Ford garage told me my wifes Fiesta's sump needing replacing.I brushed it down and checked it thoroughly and then repainted it - never leaked for another 4 years and then we sold the car.
I'm sure they were hoping I wouldn't look beyond the surface rust/dirt!
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L'es, I've been following this thread with great interest as a) we had a Fiesta which needed replacement of a rusty sump and b) SWMBO now has a 52 Focus.
I've just put on my overalls, got under the car and checked - and I'm sure SWMBO's Focus has an alloy sump - the casting ridges and sound when tapped with a hammer make me think cast alloy rather than pressed steel. This Focus is a 1.6 petrol ..... did you say what your engine type was - I couldn't find a reference?
I think your garage gave you the correct advice.
BTW, IMHO, this topic is sensible enough to have gone on the 'Technical' board.
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This Focus is a 1.6 petrol ..... did you say what your engine type was - I couldn't find a reference?
Mine's a 2 litre Focus Ghia, first registered 2nd July 2003. Ill be visiting the dealer tomorrow and I'll see if I can find out which variants and year of manufacture had alloy sumps and which had painted steel sumps. You're the second person in this thread to say they have a 1.6 with an alloy sump.
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Just to expand on using high melting point grease to arrest current rust and as a preventative from new and with already rusting sumps.
My van has a steel sump and when new I wiped it all over with HMP grease. A year later when doing an oil change I cleaned the sump up with kitchen roll and applied more.
The sump actually still looks like new when you clean it up and there is no sign of corrosion. Sumps treated like this stay rust free indefinitely.
I have done this this with steel sumps since 1967 and at that time initially just wiped them with the old oil coming out of the sump at change time.
Most of these sumps, including the current one on the van are exposed below the vehicle and not protected by an undertray.
I did try waxoil once, but at the next oil change the sump was bare and dry with no trace remaining, likely due to the heat.
HMP grease will not melt off, will last for a very long time and if applied to a dry rusty sump seems to halt the corrosion at that point, as the stuff saturates into the corroded surface.
Anything`s better than nothing really, but it has to take the heat. Old engine oil will last a few months if no HMP grease is to hand.
A badly rusted sump can therefore be `frozen in time` at the point the grease is applied , from a further corrosion perspective.
A handful of grease takes less than 15 seconds to rub in, so no excuses for sumps rusting through
;)
Edited by oilrag on 26/06/2008 at 19:01
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I've just looked in my Haynes Mk I Focus manual and although it doesn't categorically state the material from which the sump is made, the photos indicate that the 1.4 and 1.6 sumps are alloy and the 1.8 and 2.0 sumps are steel.
My apologies to Roly93 for questioning his statement that his 53 plate 1.6 Focus has an alloy sump.
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Did you see the dealer yesterday, L'es? Was he able to shed any more light on the alloy/steel mystery?
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This stuff is still in production and was great for a leaking petrol tank. Might do for a sump if the problem is a leak from a point or small area.
www.granville-oilchem.co.uk/pdfs/data/01-01.pdf
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Did you see the dealer yesterday L'es? Was he able to shed any more light on the alloy/steel mystery?
Their reply agreed with my post on Thursday ........... "I've just looked in my Haynes Mk I Focus manual and although it doesn't categorically state the material from which the sump is made, the photos indicate that the 1.4 and 1.6 sumps are alloy and the 1.8 and 2.0 sumps are steel."
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P.S. I'd rather have a 2.0 with a decaying steel sump than either a 1.4 or 1.6 with a pristine alloy sump. When you get to my age the ability to indulge in some spirited driving is one of the few day-to-day pleasures left!
Edited by L'escargot on 28/06/2008 at 10:37
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Thanks.
I don't know which is best ..... an alloy sump that would crack if you hit e.g. an old exhaust lying in the road, or a rust-susceptible steel one that would more probably only dent if it hit an object on the road?
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I have a 2.0 Focus Ghia (03/03 50,000 miles) and was told by my local Ford dealer that the sump was very badly rusted at the time of the last service in May. They wanted about £250 to replace it at the time but as my bill was already £600 at that stage (service plus new brakes and discs all round!) I declined. Now I am noticing I am leaving oil stains where I park so I suppose they must have been telling me the truth. How long is it likely to last before it dumps everything do you think ?
I've been checking second-hand parts sites on the web and most seem to be out of stock. One is advertising a new sump for £70 so perhaps I'd better get it sooner rather than later.
HPbF
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Younegst son has 1.1 peugeot 106 .. bought 2 years ago with rusty sump. No leakage but rust very bad and we expected it to fail sometime. Changed crankshaft oil seal behind clutch and had to jack up - wood under sump job. Three weeks later oil started to seep through and two weeks after that flood through. Unrusty one from scrapyard £10 and a new tube of sealant - no gaskets fitted ) and all ok.
Investigating rusted one, - 2 imperceptible holes in sump when viewed from inside but warm oil gushed out - 0.5 litres a day when in use!
So To Hocus Pocus.. once it starts it is time to replace or one day on motorway, you will end up with no oil and a BIG bill for new engine.
SMBO's 106 - owned from new - is a different animal. Odd bumps of speed humps etc.. added waxoil.. the solvent evaporates leaving the wax behind. No problems over 15 years...
Edited by madf on 08/08/2008 at 13:39
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I (...) was told by my local Ford dealer that the sump was very badly rusted (...) How long is it likely to last before it dumps everything do you think ?
First check where the oil is actually coming from. It might be something else dripping.
If a sudden big leak happens, it could render your engine u/s, if you don't notice PDQ. Don't forget that the crank case is under slight positive pressure.
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How long is it likely to last before it dumps everything do you think ?
I was told that there wouldn't be a sudden catastrophic failure.
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My dad had this earlier this year, '02 2.0 Ghia estate, it was slightly seeping oil due to corrosion, he replaced it himself, about £80 for the part, some sealer and a couple of hours work.
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I ws reading the "summer servicing" thread ~ tinyurl.com/5al92n
And noticed that Dave N uses Dinitrol ~ www.rust.co.uk/dinitrol-products.cfm
Surely this is "The Right Stuff" for those sumps ?
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And noticed that Dave N uses Dinitrol ~ www.rust.co.uk/dinitrol-products.cfm Surely this is "The Right Stuff" for those sumps ?
Which Dinitrol product would you think is appropriate for steel sumps?
Edited by L'escargot on 11/08/2008 at 08:46
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I honestly don't know L'e ... The Dinitrol name is well known (by me) for Donkeys years
... maybe a "belt n' braces" job of their rust converter, followed by say their heat resistant wax or maybe their paintable stonechip ... I have no connection with Dinitrol btw, (but any offers will be gratefully receieved : )
Another coating that I can highly (can't spell thoughroughly) recommend to withstand an air-burst thermo-nuclear explosion, is Sikkens opaque - tough as ole boots.
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Just changed oil on wife's 2000 Focus 1.6 Zetec - definitely alloy. However, the flat sump plate next to it on the autobox is steel - but no rust. Indeed, I am amazed that the only rust was a superficial layer under the door seals at the bottom edges - easily restored. Old engine oil painted liberally over the superficially corroded subframe bits - now looks as good as new.
Fords are much better than they used to be - at one time I swore I'd never have another!
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Just changed oil on wife's 2000 Focus 1.6 Zetec - definitely alloy.
Yep. Photos in Haynes show 1.4 and 1.6 engines as having alloy sumps; 1.8 and 2.0 have steel.
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