the seller.

I'm not quite sure what difference it makes whether the new owner is a private purchaser or a garage purchaser.

Can you explain your thinking here?

protexblue

I wonder why the (regular) advice to 'move it on' never comes with the advice to also warn the impending owner as to the nature of the problem.

They come across more like the move it on car that featured on Prime Time a few nights ago. As it: shift the problem onto someone elses lap.

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123141205#Comment_123141205

CBA tbh. It's OT.

mankteln

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123139604#Comment_123139604

Labour is definitely more expensive here. Speaking from my own experience having work done here vs the North.

My brother currently pays £25 an hour labour to his mechanic in the North at the moment, that's just about €30. You'd never find a garage with facilities to work for that price here. Some places might try to charge you nearly three times that rate per hour.

BlakeS94

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123141499#Comment_123141499

You won't find a garage worth their salt in Clare/Limerick anyway for less than €80 per hour.

Missus car had a diesel leak recently, garage replace 1 injector leak off pipe seal, 30 second job, €100 😭

mk7r

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123139742#Comment_123139742

You need a lot more than a wet belt kit to do the job.

You need oil pump belt (doesn't come in kit), new oil, filter, oil pump (genuine) coolant, water pump as it has to be removed to do the job, aux belt and seals/gaskets.

Absolutely nobody is doing one in 8 hours I'm sorry, come and try if you like.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123141499#Comment_123141499

Nearly 3 times? There are independent places charges 5 times that here😂

mankteln

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123142544#Comment_123142544

Haha aye I was being generous as your man thinks there's no difference in labour costs between here and the UK. He'd be in for a shock. My own guy is 80 an hour and the other garage in town is 90.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123143096#Comment_123143096

Theres certain crowds charging close to main dealer prices but have invested heavily in equipment and software etc and probably have high overheads. Me personally I’l stick to my one man band mechanic who charges €30 for an oil change if I get him the parts😂

TheGreatUnkown

I bought my wet belt kit on auto-doc.ie. You can get a wet belt kit but it doesn't include the belt for the oil pump. You need to change this also. I got this off Micksgarage. I had 130,000km on mine when I changed and it was breaking down. For peace of mind, I'd do it every 100,000km personally.

Regular oil changes with 5W20 oil is key. I changed mine every 6 months or 10,000km, whichever was sooner. The wet belt will degrade anyway. Regular servicing will ensure it lasts longer but you'll still need to replace it eventually.

This is not an easy job to change. I went to a well respected mechanic in my area and took him several days. Massive labour in doing this. I paid 1,000 euro in labour and around 350 euro for my own parts.

Extremely poor design. However Ford went with this design as there was a very marginal improvement in fuel economy in running the belt in oil. Madness.

The newer ecoboosts are chain, however the oil pump still uses a belt so be aware of this. The engine was great for me and extremely economical but wouldn't buy another simply for reliability concerns.

Abhainn

Seems Ford started addressing this known wet belt issue in the UK in June 2024 through the Good Will Scheme there. And also retrospective payments are been made. Can't find any confirmation if its has been extended to here.

Good overview below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDPHjJsVnu8

carzony

This engine/Ford's reputation has been very badly affected by these wet belt issues.

dazzler98

just looking for some advice in relation to this thready if someone can help as i am really not car savvy. I have a 2017 ecoboost ford with 100000km. It has been serviced regularly with ford throughout the years so i know it has been looked after in terms of using the best oil. Just wondering if i proactively get the wetbelt/timing belt changed, which i know would cost about 1-2k, does that generally solve the issue? i would like to be able to get at least another 50000km out of this car if at all possible

JMcL

Not the same issue but I'll gladly take the opportunity to put the boot into Ford's "Customer Service".

Or 2014 SMax bricked itself in July - wouldn't start or even look like it was trying. Off to the local Ford service center who scratched their heads a lot, changed the fusebox (on Ford's instruction) and charged €1800 for the lot. It worked for 1 weekend then bricked itself again. They eventually told us to ring Ford ourselves who were all can-do until they suddenly became can-don't - "we don't make that part (the ECU) anymore, you're on your own".

7 Month's later we've got the car with a Polish lad who was recommended as a wizard with this kind of thing only to discover he's about to pack up and head back to Poland (it would have saved an awful lot of hassle if this had been suggested 5 or 6 months ago)

So Ford will never be touched again - I simply don't find it acceptable that they think it's OK to write off a car with upwards of €10k residual value (not that I expect the rest of them to be much better - I've owned French cars as well)

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123171002#Comment_123171002

Has the car been fixed? Just search ECU repairs on Google if not.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123170895#Comment_123170895

Proactively changing the wetbelt will solve some of the issues. But I think that engine has other serious issues such as overheating and cylinders cracking or something?