timing cover leak on my focus

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My 2014 focus Is leaking oil at the timing cover. The guys I work with at the Ford dealer said it's pretty common for them to leak. I haven't worked at a Ford dealer long enough to notice the trend I suppose. It's getting fixed on Tuesday but at 8000 miles I was hoping to have rotated the tires at least once before having to address an oil leak. I am pretty unhappy I've had hood repainted expansion valve replaced a trim piece replaced and now this all in 8000 miles. Hopefully my new car ownership experience gets better soon.
 
It's funny some people always seem to be having car trouble. I've been driving for 20 years (new cars and hoopties) and I can count the number of car problems I've had in that time without having to use 2 hands.
 
I have had decent luck over all. But the focus being my first new car I was expecting to own something that would be drama and stress free for awhile
 
Yup, it happens a lot on the new Foci. They use RTV on the timing cover. Make sure they use new diamond washers, if they don't serious damage can occur.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
It's funny some people always seem to be having car trouble. I've been driving for 20 years (new cars and hoopties) and I can count the number of car problems I've had in that time without having to use 2 hands.

I wish I could say that, and have less years of driving than that. Whats the definition of a problem? Something outside of an oil change, tire rotation, drain and fills and filter changes?
 
Originally Posted By: 99Saturn
Originally Posted By: dishdude
It's funny some people always seem to be having car trouble. I've been driving for 20 years (new cars and hoopties) and I can count the number of car problems I've had in that time without having to use 2 hands.

I wish I could say that, and have less years of driving than that. Whats the definition of a problem? Something outside of an oil change, tire rotation, drain and fills and filter changes?


Pretty much. I'd exclude bulbs, tires, brakes and rotors too.

Last repair I can remember was a window regulator in an F-150 I bought a few years ago, before that I can't remember.

I've never had a belt driven accessory fail on me, fuel pump, radiator or A/C component. I did just buy a little truck that has over 200k on it, I took it for an alignment and it had a marginal idler arm, so I changed that and put on new tires. I'd consider the idler arm a repair.

Sorry to derail your thread OP.
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I also have a 2014 Focus (with 8K) and I was wondering where to look for this oil leak?
I wouldn't say it 'uses' oil but I did add about a 1/2 quart (or less) over a 5K OCI to keep it at the top line on the dipstick. I was thinking this would subside after break in was complete???
 
I have owned 40 cars over the years. All bought used. No engine failures. I had to replace one tranny in a Dodge truck of all things. Only minor repairs on most of them. I better go find some wood to knock on.
 
It does suck to have a bunch of problems on a new car, especially an external oil leak. My Impreza is two years older than your Focus and it also had a timing chain cover oil leak but this was recent.

Last October @ 51k miles, the dealership resealed the cover. Afterwards, the tech told me they found a TSB for the cover. Two months later, it's leaking again. At the end of January, they had to pull the engine out and resealed the top portion of the cylinder head that holds the camshaft. It's been 2,600 miles since then and so far so good. Hope you get yours fixed the first time ram_man.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: pbm
I also have a 2014 Focus (with 8K) and I was wondering where to look for this oil leak?
I wouldn't say it 'uses' oil but I did add about a 1/2 quart (or less) over a 5K OCI to keep it at the top line on the dipstick. I was thinking this would subside after break in was complete???


Remove the air deflector on the botton and then look up at the timing cover above the ac compressor and see if you gave oil seapage. Mine in 3000 miles has used 1/8 of a quart or so not much but still it's new it shouldn't leak
 
this is a minor setback easy to fix if you decide to keep that focus for a long long time and you get say 300,000 miles out of it you will always be able to tell the story that in the beginning you thought it was a lemon.
In 1979 my parents bought two Cadillac's which i still have qq plates on. One of them new had what sounded like a rod knock my parents brought it in a couple of times and they said sometimes they sound like that (we owned an engine shop as i still do) but time went by and the 1 year 12,000 mile warranty expired so as time marched on to now in 2015 with 344,000 miles the noise is still there and it is still running good.
 
Yea. Just seems like ford has some quality issues that need addressed but I'm sure it's not just ford.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Yea. Just seems like ford has some quality issues that need addressed but I'm sure it's not just ford.
Definately not just Ford. My aunt has a 2013 VW Beetle TDI with 23k miles. Since new it has had the window regulators tightened since they were loose and the window was coming off track, the center console armrest replaced since it rattled and the latch was loose, a temperature sensor for the A/C, the A/C evaporater flushed from a bad smell, there was a fault code stored in the computer for the remoteness key having some issue, and there's still a bad wheel bearing sound in the front end which drives me nuts but the dealer says its most likely the tires which I don't believe. It also has some wind noise from the window rubbers.
 
I guess they'll have to drain the oil to change the front cover. So now I ask myself which oil should I run. I was considering mobil 1 but as terrific as the gaskets and seals seem to be on this car I'm skeptical of using a real slippery oil it'll probably leak faster lol.
 
Really? Mobil 1 is slipperier than other oils?

Originally Posted By: ram_man
I guess they'll have to drain the oil to change the front cover. So now I ask myself which oil should I run. I was considering mobil 1 but as terrific as the gaskets and seals seem to be on this car I'm skeptical of using a real slippery oil it'll probably leak faster lol.
 
I was be half way sarcastic. But it has been my experience if you have a subpar gasket a good synthetic will usually find it before a dino.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: pbm
I also have a 2014 Focus (with 8K) and I was wondering where to look for this oil leak?
I wouldn't say it 'uses' oil but I did add about a 1/2 quart (or less) over a 5K OCI to keep it at the top line on the dipstick. I was thinking this would subside after break in was complete???


Remove the air deflector on the botton and then look up at the timing cover above the ac compressor and see if you gave oil seapage. Mine in 3000 miles has used 1/8 of a quart or so not much but still it's new it shouldn't leak


ram_man:
When you say 'air deflector' are you referring to the felt like shield that is removed to do an oil change?
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Yup, it happens a lot on the new Foci. They use RTV on the timing cover. Make sure they use new diamond washers, if they don't serious damage can occur.



I would have thought that the MZR engine had been around long enough that these problems would have been fixed????

bdc: can you explain the "new diamond washers" a bit so that I'm familiar if I happen to have this leak....thanks.
 
This engine does not use a woodruff key on the crank to locate the harmonic balancer. It keeps the balancer located by providing some friction. There is one behind the crank sprocket and one between the sprocket and the balancer.



 
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