Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water

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Sat 23 Nov 2013 11:47
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - DaveJ101

Hello, could anyone kindly provide me with some advice on how much the following could cost to be repaired please?

I have a 55 Focus 1.6 Zetec Climate and I don’t know a great deal about cars, so please bear with me.

One, Three and Four Coil Packs (and spark plug boots) have blown out. Spark Plug Four was completely blown out.

I now understand that this has been caused by an ingress of water which pools around the spark plugs causing them to corrode. The primary cause of this water ingress is (i) the engine on this model is not fitted with a cover on manufacture, and (ii) water leaking from the washer jets which are directly above the spark plugs.

I believe from what I have read on the web that the cylinder head will need to be removed and the plug seating rebored and new gaskets fitted. However, there is probably a lot more which needs to be done too.

Having spoken to a mechanic by phone (it will cost me £60 to get my car to a mechanic) I have been quoted £1500-1600 for the repair work. I was nearly sick on hearing this, so if anyone on this forum could give me a second opinion on repair costs then I would be very grateful please.

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Sat 23 Nov 2013 12:16
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - Peter.N.

Have you approached any local engineering firms? It might be possible to do the job in situ depending on accessability and swarf removal. Alternatively a secondhand head or even engine ought to be cheaper than that.

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Sat 23 Nov 2013 12:47
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - Cyd

Search on eBay for Redmans Engine Centre or Google to find their own website. They're somewhere in the Black Country and offer a specialist head reconditioning service. They seem to be geared up for this kind of thing. I'm thinking of using them myself.

I'd have thought about a grand should cover it. Unless there's more damaged than just the head.

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Sat 23 Nov 2013 13:40
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - craig-pd130

To make sure I fully understand the problem, are you saying that the #4 spark plug has been physically blown out of the spark plug hole, and no part of the spark plug remains in the cylinder head? This is unusual, and only happens if the spark plug is able to work loose.

Are the other spark plugs still in place in the cylinder head, or have they been blown out of the head too?

It should be possible for an engineer to repair the damaged thread in the spark plug hole using a 'helicoil'. These can be done without removing the cylinder head. However, if the plugs are the tapered-seat type (with no sealing washer) then the taper in the cylinder head may need a repair.

If the other 3 spark plugs are still in the head, using a rust-eating solution like ACF-50might help with removing them.

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Sat 23 Nov 2013 16:45
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - DaveJ101

Peter, Cyd, Craig, thank you very much for your advice.

Craig, yes #4 spark plug has completely blown out of the hole and no part of the spark plug remains in the cylinder head. #1 and #3 spark-plug boots have blown out with the spark plugs still in place in the cylinder head.

Edited by DaveJ101 on 23/11/2013 at 16:59

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Sat 23 Nov 2013 21:31
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - craig-pd130

Most towns have a specialist engineering firm that will do helicoiling and related jobs. A good place to ask about your local place is either a local independent car parts / accessories shop (not Halfords!) or the local motorcycle MOT station (older / classic motorcycles often need thread repairs, cylinder head skimming and the like).

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Sun 24 Nov 2013 09:04
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - bazza

Hello I think i was one of the first to point this out as I had the same problem with a 2005 1.6 Focus as early as 2007. Fortunately the situation had not progressed as far as yours and i was able to sort it out myself. As others have said, it is a relatively straighforward machine shop/engineering fix, definitely do not take it to a Ford main dealer. Even if the head has to come off it is not the end of the world.

Once you have new plugs and coil packs, you MUST sort the root cause, which is simple to do yourself. Get some clear silicone sealant and apply liberally to the underneath of the washer jet plastic bases to make a watertight seal ( they just prise off) . To be 100% sure, buy the cheapest rubber car mat you can find and drill a hole in each corner. Use this to fashion a cover for the plug wells, making sure that it covers the coil packs and the wells and that any water drains away from any electrics or components. Then you will be sorted. Good luck, it is a very common problem and was fixed by Ford arounf 2008.

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Sun 24 Nov 2013 20:13
Ford Focus - Focus 55 Zetec Spark Plugs blown out due to water - DaveJ101

Craig, Bazza, thanks very much for your advice again, just wish I had been reading about this a couple of years ago.

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