Coolant on spark plugs.

[Mega ST]

It’s a pain in the ass. The way they have the timing set up on these motors is no picnic. If you could cheat and leave the belt on the crank and you could access the headbolts without removing the cams. But you can’t. I looked thru the manual and it is a lot of steps involved. If it were my car I def just swap engines. Head gasket is cheap, but labor is intensive. Id rather have the motor out of the car and if I’m going to do that, may as well swap. Maybe take my time and fix HG with it out of the car and save that motor as a spare.

 

[gtx3076]

It’s a pain in the ass. The way they have the timing set up on these motors is no picnic. If you could cheat and leave the belt on the crank and you could access the headbolts without removing the cams. But you can’t. I looked thru the manual and it is a lot of steps involved. If it were my car I def just swap engines. Head gasket is cheap, but labor is intensive. Id rather have the motor out of the car and if I’m going to do that, may as well swap. Maybe take my time and fix HG with it out of the car and save that motor as a spare.

I'm talking to a reputable tuner shop that's been around for about 15 years that specializes in subarus, but they also work on ecoboosts, and the old mazdaspeeds. They said with the mileage they'd lean towards a swap for the same reason. Trying to see if it's worth dealing with now, or later, it drives alright at the moment, just have to keep an eye on the coolant.

 

[gtx3076]

Even though I think I could get a motor dropped in without breaking the bank, I don't care to. Car doesn't fit our lifestyle anymore so I'm thinking about selling it. What do you guys think is reasonable for a driving car that could be used for parts or is ready for a new motor? Cheapest one I found on autotrader was $9k, similar year and mileage.

 

[Dpro]

Even though I think I could get a motor dropped in without breaking the bank, I don't care to. Car doesn't fit our lifestyle anymore so I'm thinking about selling it. What do you guys think is reasonable for a driving car that could be used for parts or is ready for a new motor? Cheapest one I found on autotrader was $9k, similar year and mileage.

Hmm interesting it’s why I bought my GRC , I decided my FiST no longer was in the daily driver category. Probably my bad for that😂 Though with the whole Insurance thing I am scratching my head about keeping it. Love it but the Universe does not currently seem to be lining up with keeping it. 😂

 

[Gs1504]

Not to be a debby downer but definitely sounds like cylinder 1 might have a crack in it.... cylinder 1 is actually known to crack due to the design of coolant passages....

 

[gtx3076]

Not to be a debby downer but definitely sounds like cylinder 1 might have a crack in it.... cylinder 1 is actually known to crack due to the design of coolant passages....

That's my thought, especially since spark plug 1 was so difficult to get out, and there was oil all over the boots and I don't over tighten my plugs.

 

[BoostedST17]

I feel your pain, I'm in the same situation, Texas car, 177k miles, ran on E30, daily driven for 7 years. Issues started two weeks ago with a slight stumble on start up. I took the car to a shop and confirmed coolant was getting into #3 cilylinder. Shop told me the same, the labor to remove the head while the motor is still in the car makes it a huge PIA, and it would be less labor to remove and replace the entire motor. Not to mention the risk of doing all that labor only to find a cracked head or cylinder wall. I was advised to look for a used motor or buy a new longblock from Ford.

I was able to drive it home and I started working on removing the head to determine if the head or block were cracked. I can confirm that taking the head off while motor is in the car is a huge pain in the ass. I was able to leave the timing belt on the lower crank pulley but did have to remove the cams in order to take the head bolts off.

My head did not look bad, surprisingly the valves were not cacked up with carbon deposits either (no catch can). I'm going to send the head off to get checked so that I can determine how to move forward. Honestly I don't think I will put a new motor in, if the head is bad I may end up getting rid of the whole car.

Good luck on your endeavors.

 

[gtx3076]

I feel your pain, I'm in the same situation, Texas car, 177k miles, ran on E30, daily driven for 7 years. Issues started two weeks ago with a slight stumble on start up. I took the car to a shop and confirmed coolant was getting into #3 cilylinder. Shop told me the same, the labor to remove the head while the motor is still in the car makes it a huge PIA, and it would be less labor to remove and replace the entire motor. Not to mention the risk of doing all that labor only to find a cracked head or cylinder wall. I was advised to look for a used motor or buy a new longblock from Ford.

