Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sat 27 May 2017 09:53
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - superad

Hello. I would really appreciate your advice and thoughts on this.

I want to buy a 1600tdci cmax, 2015 with about 40k on it. Ithe will be used as a taxi. I love the cmax for its comfort but I have read that the 1600 pug engine has injector issues which lead to blowing the turbo.

Do you know if this has been resolved prior to 2015? I usually keep my cars up to 150k.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 27 May 2017 10:06
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - SLO76
No doubt there will be someone along shortly to suggest the later 8v engine as fitted here is fine and yes they are better but there are still far too many instances problems particularly with turbocharger failure to recommend it. Ford redesigned the engine bought from PSA again to produce their current 1.5 diesel which is supposed to rectify past issues but only time will tell, if you must have a C-max then the 1.5 is certainly worth the extra but it's not what I'd buy to taxi.

I've a neighbour who ran a Berlingo with this later version of the 1.6 diesel and it failed catastrophically at just over 80,000 miles. The oil feed for the turbo blocked with carbonised oil. The blades broke up and metal fragments ingested by the engine ruining it. He now has a Passat. Ask any workshop popular with the taxi trade and they'll warn you off it. In fact these are the guys you should speak to. They see taxis every day of the week and understand everything that fails on particular models.

Personally I'd be after a Toyota hybrid if you do mostly city/town running or possibly a petrol Avensis, the diesels use BMW units now so I've less faith than before. VAG stuff is popular for a reason and despite all the warnings on here you'll find loads of Octavia, Superb, Rapid and Toledo taxis running well with well over 250k up. They're not completely infallible but the basics are robust. The 1.7 Isuzu diesel used in some Vauxhall Astra and Zafira models is very long lived if looked after too and well liked by the taxi trade. Don't get it confused with the soft Fiat 1.3, 1.9 and 2.0 diesels though, these can become total money pits as you approach 100k.

Edited by SLO76 on 27/05/2017 at 10:13

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 27 May 2017 10:09
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - hardway

Pretty much what kills these is lack of oil changes.

OIl can get contaminated by injector leak but it's the carbon build up that's crucial.

Any turbo needs a perfect supply of oil to the turbo bearings.

Fed from the oil pump via an oil strainer through a pipe to the turbo.

"IF" when this gets blocked the bearings will die.

And fitting a new turbo is useless as the oil pathways will still be blocked.

New turbo will be dead in next to no time.

A thorough clean of all engine internal and oilways and a new turbo and turbo oil feed pipe is the only soulution.

So in answer to your question if this has been resolved by 2015?

My answer is I doubt anything has been done as this problem is by and large down to operator missuse.

Miss out oil changes and the engine/turbo is a sgood as dead.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 27 May 2017 10:19
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - SLO76
Proper maintenance from someone who really understands the faults inherent in this engine can make all the difference but it's not true to say it's all down to poor servicing. The older 2.0 HDi could run to massive mileages with nothing more than basic oil changes and the clearing out of the oil feed is not on a normal service schedule. You'd have to request it and hope the previous owner has too.

I'm no mechanic but I believe the problem with the oil feed is the location which runs too close to the the DPF and encounters high temperatures which carbonises the oil very quickly.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 27 May 2017 10:49
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - superad

Thanks guys. I currently own a Octavia 1600 dsg with just 30k on it. It's has just had a new clutch fitted and is now going back into Skoda to sort out an engine problem. They are not sure what but on a compression check all injectors gave a different reading and the car will not run correctly. This is my reason for wanting a cmax. But I don't want to be out of the flying pan into the fire.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 27 May 2017 10:57
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - superad

My other option is to buy a slightly higher mileage 2ltr tdI cmax, are these any better?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 27 May 2017 12:39
Ford C-MAX - 2015 ford cmax turbo injector advice - SLO76
Unlucky on the Octavia though problems on the DSG box are very common the engines are usually pretty robust but there are unlucky examples like this.

The 2.0 in the C-max is a much better engine and know to cover heavy mileages in the Euro 7 cabs it's also fitted to. Garages used by hackney drivers should know it inside out. They're not totally vice free though, DPF issues are common as is DMF failure. Drivers with a heavy right boot who've a habit of sharp acceleration tend to find they can breakup by 70k, while others with a more gentle style combined with good luck can see 200k before they go.

Don't touch the auto! It's a complex automated manual similar to VW's DSG box and prone to plenty of problems at high mileage.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link