Ford C-MAX (2003 - 2010) - 2004 / 1.8 Zetec - Oil Loss. Advice Needed.

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
Fri 7 Mar 2008 12:38
2004 / 1.8 Zetec - Oil Loss. Advice Needed. - bluesofty
Hello, am hoping someone can help, i have a Ford Focus C-Max Zetec 1.8 on an 04 plate. It's constantly needing to be topped up with oil and sometimes doesn't start very well. I took it to my mechanic who said he found oil in the 'inlet manifold'? and he cleaned out a valve - something to do with the breathing system i think? Either way i still have the problem. It doesnt appear to be leaking so the oil is going somewhere? Doesn't really seem to be too smokey either? But it uses lots of oil especially at long distance motorway cruising speeds or when i'm towing my caravan.....My mechanic spoke to two ford dealers and they too didnt know what the problem was.....has anyone encountered the problem before or any suggestions i could pass onto my mechanic would be REALLY appreciated! thank you, Emma x

{Shouting in subject line amended}

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 08/03/2008 at 00:12

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 7 Mar 2008 21:45
2004 / 1.8 Zetec - Oil Loss. Advice Needed. - Screwloose
Emma

How long does a litre of oil last? Has it always used oil, or is this new?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 8 Mar 2008 17:44
2004 / 1.8 Zetec - Oil Loss. Advice Needed. - keep the heap going
It sounds like the mechanic cleaned the EGR valve, which can jam up and cause oil to enter the inlet. Poor starting could be linked with oily plugs, which might have been caused by oil leaking past a worn valve guide. If you stand behind the car when it is started from cold and you see a puff of blue smoke, that would tell you about a guide problem. Synthetic oil gets past very small gaps. It is probably not smokey when hot, although if too much oil is getting past the valves, then your emissions will be high. In a recent model like that, you should be able to breathe the exhaust it should be so clean. I think the small ford engines do have valve problems. The oil can only go out the exhaust, fall onto the road or go into the antifreeze. The mechanic can check all this and do a compression test to see if there is a valve problem.

You probably need a really good Ford agent who knows the engines to sort this, but not necessarily a dealer, as they are not always careful with your wallet.

good luck with it


Reply | Report as offensive | Link