I was able to drive it home and I started working on removing the head to determine if the head or block were cracked. I can confirm that taking the head off while motor is in the car is a huge pain in the ass. I was able to leave the timing belt on the lower crank pulley but did have to remove the cams in order to take the head bolts off.

My head did not look bad, surprisingly the valves were not cacked up with carbon deposits either (no catch can). I'm going to send the head off to get checked so that I can determine how to move forward. Honestly I don't think I will put a new motor in, if the head is bad I may end up getting rid of the whole car.

Good luck on your endeavors. View attachment 62375

What year is yours? Is this really just a '14-'15 issue or is this just a weakness of all 1.6 EB motors?

 

[BoostedST17]

Mine is a 2017, I think there was an update in late 2016 to the head, and I've seen some blocks online that don't have the slit in between the cylinders instead have a small hole.

Mine has the slit in the block, but I overheated the car in the past multiple times before I upgraded the montune radiator last year.

 

[scooter123]

Mine is a 2017, I think there was an update in late 2016 to the head, and I've seen some blocks online that don't have the slit in between the cylinders instead have a small hole.

Mine has the slit in the block, but I overheated the car in the past multiple times before I upgraded the montune radiator last year.

Is it possible to remove the timing belt with the engine in the car? I'm asking because at some point my car will need a new clutch and timing belt.

 

[Capri to ST]

Is it possible to remove the timing belt with the engine in the car? I'm asking because at some point my car will need a new clutch and timing belt.

Yes. I read through the procedure in the manual for replacing the timing belt , and it was long and involved, but did not involve taking the engine out of the car

 

[BoostedST17]

Is it possible to remove the timing belt with the engine in the car? I'm asking because at some point my car will need a new clutch and timing belt.

Yes, it's just not very fun to do, especially at home without a lift using jack stands.

My timming belt and water pump looked good, even the serpentine belt looked great, I'm at 177k miles for reference.

 

[BoostedST17]

Well, cylinder #3 is cracked. 🙁

 

[gtx3076]

Well, cylinder #3 is cracked. 🙁

View attachment 62436

That sucks. Are you going to swap the motor?

 

[BoostedST17]

That sucks. Are you going to swap the motor?

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I started to make a list of parts that I should go ahead and replace "while I'm in there" and it's adding up pretty quickly.

Used motors are usually from escapes and they are not very well maintained and or have already been overheated. There was a post on another thread about a different block, I may pull the trigger on that revised block and build a complete long block with ARP headstuds and better gasket.

I did find a new long block from Ford for around 2.6k, but I think I would have to send a core or eat the 1k core charge.

Seems like no matter which route I go with I will be spending more money than what my Fiesta is currently valued at. I hate to say it but the most financially responsible option would probably be a part out.

What about you?

 

[gtx3076]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I started to make a list of parts that I should go ahead and replace "while I'm in there" and it's adding up pretty quickly.

Used motors are usually from escapes and they are not very well maintained and or have already been overheated. There was a post on another thread about a different block, I may pull the trigger on that revised block and build a complete long block with ARP headstuds and better gasket.

I did find a new long block from Ford for around 2.6k, but I think I would have to send a core or eat the 1k core charge.

Seems like no matter which route I go with I will be spending more money than what my Fiesta is currently valued at. I hate to say it but the most financially responsible option would probably be a part out.

What about you?

Same boat. My wife looked up newer, lower mileage FiSTs and it seems like if you’re going through the trouble to drop a new motor in, you could get a newer FiST for not much more after selling the old one. I would be needing a new clutch “while I’m in there” as well.

 

[BoostedST17]

I thought I should post a cool trick I learned that may help other fellow fiesta owners.

Coolant pressure showed I was getting coolant into the cylinders, but it was not clear if it was the headgasket, cylinders or both. I pulled the head and my visual inspection of the headgasket and the problem cylinder did not show any obvious signs of faliure.

I emptied and dried out the cylinder water jackets, and filled it with gasoline. Sure enough it started to seep gasoline through the cracks into the cylinder.

I then took some 1500 grit sandpaper and lightly scuffed the cilylinder wall and that is how I verified and discovered the cracks.

Anyone "already in there" to replace a headgasket should check the block.